Minutes of the 1/15/2026 Friends of HPL Meeting
Present: Jen Mabee, Gail Jones, Kathie Clark, and (by Zoom) Irene White
| TOPIC | DISCUSSION | ACTION |
| Call to order | 6 pm to 6:35 pm | |
| Minutes | Approved as amended | $45344.77 was corrected to $4534.77 |
| Financial Report | No changes: $4446.79 | |
| Publicity | Helen, Lorrie, Liz, and Jen keep us informed. | Thanks! |
| School Liaison | The current 2 volunteer Reading Buddies are snowbirds who will resume in the spring. | Call Principal Ellen Suprenant to volunteer for training. |
| Book Talk Group | January: All the Beauty in the World by P. BringleyFebruary: The Safekeeping by Yael van der WoudenMarch: The Sentence by Louise ErdrichApril: Our Souls at Night by Kent HarufMay: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by O. VuongJune: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate | Call Lorrie to join. 938-4702Meetings are the last Tuesday of each month. |
| Display Case | Old-fashioned Christmas items will become Vases and Valentines for February. | Bring your items to Irene at HPL. Future collections could be dog-related, or salt and pepper shakers. |
| Writers Group | Aspiring writers meet one Saturday/month. | Call Lorrie to join. 938-4702 |
| New Business | The Friends will sponsor an essay for middle schoolers on The 250th Anniversary of Our Country; What Does It Mean to You? Essays to be 250-500 words, submitted to HPL by 2/28, winners of $50 each grade level (5-8) to be announced 3/14. | Jen will develop a flyer. She will contact Joanne Elwell and Heather Bisson to be our contacts at Sebasticook Middle School. |
| Next Meeting | Thursday, February 19, 2026, time TBA | New members welcome, too! |
Respectfully submitted,
Kathie Clark, Secretary
Of interest to some may be the 25th anniversary of The Maine Discovery Museum , 2/28, 7 to 10 pm.
Tickets $35.00 per person. Contact MDM.
Librarian’s Report: Here are selected items from this HUGE report:
Current collection: 22,108 items
Lorrie is training to pivot from Balsam to KOHA
The new roof was installed.
The printer needs maintenance or replacement Programs are well attended. New: Community Sewing Group
hartlandpubliclibrary.org 