Thank you for supporting us during yet another year of Book Ideas! And thank you to everyone who attended the 8th Annual General Meeting and/or provided us with feedback about our service. Please read on for a summary of our discussion at the meeting.
The Minutes will also be permanently accessible on the blog under the "Important Pages" column on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
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Minutes of the 8th Book Ideas Annual General Meeting February 27, 2016
Report on the last 3.5 years of operation
Last meeting on 8/25/12
Present: 6 members, 3 users, 1 visitor
- Contrary to past years, neither agenda nor “Suggestions for Feedback” form sent out
- A questionnaire hand-delivered to 14 and sent by mail to 3 members, emailed to all users, and posted on bookideasfuchu.blogspot.com. 16 filled-out questionnaires received
- All members, users and presenters thanked for supporting Book Ideas, displaying and handing out our flyers, sharing snacks and helping in various other ways. Particular thanks to: Masako Kikuchi for always being there, making newcomers feel welcome, explaining Book Ideas in Japanese, and spreading the word among her many contacts; Mine Serizawa for maintaining our blog and brainstorming about the new Book Ideas; Hiroko Maekawa for “Otsuchi: Before & After”, Dorna for “Inner Mongolia”, Masako Kikuchi for “On a Recent Trip to Israel”, Yumi Sakamoto for “Tonga”, Ros Lam for “Australia”, Becky Kikuchi for “Halloween Stories”, and Toshi Serizawa for “South Sudan”
Opening dates and times; venue
- Open a total of 108 times since Book Ideas started on August 19, 2006
- Open only 12 times between August 25, 2012 and July 11, 2015, mostly on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm
- Already open 26 times since opening at the new location on July 11, 2015
- Usually held at Momijigaoka Bunka Center and occasionally in our apartment or community room of the apartment building at Momijigaoka 2-8-13. Since July 2016 held in the new rented space
- Room at the Bunka Center a good choice because of size and location next to library (incidental visitors)
- At new place hardly any set-up, no pressure to close on time, more library items. However, so far hardly any incidental visitors
Visitors; books checked out
- Bunka Center: visitors/opening, 20-40; items checked out, 13-42 by 5-13 people; incidental visitors: many
- New place: visitors/opening, 2-12; items checked out, 2-17 by 2-8 people; incidental visitors: very few
- No limit to number of items that can be checked out. Usually people return items on time but there are 13 books checked out since 2007-2009 that are presumably lost. Another 10 books are overdue; individual reminder mails have been sent out
- English children's books still the most popular items Members/users; mailing list; blog
- 17 members since 2011: 11 Japanese, 6 foreigners; 14 Fuchu residents, 1 from Saitama, 1 from Chofu, 1 from Koganei
- Definition of “user”: anyone entering name and contact details in sign-up book when checking out an item for the first time. Only one person per family is asked to register
- Currently 242 users. 3 asked to be removed and several have been removed by me.
- Contacts deleted when email bounces back 3 times and no change of address is received
- Some visitors come once to explore, others come for a chat or only to borrow items. Some appreciate advice on books, especially regarding difficulty and level of English
- Flyers cannot be attached to messages sent to cell phones. A blog was created in 2007 as an alternative resource to check for updates
- Book titles can be searched via link on the blog
- Interest in blog remains low
Book Exchange
- Success in first year, but discontinued because items remained at closing time Lending by sending
- Implemented in 2012, this service enables users to receive books by mail and pay for postage on delivery
- Only one person in Kanagawa used this service
- It has not been advertised since then
Summary of filled-out questionnaires
Advertising
- Most people are informed about Book Ideas through email
- Most respondents prefer to receive mail once a month
- Blog not widely accessed
- No clear preference for Japanese translations of information
Attendance
- Most people come more than once or visit regularly
- Wide range of answers for how many times people would visit if Book Ideas were open more often
- Most popular days: Saturday and Sunday
- Most popular time of day: afternoon. Morning, lunchtime, evening chosen as well
Activities/additional services
- Large majority enjoys presentations
- Majority prefers presentations in English. Some prefer presentations in Japanese
- Half of respondents for regularly-held recycle sales, half against
- Slight majority for regular book exchanges
- Majority interested in renting apartment and/or garden for personal events
- Majority favors additional services: “baking” favorite, followed by “arts & crafts” and “presentations”. All other services also mentioned at least once
Physical space; book collections
- Nearly half of respondents would prefer to separate library space from socializing space
- Top pick for kind of books to add to library: books from/about other countries
Ideas for additional activities
- Presentations: “Female Professionals in the Catholic Church”, “Growing up in Former East Germany”, “Kyrgyzstan”, “Faeroe Island”, “Growing up in Moscow” - Celebrations: Easter (egg painting), 4th of July (BBQ), Halloween (story reading/telling, pumpkin carving), Thanksgiving (sharing meal), Advent (Advent wreath, Santa Claus, St. Lucia, Christmas (ornaments), Carnival
- Children’s sessions: reading aloud, acting out stories with handmade stick figures/puppets
- Blog: “Book tips” by Book Ideas users
- Recycle event
- Book Exchange
- “Pop-up store”: offering retail space to external vendors?
- Newsletter: News about various services in neighborhood
Open discussion
Who should be our target audience?
- People from the neighborhood
- People from anywhere interested in presentations, celebrations, specific books
- Specific groups, e.g. AFWJ members, children
How to encourage attendance of young(er) parents and children?
- Separate children's and adults’ time
How to encourage more users and new visitors to attend?
- Presentations that catch people's attention
- Organize events for target audience
- Occasionally use the Bunka Center
Conflicting objectives
- Should we maintain current atmosphere and relationships (community feeling) or expand pool of users?
Contact other community organizations
- e.g. Sumire kai, represented by Shiba-san
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