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
Books, coffee, and cacti by the park. Come to read, relax, and connect in a comfortable setting while enjoying coffee and cake.
About Me
- Kaffeehaus
- Nomizu 1-4-9, Chofu-shi, Japan
- Opening times/days: 11am-6pm, Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Contact: book_ideas@hotmail.com or kaffeehaus.chofu@outlook.com.
The Kaffeehaus Story
...begins with Book Ideas.
Since we began 14 years ago, the mobile lending library and community service project we called “Book Ideas” has been an opportunity to bring books collected from all over the world to curious readers, connect with neighbors and make friends, share experiences from home and abroad, and find my own feet in Tokyo.
We imagined Book Ideas as a space for discovery and special encounters. With Kaffeehaus we aim to maintain this atmosphere, while resituating it within a café setting where we also serve coffee and German baked goods. Our book library remains with books old and new, in every imaginable size, on many different topics and in many different languages. As does our varied program of regular events, presentations, and meet-ups like “Crafting Circle”.
Kaffeehaus draws inspiration from the traditional Viennese Coffee House, which the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig describes as “a sort of democratic club, open to everyone for the price of a cheap cup of coffee, where every guest can sit for hours with this little offering, to talk, write, play cards, receive post, and above all consume an unlimited number of newspapers and journals.”
In the same spirit, we would like to think that Kaffeehaus is for everyone: whether you are a bookworm, a conversationalist, or a parent with kids; whether you are looking for a peaceful garden in which to read and drink coffee; or whether you are simply a person who is curious about other people, countries, and lifestyles.
Since we began 14 years ago, the mobile lending library and community service project we called “Book Ideas” has been an opportunity to bring books collected from all over the world to curious readers, connect with neighbors and make friends, share experiences from home and abroad, and find my own feet in Tokyo.
We imagined Book Ideas as a space for discovery and special encounters. With Kaffeehaus we aim to maintain this atmosphere, while resituating it within a café setting where we also serve coffee and German baked goods. Our book library remains with books old and new, in every imaginable size, on many different topics and in many different languages. As does our varied program of regular events, presentations, and meet-ups like “Crafting Circle”.
Kaffeehaus draws inspiration from the traditional Viennese Coffee House, which the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig describes as “a sort of democratic club, open to everyone for the price of a cheap cup of coffee, where every guest can sit for hours with this little offering, to talk, write, play cards, receive post, and above all consume an unlimited number of newspapers and journals.”
In the same spirit, we would like to think that Kaffeehaus is for everyone: whether you are a bookworm, a conversationalist, or a parent with kids; whether you are looking for a peaceful garden in which to read and drink coffee; or whether you are simply a person who is curious about other people, countries, and lifestyles.
No comments:
Post a Comment