Documents Users Group

March 2, 2001

Palo Alto College Learning Resources Center

Attendance: Chris Anglim, Pat Broome, Joan Chapa, Jackie Crinion, Camille Fiorillo, Donna Hogan, Amory Irby, Myrna Langford, Tina Mesa, Wilson Plunkett, Claudia Shaw and Kathy Amen.

Main business was again events surrounding the Depository Library Council meeting, coming up soon on April 1-3. The new hotel for the conference is the Adams' Mark.

GPO Access training will be offered the day before the conference starts, which is also the last day of TLA, March 31. The class will be at UTSA downtown, on the second level of the building facing Buena Vista street. A beginning session will take place 9-12 and a more advanced session will be from 1:30-4:30. We talked about what should be included in the session and all felt that in addition to the basic overview that might be needed for non-docs folks attending, we want them to cover legislative materials particularly. New features and databases will be included, as will advanced search tips, in the afternoon session. If you want to reserve a place at this free training, contact Jackie's secretary, Angela Garner, at 210-458-4575, or email her at agarner@utsa.edu.

We also discussed ways of publicizing the training. Jackie has sent information to TLACast, a publication sent to members, and for inclusion in the Bexar Library Assn. newsletter. She'll also put it on the CORAL listserve and Wilson will put the word out on the area public libraries list. If any of you have contacts at other institutions, particularly non-depository ones, let them know personally as well.

Next item is the reception, to be held at the Downtown Public Library's auditorium on Monday, April 2, 6-8 p.m. Thanks very much to Jackie for getting caterers quotes and presenting the different options. After much discussion of the various caterers and their menus, we decided on Nick's, with the substitution of aguas frescas or lemonade instead of sodas. Wilson will check on the service charge that the caterers reported having to pay to either the library or the city. It may be able to be waived since it's a library function. He'll also talk to the custodial staff at SAPL who will be setting up the tables, to see if they have suggestions for the arrangement, etc. We will need, probably, 2 tables for food and one for beverages, plus some tables scattered about for those who need/want to sit. We agreed that we did not need to provide enough seating for everyone.

Speaking of everyone, we don't really know how many people will be attending, but can find out from Willie Thompson a week or so before how many have registered. Joan pointed out that we probably wouldn't get as many walk-ins as they do in Washington. At any rate, when Wilson finds out how many tables will be needed, UTSA will check their tablecloth supply. If needed, we will buy some brightly colored plastic tablecloths. Jackie has a staff member who likes to make flower table decorations, so that will be taken care of. Myrna knows someone at Trinity who makes pinatas and she'll check on these [Myrna confirmed that her contact can make freestanding pinatas in various shapes for $9-10 each]. We thought 2 pinatas would be a nice touch. We may also want to get some of the big paper flowers. Wilson will also check on the availability of the lobby outside the auditorium for some of the setup, as well as what kind of easel might be available. Marcive will provide a sign announcing the reception and their sponsorship.

If anyone incurs any expenses in conjunction with preparations for the reception, please save your receipts and you can be reimbursed from our group's treasury, which actually has about $300 in it and hasn't been used for anything in a long time. Kathy will write reimbursement checks and file the receipts.

Some incidentals:

• Buttons or other identifying regalia for us so that folks will know who is local. If you have ideas on this, let Kathy know and she'll get the word out to the group. There may be some buttons left over from TLA Legislative Day that would work.

• Registration for the conference. If you haven't already done so, register for the conference from the GPO Access Calendar page: www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/calendar.html

• Marcive tour. This will be held Tuesday at 10:30 and will appear in the next version of the conference schedule. Marcive is renting a bus so we don't have to worry about providing transportation.

• Restaurant list. Rhonda is working on this and will get it to Joan for Marcive to duplicate. They are also going to have copies of the nice, more general guide to San Antonio that Joan showed us at the last meeting. Kathy will email Willie Thompson at GPO and tell him that's being taken care of.

• Parking. Willie is also going to provide some parking passes for conference attendees who are not staying at the Adams' Mark. If we don't get more details on this perk soon, Kathy will find out from him how exactly this will work.

Non-DLC-related announcement: Wilson told us about a Patent Office workshop that will be held at SAPL in September. It is a two-day seminar geared toward inventors and attorneys and, of course, those who help them find information (i.e., us). Wilson will get more details to us when the date approaches.

Because of the conference, we decided to skip our April meeting, which was tentatively scheduled to be at UTSA downtown. Jackie said that was ok with them, and since we'll be getting to see the facility at the GPO Access training, we won't have to miss that. Our next meeting instead will be on May 11, at 9 a.m., at San Antonio College.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Amen, Secretary/Treasurer