Message from the President
I would like to thank all of the membership for giving me the opportunity to serve as President of our organization. It is certainly an honor to serve in this position and represent such a focused membership who are all so dedicated to sustain and grow our interests in miniature books. I also want to extend a personal thank you to Stephen Byrne, our past president who has guided us for the last four years, ‘Well Done, Stephen.’
Our Board is fully staffed: Cherry Williams is our new Vice-President, and Christina Amato and Todd Sommerfeld are our two new Members-at-Large. And while keeping you informed about people and jobs; Donna LaVallee is our MBS Membership coordinator and Stephen Byrne will continue to serve as the ap- pointee for Student Grants. The Board is fully engaged in several major projects that I have outlined in my ‘monthly membership memo’. I have chosen to use the monthly message to keep everyone informed about the ongoing workings of the organization.
Through my collection of keepsakes, I continue to visit Conclaves both recent as well as past and reflect on them. The keepsakes are one of those things that I always enjoy at the Conclave Auction as it affords me a look into the lives of our members. The 2018 Conclave will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rick Hill is busy getting things in order for this important event. Rick will certainly be reaching out to all of the members requesting their support for the Conclave and many planned activities, including the Auction.
Our most important duty as a member of the MBS is to grow our organization through the expansion of our membership roster, especially with young bibliophiles. There are several ways that we can grow our fine organization. Some involve coordinated ‘outreach activities’ such as our Student Grant and our Book Competition projects. Equally important is the work that each member can initi- ate to promote the genre of miniature books. Local libraries and schools are great places to facilitate an exhibit or lecture about miniature books. Bookshops are another great place to meet people who are interested in books and would prob- ably be very interested in miniature books. We certainly have a broad group of members who can help you with ideas and perhaps guide you along to ‘make it happen’. Please take a few minutes to think about these possibilities, as they are the seeds that grow membership, for sure.
In closing, I am always glad to hear from members about their thoughts, sug- gestions, and advice or any problem that you may want to communicate to me. Please feel free to send me an email message, EMAIL: jbroganMBSpres@gmail.com or by telephone, 908.803.5647. Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.