Members Present: Betty Bakker, Peter Bergamo, Suzanne Christensen, Mary Desole, Deborah Eisberg, Barbara Hespenheide, Susan Hill, Gae Hutton, Jackie Klein, Art Punsoni, Murray Solomon, Reed Sparling, Jennifer Teague, and Norma Torney. The PPLD was represented by Skip Patterson, Deb Shon, and Janet Huen..
Members Absent with Notice: Chris Cuttler, Gayle Garin, Ike Rubin, Noel Tepper, and Frank Van Zanten.

Members Absent without Notice: Wanda Mitchell, and Mark Pastreich.
President Sparling called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Minutes of Previous meetings: The June minutes were distributed. Skip Patterson moved to accepted them as submitted, and Betty Bakker seconded the motion. The minutes were accepted..

Treasurer's Report: There was no treasurer's report.

President's Report: Reed did not have a president's report this month.

OLD BUSINESS

Program Committee Report - The program committee reported that the committee is planning a program for the annual meeting in December. It will include James Bleecker, a photographer who will discuss how the Hudson Valley has influenced his work. He will present a slide show. His photographs have been shown in art galleries throughout the Hudson Valley and the state, including the River Park Art Gallery in Troy. The committee asked for a suggestion for a honorarium. His work will be available for sale that evening; small photographs are usually $500.00; his larger works are approximately $2.000.00. He normally charges $500.00 and Reed suggested offering him $400.00. The annual meeting will be held the week of December 15th. His website is http://jamesbleecker.com. Jenny suggested a local exhibition of his work prior to the meeting. Barbara suggested perhaps he could exhibit in a local art gallery.

The Program Committee will be moving our 25th Anniversary traveling Exhibit to the Arlington Branch before our next meeting there in September. Janet Huen brought the 25th Anniversary plaque, which Suzanne accepted temporarily until we can find a permanent location for it. It was signed by Senator Saland and Thomas Kirwan, and is laminated. Suzanne will try to get a photo of it to put on our website.

We will be part of the Arlington Street Fair on October 2nd. The festival will be from 12 to 7 p.m. and the PPLD staff will also participate.

Mary Desole checked on scheduling a bus trip to the Cloisters. She called the Cloisters, and reported we wouldn't be able to go until the spring.

Murray suggested the Friends keep a calendar of activities and suggested the secretary keep and distribute the calendar. Suzanne is willing to do this, if committees let her know about upcoming events. She also will put the calendar on the Friends' website.

Skip Patterson again discussed having a joint event for the Friends Board and the PPLD Board. The program committee will discuss this with members of the PPLD to try to schedule a joint event in the spring.

The author event is difficult to plan and schedule. Suggestions were made to try it on a small scale, perhaps with only illustrators, or some authors reading their own works.The Program Committee will try to schedule an authr's event for the Spring of 2005.

Booksale Committee - Betty and Suzanne reported in Frank's absence. More help is needed for sorting and packing books. We are beginning to sign up volunteers to help set up, during the sale, and clean up.

They invited the Board members to a pre-sale open house/Garden party at Frank Van Zanten's home on Saturday, August 28. An invitation will go out soon. Friends' Board members, PPLD Board members, and PPLD employees will be invited.

Because we have 80,000 items to sell, all Board members are urged to help at the sale, or during setup Sept. 7-9, or clean up Sept. 14-16.

Newsletter - Murray said August 1 is the deadline for the Rotunda, and Janet said the next deadline will be about December 1, so we will send out our own newsletter in November to highlight our Holiday Sale and our Annual meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

PPLD Report - The library's head of adult programs, Deborah Shon, was introduced. She discussed the attached handout which requested funds for a series of children's programs.

Funding request - One request is for funding a party to celebrate the end of the Summer Reading Program. The event would be on Sept. 12, and certificates would be given to approximately 500 children who participated. The amount of $700.00 would be used to laminate all the certificates and to hire a DJ for the event.

The second request is for $3,000.00 to fund a Concert series for children. Four classical concerts would be held during the fall and winter to introduce fine classical music to children in Poughkeepsie. The first concert would be on October 2, 2004. Because Cuneen Hackett was unable to get full funding, the Howland Cultural center in Beacon and the PPLD will hold these programs, and the PPLD will advertise them as sponsored with funding from the Friends.

Suzanne pointed out the summer party is during our booksale on Sept. 12, and the first concert is on October 2. She suggested that the library district and the Friends' group try to schedule their events on different dates. Jenny moved and Jackie seconded that the Friends approve both funding requests.

Janet Huen reported that plaques have been placed on bookcases throughout the district to highlight Friends funding. The plaques say "Donated by the Friends." She reported the Summer Reading Program is "phenomenal" this year. Over 100 people attended the book discussion of The DaVinci Code.

Reed adjourned the meeting at 6:30.

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Christensen
Secretary