NASIG Newsletter

CONFERENCE PLANNING UPDATE
Cory Tucker, Co-Chair

The 2008 Conference site has some basic information about the conference and hotels:

http://nasig.org/conference/2008/

Costs for registration and preconferences are:

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Member Rate: $375
Non-member rate: $500
Daily rate (1 day only allowed): $150

The following meals are included with your paid registration:  Reception (Thursday and Saturday), Breakfast (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), and Lunch (Friday and Saturday).

PRECONFERENCE RATES
Member 1/2 day: $75
Non-member 1/2 Day: $100
Member 1 Day: $125
Non-member 1 Day: $175
Special Program: NISO Preconference (all day; capped at 75 registrants; includes boxed lunch)
NASIG/NISO members $200
Non-members $250

NASIG SOUVENIRS AT CAFÉPRESS
Beginning February 25, the Conference Planning Committee will be placing merchandise with the conference logo on NASIG’s CafePress site (http://www.cafepress.com/nasig).  Merchandise includes a variety of different shirt styles plus mouse pads, mugs, and buttons.

If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Planning Committee at conf-plan@nasig.org.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Phoenix!

[Ed. note: Highlights from the fall committee report to the Executive Board.]

CONFERENCE PLANNING
Sandra Wiles and Cory Tucker, Co-Chairs

The CPC submitted a preliminary budget for conference planning and a preliminary budget for the conference. The conference budget increased spending by 5% in most areas. Other areas contain specific information provided by the resort.

CONFERENCE EVENTS
On Thursday, the opening session will be held at the resort and will be followed by a reception with a buffet next to one of the pools. The guest speaker will be ?????

On Friday, the dine-arounds will be held. We have received a transportation bid from the resort. The resort does have several options available for transportation.

On Saturday evening, a reception will be held at the Phoenix Museum of Art. We have received a transportation bid from the resort. The resort has several 55-seat buses. The reception at the museum will include dinner, cash-bar and entertainment.

The meals and breaks for conference attendees have been organized.

CPC UPDATE
Cory Tucker, CPC Co-Chair

The planning process for the 2008 NASIG Conference is well underway. The 2008 Conference is June 5-8 in Phoenix, Arizona, and will be held at the Tapatio Cliffs resort (Pointe Hilton).  For information on the location, please visit the resort’s website at http://www.pointehilton.com/indextc.cfm.

More details on the Conference should be posted on the NASIG website in December.  If you would like more information on Phoenix, please visit the City of Phoenix Tourist Information site at:  http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/touridx.html.

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE
Tyler Goldberg and Angel Clemons, Co-Chairs

WRAP UP REPORT, 22nd ANNUAL CONFERENCE (2007)

Members: Angel Clemons, co-chair (University of Louisville), Deberah England (Wright State University), Tyler Goldberg, co-chair (University of Louisville), Steve Kelley (Wake Forest University), Jeanne Langendorfer (Bowling Green State University), Kat McGrath (University of British Columbia), Neal Nixon (University of Louisville), Peter Whiting (University of Southern Indiana), Danielle Williams (University of Evansville); Consultants: Connie Foster (Western Kentucky University), Joyce Tenney (University of Maryland, Baltimore County); Board Liaison: Alison Roth.

AV
One committee member handled the AV responsibilities.  He contacted the hotel’s in-house vendor and three other companies for bids for AV services.  The bids ranged from just over $19,000 to nearly $27,000.  (One company was very upset that they had submitted bids for the NASIG conference three years in a row and never been selected.  They argued that it was unethical to simply use their bid to try to get the in-house company to lower their price).  The in-house vendor submitted the lowest bid, and provided what we needed for each room, including laptops, microphones, LCDs, screens, etc.  They were very easy to work with, and very prompt at fixing small problems or making last minute additions.  A different in-house company at the hotel handled Internet service.  Due to the high expense of Internet connectivity, very few sessions were provided with Internet service.  On the conference days the CPC member was available and checked on the set up in each room.  We also rented a combination copier/printer from a local company in Louisville, which the CPC member in charge of AV arranged.  The company was very slow to return a service call on the first day of the conference, which cost us a whole day’s use of the equipment we had rented from them.  In addition, the CPC member arranged the rental of walkie-talkies for the CPC to use.

COST: $23,615.00

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Make sure the CPC has access to a printer and copier.  Although we didn’t use them much, they were invaluable when we needed them.
• With the proliferation of cell phones, consider not ordering walkie-talkies for communication between committee members during the conference.  Even though we had walkie-talkies, we never used them. We only used cell phones.

CONFERENCE PACKETS
Conference totebags and lanyards were given to all attendees (see SOUVENIRS).  Conference folders and ball point pens were donated by Hannelore Rader, Dean, University of Louisville Libraries.  Folders contained all photocopied material that is listed in the NASIG Conference Planning Manual Appendix D.  Photocopies were made at Kinko’s using a Kinko’s NASIG account.  Lanyards and name badges (both purchased from the Louisville Convention Bureau), Louisville attractions brochures, and coupons were also stuffed into the conference totebags.  Souvenir Louisville pins, also from the Convention Bureau, were included as well.  Badges, copies of the itinerary, all special event tickets, and conference badge ribbons were put in envelopes and handed out separately from the packets.   Conference packets were stuffed by local volunteers the Friday before the conference, and the Dean of the University of Louisville Libraries provided pizza for all the volunteers.

COST:  $2543.62 (printed materials); NASIG ribbons: $96.91; preconference binders: $247.00

FOOD
All food decisions had to be approved by the Board and the food for some events (e.g., mentoring and breakfasts) were part of the contract with the hotel.  Since the hotel costs were very high we tried to be very minimal with the break food. We were lucky that the hotel worked with us and the breakfasts were by consumption only.  Attendees were given a meal ticket for breakfast (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and went to the regular hotel restaurant.  NASIG was only charged for tickets collected.  The hotel also paid for the cost of the mentoring reception and they also provided, at no cost, lots of snacks for the registration desk workers.  The hotel meal costs for 4 preconference breaks, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 5 conference breaks, 1 late night social snack, and the food at the reception at the Frazier Museum (see OFF-SITE EVENTS) were budgeted at $89,914.00.  NASIG was exempt from state tax.  We made every effort to accommodate food needs, including vegetarian choices, gluten free and low-fat.   Food was plentiful and everyone who had a special food request was issued a food ticket that they turned in to claim their special meal.  The hotel provided water on the tables at the back of every meeting room refreshed after each meeting and bottled water free in other areas of the hotel. Therefore, NASIG did not provide bottled water.

COST:  $64,603.08 (we did not see the final hotel bill for food events so this number is based on our estimated counts of attendees.  It does not include the reception at the Frazier Museum.)

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Although the Board requested a sit-down meal for the business lunch it was very difficult to find one menu choice that would please everyone in attendance.  A buffet offers many more options and would be recommended, but it can be very hard to do in a timely manner with so many attendees.
• We let attendees indicate any kind of food preference they wished on the registration form, and some were very challenging for the hotel. Make this a “drop down” on the registration form; with choices your caterers can accommodate (e.g., vegan, gluten-free, etc.)  
• The CPC recommended that box lunches no longer be purchased for Sunday’s lunch due to cost and the fact that there are now food/beverage restrictions on airlines. This was approved by the Board and the lack of box lunches on Sunday didn’t cause any problems.

FUN RUN
We had 20 to 30 people participate in an early morning run/walk along the Ohio River near the Galt House.  Three committee members, Alison Roth, Kat McGrath and Peter Whiting, helped the participants navigate the course.  Water bottles were provided to the runners/walkers.  Prizes, a knapsack and two magnets, were given to the three winners.

COST: $41.82

FUND RAISERS
In addition to selling raffle tickets for a free registration, the CPC offered a “bourbon tasting” at the hotel. The event was sold out at 75 tickets.

PROFIT:  $750.00 (bourbon tasting event); $374.00 (raffle tickets); souvenirs ($117.00)

HOTEL
Prior to the conference the co-chairs worked together with our primary hotel contact. She met with us, as well as the Food Subcommittee (this committee took care of all food separately). One of CPC co-chairs took care of room reservations.  The hotel contact was particularly helpful when there were reservation issues due to the room blocks filling earlier than anticipated and the hotel’s new reservation system. The co-chairs didn’t get a room because we thought we could go back and forth every night.

COST:  $0.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• The co-chairs should get a room, as it is very hard to go back and forth when the registration desk opens early and events run into the evening. In the end the hotel gave us a room for the last two nights.
• Stay on top of the room reservations for the speakers.  The list should be given to the CPC as early as possible This year the room blocks had filled on some of the nights by the time the CPC co-chairs received the list.  

LOCAL INFORMATION
We set up two tables opposite the registration desk for local information. Hosted dinners or “Dine-Arounds” proved to be the most popular reason for visitors at the Local Information Table.  Attendees found printed menus attached to the dinner sign-up sheets most helpful when deciding on restaurants.  Brochures of local attractions were on display, along with poster sized signs describing the nearby Riverfront Park and Fourth Street Live.  Other materials available were a local church list, conference reception flyer, Internet access location sign and Fun Run flyers.  The Local Information Table was staffed at heavy times, such as during breaks. 

OFF-SITE EVENTS
The opening event was at the Frazier International History Museum, within walking distance of the hotel. The contract for the museum was signed by the board, so the CPC didn’t choose this venue, but we were very happy with the choice. The food was taken care of by the Food Subcommittee.  The museum has 3 floors of exhibits and offers historical reenactments. We had an exhibition by Elizabethan sword masters, as well as an historical interpretation about Anne Boleyn. Entertainment was by the band “Hog Operation.” After initially intending to have the band in the rooftop garden, we moved it to another part of the museum to save on the cost of building a stage. We did have a shuttle bus (see TRANSPORTATION).

On Saturday night, attendees could register for a dinner cruise on the “Spirit of Jefferson.” (Normally the board likes to offer a baseball game to attendees on Saturday night, but the Louisville Bats were not in town that weekend.)  The ship was docked within easy walking distance of the hotel.

COST: $24,032.50 (event at the Frazier International History Museum)
COST: $0. (dinner cruise). (We made an estimated profit from this event of $1200.00)

ONLINE REGISTRATION
This year online registration had a bumpy road with the death of the NASIG treasurer and a late start with the systems technician.   Despite that late start we fortunately managed to have a good turnout at the conference. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• The registration form should be a one page form.  Examples of registration forms to follow include the Charleston conference registration form.
• Tours and trips need to be on another separate registration form since a majority of institutions do not allow payment for extras.
• A preview pdf version of the registration form should be available so that registrants have an idea of what the form looks like.
• When a registrant signs up as a member the Database & Directory committee will have to be informed so that the registrant can fill out a membership form.

OPENING SESSION
The conference was opened by Denise Novak, President, NASIG.  Hannelore Rader, Dean, University of Louisville Libraries, also welcomed the group.  Denise read a plaque from the Mayor’s Office, welcoming NASIG to Louisville. The speaker was Dr. Tom Owen, a local historian, who did a great job providing an entertaining and concise overview of the city’s history.

COST:  $250.00 (honorarium)

POSTER SESSIONS
Thirteen poster sessions were set up in the very spacious lobby area outside the plenary session hall.   Hosting the breaks nearby brought lots of traffic through regularly and allowed visitors to circulate without crowding.   The rental company was very accommodating in providing delivery and set-up on Thursday afternoon which ensured that presentations were in place with minimum fuss on Friday.  Storage and security was not a problem.  Take-down Friday evening was smooth.

COST: $625.00 for poster board, delivery, and set up

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• A single day for hosting the poster sessions is sufficient. A large, high visibility location is critical.  Overtime/weekend labor charges can be a factor when sourcing suppliers.  It is helpful to preview the boards as well as the space.  Dark (black) boards provide an attractive backdrop to presentations.   Presenters should be encouraged to provide a link to their poster content through the NASIG conference website (reduce paper, encourage follow-up).

PRECONFERENCES
Preconference registration ranged from 12 to 41 attendees for each of the four sessions.  CPC purchased binders for the preconference manuals.  CPC also downloaded the course information supplied by the PPC, had it photocopied at Kinko’s, and assembled the manuals.  We had two on-site registrations which required us to return to Kinko’s for additional photocopying.   Small snacks were provided for the attendees during each break but lunch was not included in the cost of the preconference.  One instructor requested an Internet connection that had not been previously ordered.  The registrations were as follows for each session:

Metadata Standards and Applications: 41
Publishing 101 — The Basics of Academic Publishing: 19
SCCTP Integrating Resources: 14
SCCTP Electronic Serials Cataloging Workshop: 12

COST: Costs of binders and photocopying course materials can be found under CONFERENCE PACKETS.

PUBLICITY
The logo for the meeting was designed by Michael Garzel, a graphic designer whose services NASIG had used for past conference logos.   The board elected to not distribute postcards this year.  All communications were conducted via the NASIG-L listserv and the listservs of pertinent local groups.   Postings to NASIG-L were sent regularly to promote the meeting, advertise registration, and to inform the group of meeting details and items of local interest. Invitations to attend the meeting were sent to local groups in March and April.  

COST:  $500.00 (logo)

SOUVENIRS
The board determined that we would not purchase souvenirs for this year’s conference.  This was due in part to the limited quantity of affordable quality souvenirs that could meet our allocated budget and the fact that NASIG has lost money on souvenirs at the four previous conferences.   However, we did sell souvenirs left over from the 2006 conference, including tee shirts (sold for $5.00), cross stitch patterns (sold for $1.00 each) and water bottles (sold for $3.00 each). T-shirts and water bottles sold out, and the cross stitch patterns that were left were sent to Phoenix for next year’s conference.

Tote bags and lanyards were not considered souvenirs, per se, but were given out free of charge to each registrant upon checking in at the registration desk.  These items were ordered by the Souvenir Subcommittee. Lanyards and name badges were printed and purchased from the Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

COST:  $2323.68 (tote bags); $750.00 (lanyards)

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• If you want a good bag (and we did), you need to pay for it. We looked at lots of cheap bags, and finally decided that these would not work. Bags cost $3.31 each (not including set up), and attendees liked them.   

TOURS (PRE- AND POST-CONFERENCE)
We arranged tours using a local company. We worked with the company’s owner to pick sites we thought visitors would want to see, e.g. Churchill Downs. We arranged two four-hour tours (Thursday and Sunday), as well as one shorter tour to Louisville Stoneware, and one downtown walking tour. Unlike former years, the post-conference tour sold out, and the Thursday tours had respectable numbers.  The tour company asked us to collect the fees as part of registration, which we did.

COST:  $0. (We advertised through the conference website and listservs.) 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• As noted under ONLINE REGISTRATION, tours and other special events should be on a separate registration form.

TRANSPORTATION
Details regarding transportation to and from Louisville via air, car, train, and bus were posted on the meeting website.  Attendees were responsible for their own transportation between the hotel and airport.  The hotel had a fee-based shuttle service.  Two events were held outside the hotel, but within walking distance.  For the opening reception, transportation aimed at those who had limited mobility was made available by renting a 24-seat shuttle bus with a wheelchair lift from the shuttle bus vendor used by the conference hotel.   For the dinner cruise volunteers were stationed to direct people to the boat dock and to escort anyone in a wheelchair if necessary.  Those who indicated special transportation needs on their registration form were emailed directly and informed of the bus and escort service to the two outside events.

COST:  $382.50 for shuttle bus rental.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• The CPC was asked to contact airlines about setting up a “conference airline.”  This proved to be impossible. Louisville isn’t a hub for any airline, except UPS, and with so many ways for attendees to get cheap airline reservations, this seems to be a useless endeavor now.  The CPC should no longer try to do this.

VOLUNTEERS
We received an excellent response to our calls for volunteers. A meeting was held April 17, 2007 to discuss the conference and potential volunteer projects.  Most of our volunteers were University of Louisville employees, although some other NASIG members and local people were included.  Eleven University of Louisville employees helped with the packet stuffing on May 25. 

We had a good response for staffing the registration/local information desk. Thirty-eight people, including board members, CPC members, and volunteers from local libraries helped.

There were eight dine-arounds on Friday night and four on Saturday night. Two were canceled because of distance and time.  All the others were well attended.

WEBSITE
While the website developed over time, all pertinent information was available online by March 1, 2007.  Online registration for the conference began March 21 and closed May 17.  

The website provided two versions of the conference program, a complete program and a quick guide, as well as electronic handouts for program sessions (provided after the conference using Moodle software).  The conference webmaster used WordPress to administer the conference blog.  NASIG personnel administered the forum section and the online evaluation forms were created using SurveyMonkey software. 

Cost:  $0. (But other NASIG committees may have incurred costs for SurveyMonkey, WordPress, and Moodle.)

CPC UPDATE
Cory Tucker, Co-Chair

The CPC has begun preparations for the 2008 NASIG conference and subcommittees have been established to streamline the organizational process.  The committee is well prepared for the fun that lies ahead!!  The CPC is looking at several venues for the evening opening event, including the Phoenix Art Museum.  For more information on the museum, please visit their website:  http://www.phxart.org/.  

The 2008 conference will be held at the Tapatio Cliffs resort (Pointe Hilton).  The resort provides wonderful facilities including a waterpark (The Falls River Village) to keep you cool in the desert heat.  The resort’s website is http://www.pointehilton.com/indextc.cfm.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone on June 5-8, 2008.

22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE (2007)
CPC UPDATE
Angel Clemons and Tyler Goldberg, Co-Chairs

We’ll be seeing you all here in Louisville in just a few weeks.  Final preparations are underway and the air is crackling with excitement. In addition to great programming, here’s some of the fun and excitement awaiting you.

Food!  Southern food, Kentucky style.  Be sure to sign up for the dinner cruise on the Ohio River (which, by the way, along the Kentucky border, is wholly in Kentucky.  Indiana starts at the northern shore).  Enjoy a dinner buffet while on a stately riverboat.  Don’t forget the dine-arounds.   They are so good we are having them on two nights, Friday and Saturday.   This is your chance to try country ham, grits, Kentucky style green beans, and the local specialty, a hot brown.  What’s that?  Order it and find out.  Or make your friend do it.

What’s food without the drink? Kentucky is the only place worldwide where bourbon is produced.  Sample some and see what makes it special at the Jockey Silks Bar of the Galt House, home to one of the largest bourbon collections anywhere. This is guilt-free drinking; it’s a scholarship fundraiser. 

Along with culinary arts, the fine arts abound in Louisville.  On Friday join us for the Gallery Hop — take a trolley to the downtown Art Zone, an area where galleries flourish.  Don’t forget to hit Muth’s Candy Store, right in the middle of the galleries, for some handmade bourbon chocolate and other regional sweets. 

Such indulgence requires some exercise.  Burn off that hangover on a 3 mile walk/run along the Ohio River, Saturday, at 6:00 a.m.  If the thought of that just annoys you, opt for a walking tour of the downtown hosted by a professional tour guide.  To see more of the town, join us for a bus tour (so much for exercise).  Three different tours will take you through Old Louisville, one of the largest Victorian neighborhoods in the US, and Churchill Downs, where you will visit the Kentucky Derby Museum.  Another tour visits the Louisville Stoneware factory and store, home to one of the oldest stoneware manufacturers in the US.   Finally, try the historic Louisville bus tour, which starts with a brunch and takes you to prominent historic sites in town and across the river in Indiana.  A tour that starts with food – now that’s sightseeing. 

For details on any of these events, see the conference home page.  Keep in mind that some of these events are limited in number, so don’t delay. Check it out now!  http://www.nasig.org/conference/2007/tours.html 

Join us for the fun and make this one of the best NASIG meetings ever!

PROFILES

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE
Maggie Rioux, Profiles Editor 

If someone were to ask you what the most important thing is that NASIG does, it’s highly probable that you’d answer, “Well, the annual conference, of course.” (Unless you think NASIG is a networking node for folks who love corn flakes, but if that’s the case, you should take a closer look at the S in our name.) For most of us, the annual get-together in May or June is a highlight of our professional year and one of the things we appreciate most about the organization. But … this conference doesn’t happen magically by itself. It takes a lot of people, working really hard for pretty much the whole year preceding it, to make it happen.  

There are actually two committees involved in bringing the conference to fruition. The Program Planning Committee is in charge of arranging inspiring vision session speakers, sorting out the more practical tactics sessions and organizing the various sessions where NASIG members can discuss the whichness of what. The Conference Planning Committee is in charge of everything else. You know, minor stuff like where do we sleep, where and what do we eat, where do we have all those sessions that PPC has put together, what do we do to have fun when we’ve had enough inspiration for the day, how do we get to all those places, and most of all, do we have enough coffee ordered in to keep us going (a notorious NASIG need). 

If you’ve been a member for more than a couple of years, you’ll know that the way a NASIG conference plays out has changed over the years and the CPC structure and function have evolved to accommodate this. Although the number of attendees has remained at between 600 and 700 for most of its history, the venue changed drastically beginning in 2003. Prior to this, NASIG conferences were held on college campuses with most of us “camping out” in dorm rooms which ranged over the years from Spartan to wicked cool. Our last dorm experience was at the College of William and Mary in 2002. For 2003, Portland State University in Oregon was the host institution, but they didn’t have any dormitory rooms we could use; however there were several hotels nearby their downtown Portland location. So we did a hybrid conference as an experiment – staying in hotels and meeting mostly on the campus. It worked well and beginning with the 2004 conference in Milwaukee we went to an all-hotel conference. It’s opened up new locations for us (for example, the University of Louisville could never have hosted a 600-attendee conference on their campus) and has forever changed the way that CPC does its work. Also, even though I enjoyed the dorms, I must admit that I like the hotel-based conference too – I have my very own bathroom, my very own big soft bed, and since we’re all staying in the same place once again (the wimps among us had long ago fled the dorms for hotels), I once again get to see everyone over breakfast.  

One thing that has changed for the CPC is the way they’re chosen. Back in the campus-based days, the CPC had to do most of the detail work of planning and organizing things. This meant that they had to be physically present at the conference site in order to oversee a lot of the planning and deal with about a gazillion different people. So the easiest way to appoint a CPC was first to find a chair (easy to do since (s)he had probably volunteered the campus in the first place) and then have him/her dragoon as many warm bodies as possible (preferably NASIG members or at least serialists) who lived/worked within about 25 miles of the site. Now, the NASIG Site Selection Committee tends to choose a site first and then recruit CPC co-chairs from the area chosen. The CPC also gets to work with a hotel event planner, a city visitors’ bureau contact and other commercial entities rather than, at most, a college events coordinator. Instead of “being volunteered,” most committee members actually volunteer themselves by filling out the regular NASIG volunteer form. They may even live quite a distance away from the conference site. Although most of this year’s CPC members are from within a hundred miles or so of Louisville, the committee also includes Kat McGrath from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Steve Kelley from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Steve is in charge of A-V arrangements and has been able to work via email and phone with an A-V provider who services the Galt House Hotel. And, thanks to the wonders of conference calling, both Kat and Steve have been able to “attend” committee meetings (of course conference calling does have its drawbacks – it seems there was one meeting where the university suffered a campus-wide power outage, causing all the virtual attendees to miss the meeting). 

A good deal of what CPC does hasn’t changed. They still have to make arrangements for social events, Sunday tours, transportation to off-site (campus or hotel) events, make sure the hotel (or campus) has enough meeting rooms set aside, arrange meals, etc.  Having local folks on the committee really helps with the social events since they know what visitors want to see and also what visitors would want to see if they knew it existed. In Louisville, the first category includes Churchill Downs, while I’m told the second category includes a dinner cruise on the Ohio River. Committee members are also working on a dine-around evening (by sampling the cuisine?) and making sure we’ll all have breakfast and lunch. It’s hard putting together all the innumerable details, especially since a lot of the decisions have to be referred to the Executive Board, which has its own ideas about how things should be done (always has, always will). It’s also a little scary signing big contracts for lots of money and hoping everything goes well. And then there’s the interesting task of picking an “official airline” for the conference. Co-chair Tyler Goldberg says that they thought of picking UPS, about the only air transportation company for which Louisville is a major hub, but then they didn’t think many NASIGers would be interested in shipping themselves to the conference in cartons. 

If all this sounds daunting, it is, but the feedback I’ve gotten from committee members for this profile tells me that while it’s a lot of work, they wouldn’t have missed it for the world.  Deberah England in particular said she has most enjoyed meeting and getting to know the other committee members and also learning a lot about the heart of Louisville. Deberah also mentioned the drive to meetings in Louisville as being beautiful, especially the stretch from Covington on down the Ohio River. 

One thing that might help future committees in their work is more continuity between successive conference-years. Unlike most other NASIG committees, CPC is a one-year appointment instead of a two-year one. The logic behind this is that this committee does as much work in its single year as your average (albeit hard-working) NASIG group does in two. Also, in the past, when committee membership was closely tied to conference site, it would have been difficult for someone to work on, e.g., a conference in San Antonio and then stay on the committee to plan the next year’s conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Board has attempted to work around this by encouraging past CPCs to produce a very complete committee handbook and also by having as many of the incoming CPC members as possible attend the current year’s conference and shadow their counterparts around during the event in order to get an idea of what needs to be done. Now that we’re doing things differently, the Board has begun re-appointing some past CPC folks to the committee (like Kat McGrath who was CPC chair for the 1994 conference at the University of British Columbia). Also, the Board tries to find consultant-members and Board liaisons with CPC experience (Joyce Tenney, Consultant to this year’s CPC was co-chair for the 2002 conference and has also served as a consultant and Board Liaison in past years). However, the Board might want to consider asking members of this year’s CPC if any of them would be willing to serve on next year’s committee as well. I’d wait until a good month after the conference to ask them though – let them have a little time for recovery. 

So, your CPC continues hard at work. If I can borrow an analogy from a committee member who said that bringing a conference to fruition is somewhat like giving birth, the committee is currently in hard labor. I fully expect we’ll all experience the birth of a wonderful, healthy, beautiful conference in just a few months. I certainly am looking forward to enjoying the fruits of all the hard work these folks have put in over the past year. Oh – one last thing – Deberah England says that one important thing she’s learned is the correct way to pronounce Louisville and she promises to teach it to all of you too.

CPC UPDATE
Angel Clemons and Tyler Goldberg, Co-Chairs 

The Conference Planning Committee members are looking forward to your arrival in Louisville for the 22^nd Annual Conference of NASIG, “Place Your Bet in Kentucky: The Serials Gamble,” May 31-June 3, 2007.  Please visit the conference webpage at: http://www.nasig.org/conference/2007/.  You will find lots of information there to help make plans for visiting Louisville. 

First, check out the preconferences scheduled on Wednesday, May 30, and Thursday, May 31.  The opening ceremonies will start on Thursday, May 31, at 4:30 p.m.  President Denise Novak will welcome the group, followed by another welcome from the Dean of the University of Louisville Libraries, Hannelore Rader.  Then Dr. Tom Owen, historian and master storyteller, will bring Louisville’s history to life. 

There are a variety of social events to please everyone.  Thursday evening’s opening reception takes place at the Frazier International History Museum.  This world famous museum is within walking distance of the Galt House.  There will be plentiful hors d’oeuvres spread throughout the Museum, and a bluegrass band will provide music to those viewing the city and the Ohio River from the museum’s roof-top garden.  The evening ends at 10 p.m.  

Friday night activities will be dine-arounds, a Gallery Hop, and a bourbon tasting.  The bourbon tasting is a fund raising event for student scholarships, and will start at 9:00 p.m. in the Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar.  So plan on tasting Kentucky bourbon, enjoying your colleagues, and supporting the scholarships that NASIG awards to students. 

Saturday night activities include dine-arounds, and a cruise down the Ohio River on the riverboat Spirit of Jefferson.  We have arranged this private 2 hour cruise, with a dinner buffet included.  It is limited to the first 150 NASIG attendees who sign up, so get your reservations in early by signing up on the conference registration form.  The boat is docked within walking distance of the Galt House.  

Be sure to schedule time for the pre- and post-conference tours.  There is a walking tour of downtown Louisville on Thursday morning.  There are also 2 bus tours – one will feature Churchill Downs and a luncheon at a local restaurant, and the other will feature Louisville Stoneware.  There is another tour on Sunday featuring Churchill Downs and the Falls of the Ohio.  See our tours page and reserve your tickets on the registration form. 

For a long listing of all the places you can see in and around Louisville, please see:  http://www.nasig.org/conference/2007/louisville.html.  We know there is something for everyone in our city. 

We look forward to seeing everyone in May!

CPC UPDATE
Angel Clemons and Tyler Goldberg, Co-Chairs 

Preparations are well underway for the 22^nd annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  The Thursday evening event will be held at the Frazier International History Museum, whose collections offer visitors a view of 1000 years of history.  Besides musical entertainment, we will see reenactments by Elizabethan sword masters and enjoy panoramic views of the Ohio River and downtown Louisville from the roof-top garden.  Make sure to arrive in time for this event.   

The conference will be held at the Galt House, located within walking distance of several downtown museums, as well as 4^th Street Live, Louisville’s premier entertainment and retail district.  We are still planning evening activities, including a dinner cruise on the Ohio River.  More details will follow on our website, soon to go live.  The Conference Planning Committee looks forward to seeing you May 31-June 3, 2007 in Louisville at NASIG’s annual conference.

PLACE YOUR BET IN KENTUCKY: THE SERIALS GAMBLE
NASIG 2007, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, MAY 31-JUNE 3, 2007 

CPC UPDATE
Angel Clemons and Tyler Goldberg, Co-Chairs 

Preparations have begun for the 2007 NASIG conference.  The Thursday evening opening event will be in the unique Frazier International History Museum . In addition to exhibits, there are live performances by interpreters, as well as beautiful views of the Ohio River and the city from the roof garden.  Our conference hotel will be the Galt House, Louisville’s only downtown waterfront hotel. It is an easy walk from the Galt House to other downtown entertainment, including the Slugger Museum, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and lots of restaurants at Louisville’s 4^th Street Live!  The Conference Planning Committee looks forward to seeing you from May 31-June 3, 2007 at NASIG’s 22^nd annual conference.