Attachment D
Operations
Vice President Report
Archivist Report
Audio-Visual
Committee (Slides) Report
Audio-Visual
Committee (Video) Report
Cave Files Committee
Report
Headquarters
Facilities Committee Report
Internal
Organizations Committee Report
Information
Technology Committee Report
Office Automation
Division (IT Committee) Report
Market Analysis
Committee Report
NSS Library Committee
Report
NSS Operations Manager
Report
Photo Archives
Committee Report
Speleo-Museum
Committee Report
Appendix A
Colin Gatland
1151 Crestwood Hills Drive
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
937-890-0339
cgatland@woh.rr.com
The Department of the Operations Vice President consists of 11 committees plus the NSS Operations Manager and the NSS headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama. In this report, I provide the name, address, phone number, and e-mail address of the chairman of each committee or organization, followed by their report. The committee and sub-committee chairmen have provided the information in this report, although I’ve made some spelling, formatting, and minor editorial adjustments.
Plans:
Plans are still in the works to overhaul the NSS Online Bookstore
site. This project will be one of higher priority for the new
(interim) IT Chairman (Rick Lee of Nashville) that I have
appointed. The position of IT Chairman was also posted on various
Internet outlets as well as the NSS Web page and Discussion
board. Dave Bunnell was also sent an e-mail with the info to
place in the NSS News. More on Rick later in this report.
As I mentioned in my previous report (March 2003), the bookstore catalog will be a four-page insert in the NSS News in October. This should give adequate time for members to receive, look through, and hopefully purchase.
Continue to try to market the Bookstore to members and hopefully have them check us out before any of the other cave related vendors. Stephanie is aggressively trying to get our books to sell in various outlets with some success.
Progress:
I have had Rick Lee contact me regarding the open position of IT
Committee Chairman. Rick is a newer member of the NSS but wants
to give something back to the Society. From several e-mails and
conversations on the phone he is very enthusiastic and up for the
task of continuing where Andy Niekamp left off. Rick was also one
of the individuals who was interested in the position when Andy
first took over. Among the normal outlets (internet, NSS web
site, and NSS News), I went back to and asked once again if any
of those previously interested in the IT Chair position still
were. Rick immediately stepped up, here is some background:
I currently work as a systems engineer for a company in Nashville, Tennessee. My duties include planning, installing, upgrading, troubleshooting and repairing networks utilizing Microsoft, Novell, Linux, and Unix operating systems. I hold MCSE in Windows NT4 and Windows 2000, as well as MCP for various other Microsoft products. I know HTML, Java, Cart32, and other web site technologies. Some of my other duties include researching and implementing new technologies for increased performance and reliability. I have a total of about 18 years experience in computers. I have developed a reputation for customer satisfaction and continually score high on company reviews.
I want to be IT committee chairman for the following reason.
I have only been a member of the NSS for a short time. I have always been interested in caves and caving and have just recently come in contact with organizations such as the NSS and my local grotto which allow my to learn and cave. I have developed a deep respect for the NSS and feel that by being IT committee chairman I will be able to give something back, to do a lot more to help the NSS.
Sincerely,
Rick Lee
I have appointed him as the Interim IT Committee Chairman, pending Board approval. I would assume that if he works well at this position, he could be approved by the Board at the Fall 2003 meeting.
Stephanie did finally get out to see Phil Winkler for training this past spring. It was a good training session and she apparently learned much and is applying her training at the office.
The NSS Office/Library roof was redone by Berry Roofing of Huntsville at a cost of $18,000.
We have hired a part time person at the Office, Stephanie talks about this more in her report.
Stephanie continues to try to market the various NSS Books, she received good words from Quality Books, unfortunately they are only accepting books with a 2002-2003 copyright, however they did accept The Hidden World of Caves. They ordered thirty copies of that book and hopefully she can submit Cave Conservation and Taming of the Slough when published.
We do have several "earth friendly" fire suppressant system quotes for the Library. There is quite a price range spread, the lowest being $13,250 and the highest $54,000. The quotes will be attached to this OVP report.
Problems:
The latest problem to crop up at the NSS Office is a leak in the
Smith House roof. We have a quote from Berry’s roofing to do
the job for $3,650. Berry’s is the same roofer that replaced
the Office/Library roof earlier this year. We tried to get
several quotes from area roofers but they kept on being "no
shows," this went on for several weeks. We spoke to Clyde
Simerman an NSS member and a roofer by profession. He indicated
to us that Berry’s quote was very reasonable and that we
should just go ahead and use them and get the roof leak taken
care of before it destroys some of our book stocks. Stephanie has
contacted them and they will be out as soon as they can to repair
the roof.
Stephanie tried in vain to get The Hidden World of Caves to be carried at Wind and Jewel Caves. The parks responded this way: "The interps at both Wind and Jewel felt that the photography in the book was too poor to be a good quality book for our stores, so we will not be carrying this one. " This is not the first time we have received this type of comment from potential carriers of the book.
With the current list of NSS brochures online and members being able to order from the web site, we are encountering a double-edge sword of sorts. It is great to be able to get our brochures out to the world, spreading cave conservation, bat conservation, and what the society stands for; however, free brochures cost money. We have only a certain amount of funds earmarked for the printing of these various brochures and that printing was based on past numbers and how long they lasted. We have found that on the web, folks are more inclined to order large amounts of brochures all at one time, thus we have seen our stocks being reduced at a very fast pace. So two thoughts come to mind, we need more money to print much larger quantities, and continue to give out at no charge (we currently do not have funds budgeted for this) or give out what could be considered a "reasonable" amount to the requesting group and invoice the rest at cost to cover our expense (this is the option we are currently using).
Any brochure request over 100 will require a charge equal to our cost starting with number 101. Stephanie will create an invoice for this purpose. A person can’t order 100 on a Monday and another 100 on a Wednesday. Subsequent orders from the same person or group needs to have a one-month lag between orders or they will be invoiced. One other option that the folks will be given is that they can simply download the PDF file from the brochure’s web page and (with the investment of a few dollars for some glossy paper) print them up themselves.
Some examples of Brochure orders:
Lava Beds Nat’l Monument-
200 –Lava
200-Bats
Augusta Cave Masters- A member is on a speaking circuit
200-GRC
300-Fragile Underground
500-Bats
100-Membership Apps.
Our costs for these brochures:
5,000 Lava brochures cost us .22/each
5000 Fragile Underground cost is .22/each
13,000 Bats cost us .13/each
5,000 Membership apps cost us .17/each
10,000 GRC (July 2000) cost us .53/each
So as you can do the math in the above requests the total cost comes out to $324 for only two brochure requests. This will eat away our supplies and cost a lot of money in a very short amount of time. Which is why I feel that after a certain "reasonable" amount of free brochures we should invoice at our cost.
We still do not have a Market Analysis Committee Chairman. I have had several notices out in the various caving lists on the Internet, as well as a continuing notice in the NSS News. Also the position of Bookstore Marketing person continues to be unfilled. David McClurg has been the primary person to give us "market analysis" for current NSS publications in the works, such as Taming of the Slough, which has been very helpful.
The library proposal continues to be a "hot topic" still. My Library Committee and the Library Infrastructure Committee are working together on various tasks related to the NSS Library, such as the online library web pages, on line searches, and being able to check out books on line to read for "X" amount of days. There has been some head butting between the above-mentioned committees and the Huntsville Library Commission. This has caused some volunteers to resign and some obvious disagreements to occur. The Huntsville Library Commission was asked to help and assist the Library Committee and the Library Infrastructure Committee, which means work with Paul Stevens and Richard Downey. These folks are (for lack of a better word) the official people and committees overseeing the library and what upgrades are currently being worked on. I sent several e-mails out to all parties concerned what exactly the pecking order was, but I feel that the Huntsville Library Commission, for what ever reason, were going to go about things their own way. This was unfortunately played out when the commission had their own version of the "official" library web pages put online. Paul Stevens had already been working on the online library web pages for many months prior. When he requested that they be removed and replaced with his version, which was the official version, they refused. After some time of what could be described as "very unfortunate fighting between groups only wanting the best for our library" the commission’s pages were replaced and their volunteer who developed them resigned. This has left some bitterness and it is very discouraging. Regardless, Paul has continued to make progress on the on-line library, his efforts are to be commended.
I should also mention that despite the best efforts to educate the membership as to the truth about the library and the various proposals, rumors still abound.
We continue to use up web space at a fast pace. Once again we received notice from Xeran that we were well over our allotted limit. We need to get a better understanding of what areas of the web site are growing (using) the space at the fastest rate. I have discussed this with the Interim IT Chairman and he will be taking a hard look at where we can identify those using the most space as well as where we can use the space more efficiently. I recognize that folks like the Journal and the Salons, to name but a couple, provide a lot to the society and will only continue to grow and take up more space. We need to budget more funds for the web site as in 300 megs more our cost per 100 meg will double. With the online library project we will only be more strained with a potential lack of space. For information about the society and as a general way to communicate what we are all about, the web site is the number one place and it will only become larger and more important over time. I will work with the IT Committee to provide a spreadsheet summary of what is out there and present it to the board at a later date with concerns about the short term and long term growth of our web site.
General Membership Update: As of this writing we currently have 776 General Members this is an increase of around 130 since March 2003.
J. Reynolds Duncan, Jr.
153 Atria Drive
Toney, AL 35773-9515
256-852-4522
Plans:
Continue with the sorting and integration of Archives material.
Progress:
Most of the I/O material has been sorted and filed for easier
access. Responded to several requests for information.
Problems:
None
Submitted By: Reynolds Duncan
Chairman, Archives Committee
jrdandlld@aol.com
Timothy C. White
2505A Toll Gate Road SE
Huntsville, AL 35801
256-508-1908
KD4GOC@BIGFOOT.COM
Ray Cole will be producing this year’s Kodak Photo CD.
Archives are in my hands and are now stored in asafe, cool, humidity free environment.
Organization of archives has begun and will be finished this year.
Plans:
Work with the TV/Video production Committee
Roberta Serface was recently selected to be the Chairman of the TV/Video Production Committee. I am a part of the committee and plan to work closely with Roberta and others as much as possible. This relationship can help both the TV/Video Production Committee and the NSS AV Library.
Progress:
Vertical Techniques Video
The new video, Single Rope Ascending Systems – An Introduction, is complete and has been approved by the Vertical Section Board. It has been entered in this years Video Salon, so it will be available for rent from the Library in August or September. It is also for sale by me and caving vendors. Purchase by grottos is at a special reduced rate.
New entries for the NSS Video Library
By this summer there will be at least two new video programs for the library. The producers for both videos have entered their programs in the Video Salon in the professional category. The first is a program from Florida called Water's Journey produced by Jill Heinerth and directed by Wes Skiles (see http://www.floridasprings.org/expedition/). The second program is called Cathedral Caverns (A new state park in Alabama) produced by Ambassador Video Productions.
Problems:
None
Dave Socky
NSS AV Co-Chairman (Video)
Richard Blenz
8070 W Eller Road
Bloomington, IN 47403
812-825-2345
rblenz@indiana.edu
Plans:
Continue as usual with the NSS Cave Files
Progress:
Am processing about 6-10 newsletters a week. Have filed about a
foot high stack of material for the last six months. Will haul
two large boxes of unused (unneeded for the Files) material to
Huntsville on the way to Porterville.
Problems:
None known, none wanted.
Dick Blenz
NSS Cave Files
Jim Hall
623 Larry Place
Madison, AL 35758-1118
256-772-9829
jimehall@compuserve.com
Problems:
The White house had a roof leak in late May When we had
8 to 10 inches of rain in a couple of days. About 2 dozen
books got wet. It hasn't leaked under lighter rain since
and the roof looks OK. There is still some minor wood repair to
do to the Office from the re-tarring of the office roof.
Progress:
none
Plans:
I am looking in to getting the minor wood damage
repaired and watching the White house for leaks under normal
conditions.
Jim Hall
Evelyn Bradshaw, Co-Chairman
5713 Castlebridge Rd Apt 226
Fredericksburg, VA 22407-6044
540-785-5361
ebradshw@staffnet.com
Keith D Wheeland, Co-Chairman
2191 Mountain View Ave.
State College PA 16801-7214
(home) 814-238-2057
(e-mail) kwheeland@psualum.com
I/O Committee Report
Submitted by Keith D. Wheeland with input from the Committee
members
Progress:
NSS Members Manual Committee
On May 28 we sent to the NSS Members Manual Committee the I/O
information for the upcoming Members Manual.
I/O Web Site
The I/O web site at www.caves.org/committee/i-o/
is kept up to date.
NSS Members and Primary Affiliation
The education phase concerning the importance for each NSS member
to declare a Primary Affiliation has continued. Phil Winkler has
changed the printing of the mailing label for the NSS News to
include the Primary Affiliation. I have submitted an article to
the editor of the NSS News explaining the importance of Primary
Affiliation. When the Primary Affiliation was added to the
mailing label, the NSS number was dropped from the label. This
caused a temporary stir at the NSS office. Phil Winkler will
restore the NSS number to the label.
NSS Web Page Showing I/Os and Links.
With the help of Andy Niekamp, we have automated the process of
keeping the list of grottos that appears on the NSS home page
up-to-date. When a Grotto updates their information via the web
or by sending information to me, I update the records in my
computer. Then I create a text file that I upload to the NSS
site. At that instant, when someone clicks on the Grotto, they
see the very latest information. We remain sensitive to privacy
issues. Individual e-mail addresses were processed by Andy so
that an automated data miner looking for e-mail addresses would
be foiled.
Gary Bush continues to maintain the web pages for Regions, Sections, and Surveys for the I/O Committee.
The page is currently up-to-date with all changes that we have received.
I/O Web Site Addresses Collected
With the help of Andy Niekamp, we have collected the web site
addresses (URL) for I/Os and stored them in the I/O database on
my computer. The data is an important part of the automated
update process. It also aids in the process of making sure that
the NSS is reimbursed for the use of the server by those I/Os
that maintain their web page there.
We will be allowing I/Os to input their web site address (URL) via the web reporting and annual report process. This is a new piece of data that we have not asked for in the past.
Job Descriptions and List of Duties
This project is ongoing.
Annual Report Submittal for 2002 (submitted in 2003)
Grottos
Via web 158 76.3%
Via e-mail 26 12.6%
Via USPS 23 11.1%
Total 207
Regions
Via web 8 66.7%
Via e-mail 3 25.0%
Via USPS 1 8.3%
Total 12
Sections
Via web 13 76.6%
Via e-mail 3 17.6%
Via USPS 1 5.9%
Total 17
Plans:
Process for Potential New I/Os being Enhanced
Since Evelyn Bradshaw has relinquished most of her
responsibility for securing annual reports, she has been able to
give more attention to handling inquiries about starting new I/Os
in a more positive way. The NSS still requires submission of a
constitution and bylaws by each new applicant group, but the
background to help cavers develop a useful constitution and
bylaws has been expanded and the reasons for the various
procedures has been explained more fully. Also, from Evelyn's
extensive contacts with local cavers at grotto levels, she has
been able not only to advise local groups when problems arise,
but also to make relevant contributions to some other NSS
committees on which she sits.
To aid in this endeavor, we have placed a sample constitution and by-laws on the I/O web site. Evelyn intends to take a further in-depth look at the screening process.
Annual Report Process
Now that I/Os (Grottos, Regions, and Sections) can
update their information at any time via the web, we needed to
consider a different approach to the annual report process. What
we have decided is that any I/O that updates their information
via the web between the dates of December 1 and February 15 (and
submits a membership roster) will be considered to have submitted
their annual report. We will continue to send an initial notice
that annual reports are due, and we will continue to issue
follow-up reminders. We will continue to encourage I/Os to submit
their report via the web, but also allow I/Os to submit their
report via regular mail or e-mail.
It was encouraging to note the high percentage of Regions and Sections that filed their reports via the web this year since it was the first year they were able to do so. The percentage of Grottos that submitted via the web rose from 71% last year to 76% this year.
Web Process for I/Os to be Simplified
Eric McMaster has suggested that we simplify the file
structure and processing for the online updating of I/O data and
the submittal of the annual report. I have sent him a sample of
the new file format and I have changed my 30+ computer programs
to use the new structure. We hope to have this new structure in
place for the upcoming annual report process. I/Os will notice
some new editing, should see some improvement in ease of use, and
may notice some improvement in response time.
Problems and Issues:
Submittal of I/O Electronic Newsletters to the NSS
Library and to the Cave Files Committee
A greater number of I/Os are preparing and distributing
their newsletters on electronic media. The NSS regulations
require that an I/O submit two copies of each issue to the NSS
Library and two copies to the NSS Cave Files Committee.
The I/O Committee needs to know the policy concerning the transmittal of electronic newsletters. Until the Board formulates a distinct policy on the issue, I will continue to inform I/Os that they continue to send printed copies to the NSS Library and to the Cave Files Committee.
Gary Bush adds this bit of information.
... there are alternatives the Board could consider to
the paper IO Newsletters for the NSS Office and the Cave Files
Committee. Storage space and the utility of the library of
submissions are the primary concerns to be addressed.
As more newsletters become available electronically, both of these issues could be significantly improved, with little, if any, increase in cost. Submissions could be collected onto CD-ROM's for easy storage. Addition of a CD-ROM changer to the NSS Server could facilitate on-line access to them, perhaps at a subscription cost to defray operation costs. Even if not available on-line, the electronic library would be easier to catalogue and reference for the SpeleoDigest.
A subcommittee should be formed to explore the possibilities. I would volunteer for serving on such a committee.
Co-Chairmen: Keith D. Wheeland and Evelyn
Bradshaw.
Members: Gary Bush, Eric McMaster, Esty Pape,
and Dave Taylor.
Andy Niekamp
1515 Cordell Drive
Kettering, Ohio 45439
937-296-0245
ajniekamp3@aol.com
Submitted by: Andy Niekamp
NSS IT Report – Summer 2003
Gary Bush:
The NSS Preserves added two new properties this period:
Wells Cave Preserve and Great Expectations Cave Preserve. Web
pages for both preserves were added to the NSS Preserves pages. I
continued to update the NSS Organizations pages, as items were
reported to me. I relinquished the NSS Grotto Pages to Andy
Niekamp, who provided an automated set of pages to feed directly
off of Keith Wheeland's I/O data. I continue to provide support
or information as requested.
Mike Hood:
The NSS Web Page Award program appears to be a popular
program once again. We've had several pages nominated the two
quarters since the award was reinstituted. The sub-committee
discussed lessons learned from the first quarter and incorporated
changes into the program. The biggest change was limiting
eligibility to only I/O pages. Originally we had allowed any
caving-related page to be entered, but it was difficult to apply
the same judging criteria to all pages. Therefore, we revised the
criteria and made them applicable to I/O's only. The web page was
redesigned on Front Page, but I'm having problems getting the
graphics to load to the server. I'm working the problem without
success. I may end up reloading the original page, which worked
well.
Tom Rea:
I have posted the minutes from the Spring Board meeting
and the current information from the Chairman of the Congress of
Grottos. I have also posted information from the 2002 Congress of
Grottos. I plan to continue to update the current personnel pages
as changes occur and are reported to me.
Melanie Peterson:
I've taken over responsibility for the Speleo Digest
pages, and they are now up-to-date. A new search page has been
added and I continue to update the pages for Scott Fee. I'm
currently working on a set of NSS Grants pages with Cheryl Jones
and a series of Youth Group pages with Pat Bingham.
Doug Marchant:
The What's New page, posting new cave related materials
at the NSS site and other caving sites of members and/or
organizations. This is an ongoing project I will be continuing
into the future.
The NSS Events page, posting cave related events worldwide. This is an ongoing project I will be continuing into the future.
The Volunteer Opportunities page, posting opportunities to volunteer within the NSS. Recently it was brought to my attention that the jobs listed were only for leadership positions and those just looking to help out a little didn't see any listings for the project of their interest. I have since added a paragraph about other opportunities available with a link to the Committee's list in the business pages so they can find out where to start (page also links to committee contact info). This is an ongoing project I will be continuing into the future.
The Great X pledge page administration, maintaining the database of pledges and donations online. A way of graphically displaying the pledges as they relate to the part of the cave it was pledged for is a project in progress but far from complete; goal is to have something online by fall 2003. This is an ongoing project I will be continuing into the future.
I/O web services, the set-up of new web sites, password changes and email address's for I/O's at caves.org. This is an ongoing project I will be continuing into the future.
Andy Niekamp:
Upgraded the NSS Forums bulletin board software to
version 6.5. Added the new Bats brochure to the Brochure web
page. Added a web page for information on hosting a Board
meeting. Secured a 10-year renewal for the domain name of www.caves.org. Added a donation
form to the web site for one-time donations. Added the
Board-approved Great X Management plan. Recommended a change to
the NSS Forums software configuration to improve forum response
time. Made various changes and improvements to the online new
member application, renewal application and NSS A/V request
forms. Completed the new "Grottos By State" pages. All
data on these web pages is now synchronized with the NSS I/O
system. Completed numerous small changes to the web site.
This is my last report as NSS IT Committee Chairman. I am vacating the position.
Phil Winkler
816 N Washington St
Wilmington, DE 19801-1510
302-571-1156
pwinkler@plmconsulting.com
Plans:
1. Upgrade all workstations at the office to Win2000 operating
system from the current Win98. Win2000 is the recommended version
for corporate usage rather then WinXP Pro. XP is designed for
home use.
2. Research how to send our emailed renewal notices ourselves rather then paying a 3rd party to email them.
Progress:
1. Completed the integration of the newest membership
category, General, into NSSTrak, our membership database.
2. Worked with the Cave Diving Section (CDS) to more fully automate their membership data with that of the NSS. Once the new process implemented the long-standing problem of synchronizing renewal dates between the NSS and CDS should disappear and data input at the office should be faster.
3. In coordination with the Membership Committee we redesigned the mailing label for the NSS News to incorporate each member's IO Affiliation. It is hoped this will result in more accurate data which is used to determine COG votes for each Internal Organization.
4. Provided 2 days of training at our offices in Wilmington, Delaware to Stephanie on our database systems. She now has a much better understanding of how and why the systems work they way they do, how to troubleshoot problems and modify the tables when necessary.
Our database systems, NSSTrak and LedgerMaster have now been operating for 8 years.
Problems:
None that weren't solved.
We still have not been able to fill this committee position. I have got notices running in each NSS News. Notices have been placed on the various Internet outlets.
Richard Downey
380 N 600 East
Orem UT 84097-4843
801-224-6678
cavediva@msn.com
Progress:
We are slowly adding to the Library Committee members
that have expertise in cataloging, archiving, and protection of
special collections, online collection and support, and general
collection development. We are also looking at the software
packages for the catalog, SIRSI, Horizon, Polaris and
others. SIRSI has a bit of an edge because it looks as if
they are a decent product and has the advantage of being close to
the library. This is an invaluable asset as we have learned
with Dynix and our own local library system. The cost of
these items are in the same ballpark that I mentioned earlier.
Plans:
Continue to add committee members, and visit the Huntsville
facility before convention. We hope to have the inventory
completed of the entire holdings including those in storage in
the near future.
Problems:
None to speak of at this point. I had hoped to be further
along in all of this by this point in time but as they say, the
wheels of progress turn slowly.
Richard
Note: Please see the President’s Report for information related to the Library Infrastructure Committee’s progress.
Stephanie Cothron
National Speleological Society, Inc.
2813 Cave Avenue
Huntsville, AL 35810
256-852-1300
manager@caves.org
Progress:
The database-training trip planned for February was cancelled due
to bad weather in Delaware. It was rescheduled for April 7
–11 and all went well. Phil Winkler (NSS I/T Committee and
part owner of PLM Consulting) took time out of his busy schedule
to train me on DataEase and NSSTrak. The training has really
helped me to become more confident in using the database, solving
problems and running queries.
The modem line has finally been cancelled so we no longer have to pay this expense, but the phone line was kept at the Smith House due to the alarm system. All workstations are now on DSL lines and everyone is up and running.
March 2003 – we began promoting and mailing the Spring 2003 Membership Renewal Specials. If members renew their NSS Membership, they can save 10% on several symbolic items and on these NSS Pubs – On Call, Hidden World of Caves, Caving Basics, and Speleogenesis. Living with Karst was part this promotion, but it is now a "sold out" title. Thus far, the "Special" sales total $506.00. Special thanks to NSS Member, David McClurg, for designing the flyer.
Avis attended the SERA Winter Business Meeting, Saturday, March 1st, on her day off. She took the initiative and packed a few bookstore items – Total Sales $376.00.
For professional development, I attended the Huntsville Conference for Women at the Huntsville Marriott on March 18th. There were a lot of neat tips on how to handle difficult people in the workplace, stress and how to advance in the workplace. Also, I was asked to speak at a Stress Management Seminar for a business class at A&M University.
March 20 – Emailed Electronic Board Labels to Tim White at Slaton Press.
Pati Miller and I completed April 2003 / End-of-year inventory count. Paul from Mercer and Associates performed a random inventory audit/spot check.
April 4 – Sent electronic labels to American Web for the April 2003 Journal.
In April, Bill Torode attended the Tennessee Cave Survey meeting and took a case of 2002 Speleo Digest and 1958 Speleo Digest (special reprint). He made $493.00 in sales for the bookstore.
May 12 – I began packing for the 2003 SERA Cave Carnival. Avis and Jim Hall left for SERA on May 15th. Total 2003 SERA Sales - $1,558.00.
NSS Member Dave Irving arrived in Huntsville on 5/12/03 to begin working with me on closing accounting fiscal year 02/03. The only serious problem we had was a glitch with the March 2003 accounting close. We had to contact Les Cardwell of PLM Consulting to assist us in fixing the problem. This got us behind about 2 days, but Les was prompt in working with us and he got the problem solved. From there, it was smooth sailing.
June 10 – I hired a p/t bookstore person. Demicca Armstrong worked for the NSS Office last year during the Christmas Rush as a temporary through a staffing service. Demicca is a quick leaner and she’s perfect fit for the NSS Family. She’s currently taking classes at a local college.
Bookstore Sales:
| NSS Book Store Sales 1st Qtr 2003 Comparison 1st Qtr 2002 | ||||||||
| Month | Orders | Prd $ Total | Month | Orders | Prd Total | Order Variance | $ Variance | |
| Feb 2003 | 125 | 8,934.34 |
Feb 2002 | 136 | 9,361.60 |
(11) | (427.26) |
|
| March 2003 | 144 | 8,075.77 |
March 2002 | 123 | 8,214.69 |
21 | (138.92) |
|
| April 2003* | 196 | 10,331.97 |
April 2002 | 130 | 7,250.57 |
66 | 3,081.40 |
|
| Qtr Total | 465 | 27,342.08 |
Qtr Total | 389 | 24,826.86 |
76 | 2,515.22 |
|
*Includes reprint of 1958 Speleo Digest and release of 2002 Speleo Digest
Efforts on trying to promote The Hidden World of Caves – Received a request from Steve at Jewel Cave to send a promo/sample copy for review to possibly sell in their bookstore. My efforts to get the book in their bookstore were unsuccessful because they weren’t happy with the photo quality.
My efforts were successful in getting the book listed on the Amazon.com Advantage site.
Plans:
Prepare for 2003 NSS Convention in Porterville, CA.
Problems:
We’ve had some great and intelligent NSS Members
volunteer as Webmaster, but there has been a problem in retaining
them. There has been at least four webmasters, since I’ve
been here. I’m considering taking Webmaster classes.
Karen Kastning
PO Box 148
Radford, VA 24141-0048
703-639-4666
karen@skyhopper.net
Summer 2003 Report of the NSS Photo Archives Committee
Submitted by Karen M. Kastning
(additional committee member, Ernst H. Kastning)
Plans:
Long-term plans:
Remains the same: To establish a detailed database for
research purposes. No progress on this during my thesis
production time - but it remains my primary objective.
Short-terms plans and activity:
Very little progress this spring due to thesis work and
illness. Work progresses (slowly) at putting sleeves on the
large-format prints, sorting them into appropriate categories,
and filing them in new boxes.
Progress:
Things have been pretty quiet over this past
spring. I received two requests for information and/or
copies of items that we do not have in the photo archives (the
Carlsbad film by Neville and a photo from the NSS's caving
booklet). I received one request for material that we do
have (the Skeets Miller Floyd Collins films).
A joint article for the NSS News is planned regarding the two 1-hour, Skeets Miller Floyd Collins Television dramas from the 1950s.
Problems:
No significant problems. Still need a HIGH QUALITY
slide/negative scanner.
Craig Hindman
7600 Pindell School Road
Fulton MD 20759
410-792-0742
ctider@us.ibm.com
Progress:
Collection received from the estate of Bob Lutz.
Plans:
There will be a display of museum items at the
convention. It may be smaller due to airline restrictions.
Problems:
I do not see any problems at this time.
Quotes for an "earth friendly" fire suppressant system to be installed at the NSS Library:
Quote #1:
Koorsen Protection Services
Inergen Fire Suppression System $54,000
Quote #2:
International Fire Protection Inc.
Inergen Fire Suppression System $36,750
Quote #3:
International Fire Protection Inc.
FM 200 Fire Suppression System $29,450
Quote #4:
Dennis Fire Equipment
FM 200 Fire Suppression System $13,250
Both FM 200 and Inergen are clean agents. As a comparison, with FM200 you would use one bottle, with Inergen you would use twelve bottles. I am assuming that these quotes are for the Library only, but will check with Stephanie to find out for sure if it also covers having the system throughout the NSS Office as well.