CHAPTER Notes
Washington, D.C. Chapter http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc October 2002 Volume 61, No. 11
October 5
October 8
October 17
October 24
October 29
Books, Brats and Beers Ft. Belvoir Oktoberfest Ft. Belvoir, VA (see September issue) Introduction to Open Source Software Washington, DC (see page 5) How to Find Your Library's Value and Sell it to Upper Management Washington, DC (see page 4) New Member Reception Washington, DC (see page 8) DC/SLA Young Professionals Happy Hour at Uni’s Washington, DC (see page 4)
November 6
President’s Corner: The Rest of the Story By Anne Caputo, DC/SLA President Buried in the text of the September Chapter Notes President’s Corner column is a suggestion that the October issues will announce some changes in the way Chapter Notes is distributed…..and now you get the to hear the rest of the story. The cost of printing and distributing our newsletter has been a topic of discussion at the DC/SLA Board meetings for at least 4 or 5 years. We have looked at the monthly cost of printing and mailing the 8-12 page newsletter carefully. These costs have increased every year. At the same time, we hear from members who would be just as happy to have an electronic newsletter only…and we hear from those who would definitely prefer to get the whole thing in print. We also hear from those who would like a monthly print calendar, but would be very happy to read the text of the newsletter on the web. We also know that as many as 1/3 of all SLA chapters, including New York, the largest chapter, have discontinued printing and mailing their newsletter altogether. In analyzing the cost of producing and mailing Chapter Notes, currently about $16,600 per year, we have realized a revenue loss in the range of more than $5,700 this year and more than $13, 600 last year after advertising support has been deducted. Advertising revenue is on a significant rise, but the actual cost of the publications is still our single largest Chapter expense. Moving to a larger portion of our distribution via electronic means will allow us not only to conserve our budget, but to also allocate budget expenditures for more varied programs and speakers. We believe this action will allow us to respond to more of the suggestions and desires expressed in the strategic plan. After much discussion and consideration, the DC/SLA Board has voted to bake the cake, serve it to you and keep it…all at the same time. This is what will happen: •
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In this issue you will find a mail-back form offering the opportunity to continue to receive the print version of Chapter Notes, just as you always have. YOU MUST RETURN THIS FORM TO REMAIN ON THE PRINT DISTRIBUTION LIST. Everyone will get a monthly print calendar of upcoming events with a brief description and a place to go for more information Everyone with an email address on our chapter list will get a notice when the new issue of Chapter Notes has been posted to the web site. If you are not already on this list, subscribe by sending an e-mail to lists@lists.sla. org, leave the Subject blank, type SUBSCRIBE SLA-CDC YOURNAME in the body of text. More information about posting to this list and unsubscribing can be found at http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc in the communication area. We will revisit this distribution method at the end of the Chapter year in May and determine whether we need to make any additional changes.
Through all this, we welcome your comments and suggestions. An electronic newsletter has a number of advantages in that it can be published more quickly and economically, and it can be archived in the proverbial safe place. On the other hand, many people like a print reminder of meetings and activities to post in their office or carry in their calendar. We hope this mechanism will please everyone. So have that cake and eat it too!
Who Are Our New Members? Internet Gateways Washington, DC (see page 5)
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | October 2002
Anita Johnson My name is Anita Johnson. I recently moved to Washington, DC from Urbana, Illinois, three hours south of Chicago, where I completed a Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois. I spent last year 1