Mediatech Foundation

MEDIATECH FOUNDATION 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Filed by Warren Buckleitner, Acting Executive Director

This has been a busy, productive year for Mediatech although we’re still operating on a minimal budget and a reduced schedule. Thanks to volunteers, we were able to offer three weeks of programming classes in the summer and offer the Charles Lindbergh Flight replication that included a Dixieland Jazz concert in the Library garden. Attendance and circulation are down from last year, due to the reduced hours. See the detailed month/by month statistics, below. Mediatech was featured in an article in School Library Journal, and Carol and I have been working on a book based on Mediatech. We ended the year with a wonderful Courthouse holiday concert featuring the Whitehouse Wind Symphony.

Treasurer’s Report

Our bank balance at the end of the 2011 year was $4,461.90

We’ve received the following end of the year donations:

Large Foundation                                                $3,400

Anne M. Thomas                                                 $2000

Software School (Bob & Wendy)                            $400

Will Richardson Connective Learning              $500

We’re starting 2012 with about $10,761.90

I have sent donation receipts with a personal thank you note and a copy of this report. Note that this is not a detailed treasurer’s report. That will come from our accountant, Mike Holk.

The Dec. 6 Holiday Courthouse raised $574.25 for Mediatech (new income from 2010). Donations were made by Wells Fargo, Flemington Furs, the Flemington BID. $434.90 was collected as donations from the general public.

Major 2011 Expenses

Phone and Internet. Our bill is $94/month but this fee is covered by CenturyLink thanks to Jim Robinson. I have sent him an email for this expense.

Insurance. We pay $864/year for liability and board insurance.

Staff. We cover extended hours for Carol Wachter during the summer.

Equipment. We made no computer or equipment investments this year.

T-Shirts: We purchased about 100 Mediatch T-Shirts and have been selling them to raise money.

2011 Attendance: Average 151 Patrons/Month

Oct 2011 131 visitors

Nov 2011 150 visitors

Dec 2011 103 visitors

2011 Circulation : Average 148 Items Checked Out/Month

Oct 2011 129

Nov 2011 169

Dec 2011 113

Mediatech’s game library has been increasing by about 20 titles per month, donated by CTR; we now have over 1200 titles cataloged thanks to the Library staff, namely Carol. Note that attendance has been dropping over the past three years, which can be attributed to our reduced hours. The center is only open from 3 to 4:35 each day; just over 1.5 hours.  It is common that kids and families are resistant to leave; perhaps if we were open during the day and evening, we’d attract more people.

2012 Board of Trustees Meetings and Board Membership

We need to meet next month. On the agenda: choosing new officers, and determining our direction. We also need somebody from the Borough council, the high school (to replace Rob) and the middle school (to replace Michelle, although we still have Sandy). In addition, I should note that Mike Holk has been serving as our treasurer for many years; as a donation from Bedard Kurowicki (thanks to Ed), donating his services. I’d like to give him the option to pass the responsibilities to another accountant. Suggestions are welcome  — this is a very important position because running a non-profit requires a skill set I don’t have.  In short, we need a fresh board for 2012, to face the next wave of challenges and opportunities.

Current Board
President (empty)

Vice President (Will Richardson)

Secretary (Sandy Borucki)

Treasurer (Mike Holk)

Other members: Warren Buckleitner, Shawn Armington, Sue Ann Barrow, Chris Crowell

Please let me know if you have thoughts about the board. I’m looking for a lawyer to replace Mike Sozansky’s spot.

Future Goals

1. Refresh board with membership from the Borough and/or perhaps the BID

2. Add volunteer staff to increase hours, run community lectures and provide more access to the upstairs space.

3. Expand equipment and hours. I’ve put together a plan to increase the operating hours and bring the equipment up to a new standard. Rather than limp along on limited hours, I’d like the center to serve as an example for how technology can improve the social options for the town, for all economic levels. See http://www.mediatech.org/?p=537 Putting this plan into action, however, requires a budget that is about 5 times our current size. That means we need to figure out an ongoing source of donated income.