NASIG Newsletter

A VIDEO IS BORN – CONFERENCE MEETING RESULTS IN LOCKSS HOW-TO FILM
Angela Slaughter Dresselhaus

My YouTube video, Configuring a LOCKSS Box, exists because there is a need within the library community to take control of digital preservation. The LOCKSS process offers a reliable and cost effective way to maintain digital archives of subscribed electronic material. Additionally, setup is neither labor intensive nor an arduous process. But, as with any new technology, there is a sense that it is only intelligible to tech-savvy individuals. The LOCKSS team knew that installation of the software was simple, but they needed a way to demonstrate this point. Their message needed to be spread, but until the 2007 NASIG conference there was not a way to inform the community.

The idea for a LOCKSS demonstration video was born over a single weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Karen Schneider’s vision session, “Hurry Up, Please. It’s Time. — State of Emergency” set the stage for a YouTube video. Libraries are losing ownership of their electronic collections, a point covered in her presentation. LOCKSS addresses this concern directly, but there is a problem. Victoria Reich, director of the LOCKSS initiative, often expresses concern over marketing techniques that lead librarians to believe that setting up a LOCKSS box is difficult and time consuming. She needed a way to counter this marketing. During a break in the conference program Karen suggested to Vicky that the library community needed a YouTube video detailing the LOCKSS installation process. The idea was born, but someone needed to produce the video. Continue reading 22:4 (2007:12) A Video is Born…

Our thoughts are with our NASIG colleagues in southern California as wildfires there continue to threaten hundreds of thousands.  Those of you in affected areas, please feel free to post comments to the Newsletter blog to let us know how you, your families, and your institutions are faring in this crisis.

“ROSE KNOWS”
ROSE ROBISCHON
DECEMBER 1953 - MAY 2007
Susan Davis with Mary Page

Mary Page and I attended a very moving and inspiring memorial service for Rose Robischon at Cullum Hall on the West Point Military Academy campus on June 16, 2007. We arrived in time to meet and speak with Rose’s family who are just wonderful, warm and welcoming people.  There was a noticeable family resemblance; particularly when Rose’s father spoke (it could have been Rose talking) and her sister Mary.  We learned that Rose was really Rose Mary and Mary is Mary Rose.  Could it be that Shakespeare was thinking of the Robischons when he wrote “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”?

You’ll also be pleased to hear that the family put together a table of things that Rose enjoyed, and many of the items related to NASIG.  The quilt she won in Minneapolis was on display, and we understand that Rose kept it at work for all to see.  She was incredibly proud of her involvement in NASIG and everyone in her family and workplace knew how much it meant to her.

Listening to others speak at the service, we were struck by a common thread, “Rose knows.”  She was the go-to person at the USMA library for many things, particularly systems and serials.  Mary and I were brave enough to get up and say a few words at the service about Rose and NASIG.  We mentioned her infectious laughter (noted by most who spoke) and I joked how she and I were both fast talkers.  We let all in attendance know that the soon-to-be published Proceedings were to be dedicated to Rose as well.

After the service, I had a chance to ask the family if they had seen the NASIG blog about Rose and since they had not, I was able to retrieve it from my car.  I was really glad I had thought to print it out and take along.

It was a sad, but very moving occasion to be on the West Point campus with all its history.  Cullen Hall had many memorial plaques to West Point graduates from the past, most notably those who graduated during “the war to save the Union.”  It was very heartwarming to see the imprint Rose had left on so many people and to learn how much NASIG had meant to her.  She was proud and honored to be NASIG’s treasurer and we should be proud and honored to have had Rose as a member.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION WINNERS

Two NASIG members have recently been the recipients of free conference registrations.  Ronadin Lee Carey, periodicals librarian at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, won the drawing held at the Louisville conference.  This drawing is held annually to support NASIG scholarships and awards.  Lisa Blackwell was announced on August 18 as the winner of the conference evaluation drawing, which was held to encourage conference attendees to submit online evaluations.  Lisa is the serials/research librarian at Children’s Hospital Library in Columbus, Ohio.  Congratulations to both Ronadin and Lisa!

2006 NASIG CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS NOW AVAILABLE IN JOURNAL FORMAT!
Carol Ann Borchert and Gary Ives, Co-Editors

Mile-High Views: Surveying the Serials Vista has been published by Haworth as volume 52, no. 1-4 of the Serials Librarian.   Edited by Carol Ann Borchert and Gary Ives, the Proceedings provide in-depth reporting of the various sessions at the conference which took place May 4-7, 2006, in Denver.  The Proceedings include summaries of all sessions, plus transcripts of some of the vision sessions.  For those of you who could not attend, or who regret missing certain valuable programs, check out what you missed!  The monograph version of the Proceedings has not yet been published, but is expected in the fall. 

The co-editors wish to thank all speakers and recorders who made this published version of the 2006 NASIG Conference Proceedings possible.  Your hard work is appreciated!

ONLINE NASIG STORE

Did you miss the opportunity to get a conference tee shirt or other item of NASIG-obilia at this year’s Louisville conference?  Well, you’re in luck!  An online NASIG store is now open for business at http://www.cafepress.com/nasig.  Tee shirts and mugs with the Louisville logo and buttons with the NASIG logo are available.  All proceeds go to support NASIG scholarships and awards.

SITE SELECTION SURVEY RESULTS
Char Simser, Denise Novak, and Joyce Tenney
2006/07 Site Selection Committee

We want to thank everyone who took the site selection survey! We had over 330 individuals participate! What a great response!

We heard privately from many NASIG members: some are tired of hearing about site selection; others find it very relevant.

Your comments included many questions and there were many common themes. We are addressing those as part of a Site Selection FAQ which is linked from the Members-Only section of NASIGWeb: http://www.nasig.org/membersonly/index.htm.  The complete survey results (without optional comments) are available there, also.

Here are highlights of the survey. So delete now, or read on!

The most important criteria when determining a site are location (48%), major airport nearby (23%), and then price of hotel rooms (21%).

What factors concerning location are important: 37% say proximity to a major airport; 36.5% say geographic location.

48% said you are willing to spend $120-140 a night; 37% say $140-160. A number of individuals say find something under $120.

When we gave you actual dollars based on 2009 costs (2008 costs for Vancouver), Baltimore, Vancouver, and Kansas City received the highest number of votes.

Multiple hotels vs. 1 hotel: 66% said multiple hotels would not make the conference less attractive.

Renting a vehicle to travel to the conference is not an option for 68% if public transportation was not available. 46% of you indicated you would not attend the conference if you had to rent a vehicle.

23% indicate they prefer to drive (or bus/train) less than 45 minutes from airport to conference site; 27% said 1-2 hours max.

88% are willing to have breakfast, lunch and/or other meals on their own if registration could be significantly lowered.

45% said NASIG should only provide 1 reception or sit-down meal (and no other meals) even if conference registration is not significantly different, though quite a few individuals commented on the benefits of joint meals for networking and informal conversation.

134 individuals suggested over 300 potential conference sites.  Removing the duplicates, we received approximately 130 unique locales, with Boston, Seattle, Nashville, and Atlanta being suggested by more than 10 individuals.  Toronto, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul were each suggested by 7-9 individuals. Please note: hotel rooms in larger cities tend to be on the high end for a group our size so we previously ruled them out. However, since 40% of you indicate an interest in Vancouver, we need to definitely consider the location factor you rate as most important.

Other comments you made (also included on the FAQ):

“People should note that housing costs and registration for professional conferences, such as NASIG may be tax deductible (must itemize, use schedule A, etc.), just as membership in NASIG may be tax deductible.”

“I prefer one hotel, because I enjoy the opportunity to have the unplanned conversation and like the serendipity factor. However, I sometimes chose to stay in a less expensive hotel to save money.”

“The more disbursed we are, the more like ALA, and the less like NASIG, the conference will become.”

“Since I’m relatively new to NASIG, I like the social support of it being easy to find others.”

On meals options:

1. “Eating meals on my own starts to strongly limit the amount of time I spend with other conference attendees”

2. “While I would be willing to have meals on my own I do really enjoy the ability to network at the meals that have been a part of the conference”

3. “Meals on our own sort of defeats the purpose of the idea of a NASIG group dynamic”

4. “Lunch is critical: there has to be an abundance of quick, affordable lunch spots within walking distance” [if NASIG does not provide that meal]

5. “I would prefer to be on my own!”

6. “It is really great to be able to eat at facility where you can meet and greet other NASIGers… I’ve met the most interesting people over informal meals, especially lunch and breakfast, but also would not mind finding my own place to pick up a quick meal if there were places close by”

7. “Would I be willing to pay for my own meals in exchange for cheaper conference registration? Is that the question? Answer: I would prefer not to, as my employer will pay for registration but not meals.”

8. “Hanging out together offered opportunities for genuine communication between the various constituencies. The organization had a really identity based on the ‘bonding’ experiences we all shared at the conferences. In my opinion, moving in the direction of multiple hotels and a convention center just makes us another ALA.”

9. “Decoupling food from the conference is fine.  We do this for SLA, ALA, ACRL, Charleston, etc.”

10. “As has been stated many, many times by conference attendees, the professional and social networking is a very important part of the NASIG conference experience. Would be very hard to hang onto that if we’re taking meals away from the meetings.”

11. “Not providing meals significantly limits the ability of students, early-career professionals, and people with limited institutional support to participate in the conference.”

12. “I do not feel NASIG needs to provide any meals.”

13. “Receptions [rather than sit-down meals] offer more mobility and less exclusion.”

14. “Meeting and greeting and continuing discussions over a meal are an integral part of this conference; NASIG provided meals are a good way to talk and mingle with other people. If I ate on my own, I would miss out on a significant part of networking at the conference”

15. “Don’t really care much about this issue.”

16. “Too much chicken” [repeated several times].

One final question and answer to help summarize: Is the point of this survey to see how the membership wants to reduce the cost of the conference, or just to see what people like about the current setup and what they want to change?

Answer: certainly we were hoping for both types of feedback, but one of the bigger issues is to ensure every member understands how we go about choosing a site, how costs are derived (in the one hotel situation), and to determine if we should look beyond the one-hotel model. Our hope is that, in providing some additional background to your questions and comments, you understand the relationships in the overall scheme - how room rates, food & beverage, meeting rooms, AV, etc. - are all intertwined and impact our ability to put on a good conference. Please see Denise Novak’s comments on site selection in the Newsletter blog: http://nasignews.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/221-200703-executive-board-minutes/#comments .

Bottom line: we will never meet everyone’s needs. Please be aware we do listen and we are trying to hold costs down. Contact us at site-select@nasig.org.

NEWSLETTER NEWS
Kathryn Wesley, Editor-in-Chief

As mentioned earlier in this issue, Maggie Rioux, profiles editor extraordinaire, is retiring from the Newsletter.  After four years of exploring the inner workings of NASIG groups and individual members, while at the same time writing laugh-out-loud prose and beating deadlines by weeks, she’s hanging up her visor and taking off those sleeve garter things.

Our stalwart columns editor, Susan Andrews, is also saying goodbye.  Susan has been with the Newsletter for four years.  She’s been responsible for producing “Title Changes,” which is consistently one of the membership’s favorite features.  Throughout the year we’ve been working together, I have been amazed and gratified at how she has managed to keep it fresh and flowing.

As we say farewell to Maggie and Susan, we welcome our new columns editor, Kurt Blythe.  Kurt is serials access librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He’s fairly new to NASIG, and the Louisville conference will be his first.  We’re looking forward to working with him.  Please join us in welcoming him to NASIG and the Newsletter Editorial Board.

2007 BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
Adolfo Tarango, Bylaws Committee Chair

This year the Bylaws Committee presented, and the membership approved, four amendments to the NASIG bylaws.  The impetus for presenting these amendments came from the Executive Board, who had asked the committee to perform an extensive review of our bylaws.  The board especially wanted the committee to remove any language from the bylaws that would prevent NASIG from adopting technological developments for carrying out NASIG business more effectively. Three of the amendments, to Article III, Section 2, to Article VIII, and to Article XII, addressed this by removing or changing text having to do with mailing ballots, allowing the board to move forward with online voting.

The board also asked the committee to address problems with specifically naming committees in the bylaws.  The issue is that anytime the specified committee changes its name, the membership would have to take a vote to change the name in the bylaws. The amendments to Articles VII and XII replaced the specific references to the Nominations & Elections Committee and to the Bylaws Committee with more generic references to those committees. The committee also took the opportunity to rename Article XII to better reflect its content and to eliminate an unnecessary section heading under that article.

Over the years, and especially since the membership approved the nominations through petition process a couple of years ago, the elections process has become very difficult to plan and execute.  On a few occasions, because of the early timing of our annual conference, the specified deadlines for various elections processes were nearly missed.  The board asked the Bylaws Committee to review Article VII, which outlines our elections processes, to see if we could stage the election process better.  After identifying the key conceptual processes of the article, the committee decided to totally rewrite the article and established a new election process.

The revised article now vests the Nominations & Elections Committee with developing the election calendar every year.  This will allow them to accommodate the changing dates of the annual conference and give the membership adequate time to seek nominations by petition.  Addressing a different issue, given current communication technologies, the revised article shortened the period to challenge election results, since members have the means to act more quickly.  In keeping with the board’s requests stated in the previous two paragraphs, the committee also revised the article to delete references to mailing ballots and used a generic reference to a committee.

SPEAKERS AND CONSULTANTS DIRECTORY
Marit Taylor, Co-chair, Publications/Public Relations Committee

Do you even seek speakers on a particular subject for a conference or meeting?  Do you need advice or information about an unfamiliar area of serials management?  Are you familiar with what was the NASIG Human Resources Directory, now renamed the Speakers and Consultants Directory?

This Directory is provided to help you find experts on various topics who are willing to travel and speak at conferences, or be consulted personally about their areas of special expertise.  You can browse the Directory by name or subject area.

We on the Publications and Public Relations Committee are charged with maintaining and updating this Directory.  We are aware that many of the entries need updating, and that the Directory as a whole might benefit by reorganizing and making entries more consistent.

We would very much appreciate your input in the following areas:

Have you ever used the Directory?

Do you think you might use it now that you know about it, or are reminded about it?

How would you like to see it improved?

Are you willing to submit a profile and add your name to the list?

Thank you in advance for any input and suggestions.