My committees are all late in returning reports. It seems my e-mail asking for reports went astray as none of them reported getting it. Those I contact by mail did not respond either.
Camille Duke
manager@caves.org
Jim Hall
623 Larry Pl
Madison AL 35758
73505.1632@compuserve.com
Combined report:
It has been a very busy time at the NSS Office. We worked very hard to get ready for the 1997 Convention which was quickly followed by Old Timer's Reunion(OTR). As soon as we arrived back home from OTR, we were swamped by a huge shipment of Cave Minerals of the World and 5 days worth of mail. We worked very hard to get all of the pre-publication orders shipped out by the 9th of September. Our current projects include getting the new catalog designed and mailed, parallel testing the new LedgerMaster accounting software, planning for the Spring BOG/Winter SERA meeting in Huntsville, getting the bookstore stocked for Christmas sales, and bookstore promotions.
We had a successful time at the 1997 Convention. Avis Van Swearingen helped Beth, Jim, and myself set up the bookstore. Between Beth's Stellaluna Christmas tree, Avis' hanging bats, and Jim's board cavers, the bookstore looked better than it ever has. Sales were great especially with sales from our new line of Bat Polo Shirts and Hats. This year, we spent a lot of time listening to what our members would like to see in the bookstore. From this input, we added pockets to our T-shirts and Polos plus added lots of different colors. Everyone seemed real pleased to see polo shirts instead of T-shirts. It seems that everyone has way too many caving t-shirts. Our cute bat hats quickly sold out and have now reappeared in the office in a wide assortment of colors plus a 3 color logo hat has been added to the inventory.
Beth, Cheryl Jones and I have been proofing the new 1998 NSS Bookstore catalog. David Anderson and I have been working hard to get it all prepared and ready to mail out to members by the end of October. One huge time saver was the new donated color scanner. In the past, I had to find someone to take photographs of our inventory plus take book covers to be scanned ($15.00 a pop) and them mail them to David Anderson. With the scanner, I was able to get great shots of our books and new symbolic items. I sent them to David via telalink in just minutes. This was a huge savings (around $600.00 plus S&H)as we have about 40 photos in the new catalog. David will have the final proofs to me today or tomorrow and we will check them a final time. Following last year's new tradition, David has created a beautiful professional looking catalog using photos of the 1997 Convention slide show winners. In addition to sending a catalog to the members, we have been compiling a nice database of non NSS customers to include in the catalog mailing.
Beth and I have become very familiar with the inventory and order processing in LedgerMaster(LM). Now comes the process of learning the accounts payable and general ledger procedures. I will be working with Les Cardwell during the rest of October and the first of November to learn the ends and outs of this process. We still need to get our computers and network upgraded so that we can use the 2 big databases at the same time without causing major bog downs and system errors. Phil Winkler is planning to get a new network up and running in the next few months. Hopefully, Santa will donate some new computers to the office. If he does not come through, we will have them in the new budget. We have far exceeded the capabilities of our present computer systems. Three generous members have donated a scanner, a digital camera, a UPS system, Corel Draw Software, and an Iomega ZipDrive. Luckily, Jim Hall brought his personal computer to the office and we have been able to use some these new additions on his computer.
The Huntsville Grotto and the NSS Staff are very excited about hosting the 1998 Spring Board meeting on March 21, 1998. On Friday night, we will be hosting a party at the NSS Office. Therefore, we are using this as an excuse to spruce up the office and library. One of our members, Tommy Royston is an extremely skillful carpenter. He has been commissioned to design and build some display and storage units for the bookstore. These professional looking units will replace the folding tables and the yellow tablecloths. Another long needed project of repairing the parking lot where the trash truck destroyed the area around our dumpster will begin on October 15th. Also in the plans are replacing the old NSS sign on Pulaski Pike with a updated one. This project will be carefully designed as the old sign is grandfathered into the existing sign ordinance. In order to keep the sign in its present excellent location, we can only change about 25% of the sign. Tim Francis has designed landscaping for the new sign. Tim has done a wonderful job on improving the landscaping around the office.
Bill Torode has done an excellent job on organizing the bookstore and keeping track of inventory levels. We have been busy getting the suppliers entered into LM, finding a supplier for old favorites, and hunting new caving books to be ready for the Christmas sales. In addition to the new bat polo shirts, we had added a new gold life member polo. This item will be available for Christmas. Josh and I have been communicating frequently about the on-line bookstore. New items are being added regularly and we are now adding back issues of the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies to the on-line catalog. We usually get 1 or 2 orders daily from the web page during a normal week. This number picks up drastically around Christmas time. The web catalog seems to be a favorite for foreign customers especially when it came to ordering Cave Minerals of the World.
Bookstore promotions are continuing for On Rope II. I am finally seeing results from our book reviews in magazines including arborist magazines. I will continue to look for other low/no cost advertising alternatives. We have sent out a number of copies of Cave Minerals of the World for book reviews. Some of the magazines included Nature, Science, and American Geological Society Today. We also sent a copy to the US Geological Survey to be included in GEOREF. Our catalog mailing will also target some of the major libraries and universities.
We are looking forward to a great holiday season and anticipate no problems. Beth is looking forward to her first caving trip to Mexico and will be on vacation around Thanksgiving. Bill and I will have all our projects finished by that time so we can handle Beth's work plus the additional Christmas book orders. We are planning to close the office for Christmas around the 22nd or 23rd.
J. Reynolds Duncan Jr.
153 Atria Dr
Toney AL 35773
No report
OVP COMMENTS:
This committee needs some file cabinets to organize the material.
Phil Winkler
816 Washington St
Wilmington DE 19801-1510
72426.1153@compuserve.com
Scope: Analyze requirements and develop automation for the NSS Office.
Present Situation: NSS Membership database running well with only minor modifications necessary; primarily involving sorting in reports such as the state field in the Members Manual.
LedgerMaster accounting system cannot be handled by our present network (Lantastic). This is a problem that could not have been anticipated back when we were determining the requirements for hardware and software. However, the LedgerMaster system is being run as a standalone app on the office laptop which is a Pentium.
MeetingTrak is in the hands of Avis and Kathy. A training session will be held at TAG on October 13.
Problems: The afore-mentioned network needs replacing. The network system of choice is Novell. The Novell server I was planning to donate and install has given up the ghost (RIP..it served me well for years). However, I can still donate the Novell software (five users) needed which will save us several hundreds of dollars.
I have sent the new network cards needed as well as a new tape backup system.
We need to purchase a new machine for a Novell file server. I have sent Camille the system requirements for this.
It would be a real help if we could find someone with Novell experience in the Huntsville area. The person should be a Novell Certified Engineer (CNE) with several network installs under her or his belt. The person could also be a highly experienced Novell user/administrator. It's not that Novell is so complicated, but it needs to be set up correctly in the first place. It might be advisable to contract this work to the computer store on Oakwood..only a short distance away and well-established as experts.
I have a CNE on staff who is excellent, but he bills clients directly. If we can't find one I could ask him for a best price. Perhaps if we put the server together in Wilmington and ship it down to Huntsville then I can come down and complete the installation. I would feel more comfortable with a CNE locally, however.
Alternative? Running LedgerMaster on a workstation with as much horsepower as the Pentium laptop. This complicates using many of the best features of LedgerMaster such as point-of-sale, invoicing, multi-user access, etc.
MeetingTrak: Avis has a copy, as does Kathleen. We have been unable to find the manual for MeetingTrak, but this can be fixed quickly. The manuals main use is familiarize you with MeetingTrak. However, it has been our experience that with a little training you won't ever pick up the manual again. At OTR the issue was raised for the membership person and treasurer being 100+ miles apart and how MeetingTrak could handle this. Well, it can't...unless one or the other dials into the database via modem...not a practical solution.
Solution: Analyze individual, functional requirements better and determine which person has the most use for MeetingTrak. I suspect it is the membership person rather than the treasurer since membership records drive the entire convention and are one of the reasons we want to automate.
It has still not been determined how many copies of MeetingTrak we need. At the moment we have a two-user license based on the multi-user copy of PeopleTrak/MeetingTrak we purchased. We have sufficient copies of DataEase to support 2 additional copies in the field. It is my plan, however, to deploy field copies of MeetingTrak with a runtime version of DataEase which has no cost to us at all (I'll support that).
Using a runtime version prevents users from making structural changes (with potentially disastorous results to data) yet still providing full functionality as well as ad-hoc reporting capabilities (export, etc.).
Colin Gatland
1151 Crestwood Hills Dr
Vandalia OH 45377-2714
Dave Socky
6572 Woodbrook Dr SW
Roanoke VA 24018-5402
sockydr@sprynet.com
1. American MPC Research finished the production of an educational CD-ROM on the cave environment and caving basics with much help from Alex Sproul. They used a good portion of NSS EC endorsed raw and edited video (provided by Alex Sproul, Paul Stevens, and Dave Socky) and included many of the suggestions given on the script. John Van Swearingen provided slides for the still photos. The CD-ROM turned out very good, with excellent safety and conservation messages.
2. The duties of the NSS A/V Library Chair were transferred from Paul Stevens to Dave Socky at the NSS Convention this year. All video equipment, AV Files, plus the copies and masters of video programs that Paul Stevens was maintaining were transferred to Dave Socky in September this year. Alex Sproul is still storing some of the master videos.
3. Colin Gatland was appointed as Chairman of the slide portion of the NSS A/V library at the NSS Convention. All master slide programs were transferred to Colin in September of this year.
4. Alex Sproul finished putting together the 1997 Video Salon entries for the circulating collection. They are to be delivered to Camille at TAG. Alex also updated the A/V Library catalog which Camille will distribute later this year.
5. I plan to give the A/V Catalogue a facelift in order to make it more interesting and readable for cavers. I would like to include graphics and color (if we can afford it).
6. Monthly reviews of slide and video programs in the NSS news is another idea that I have though about in order to improve caver awareness of the NSS A/V library.
7. I am actively working at obtaining new videos for the library. Methods so far include producing my own videos, getting others to produce videos, and looking into sources across the ocean. Another method is to increase membership in the video section of the NSS, and encourage others to get involved with video projects. Chuck Hempel has been talking about a caving basics video and/or another rescue type educational video.
Dave Socky
Richard Blenz
8070 W Eller Rd
Bloomington IN 47403
rblenz@ucs.indiana.edu
Nothing new to report. Files are still being received from newsletters at the rate of two or three a day. Nothing planned except to buy another filing cabinet. Bill Halliday's Hawaii files have finally run me out of drawer space. I have been thinking that it would save postage and packing materials if I could send files requests via E-Mail since so many people are now on the system. Are you aware of the ins and outs of Optical Character Recognition, if I could make good use of it and possibly the better systems that are available ??.I have a 100MHz Pentium machine with 16 Meg of Ram, An Epson Scanner and access to high speed communication line here at I.U.
Nothing else to report.
OVP COMMENTS:
I have been using Optical Character Recognition for several years now. I use Omni Page Pro. It's pretty damn good. Good typewriting, book pages, or newspapers can be scanned at about 95% accuracy or better. I have used it for the CIG Newsletter and for a couple of SpeleoDigests.
Evelyn Bradshaw
10826 Leavells Rd
Fredericksburg VA 22047-1261
ebradshw@interserf.net
Internal Organizations Committee from Convention to October 1997
Looking over my records, I find that six inquiries came in about starting new grottos and the usual packets were sent to them and, where appropriate, letters asking for input from other grottos or others about the inquiry. Three grottos were chartered during this period, Saint Joseph Valley Grotto in Indiana, the Lookout Valley Grotto in Alabama, and the Nicholas County Cavers Association in West Virginia. The usual grotto reference packet was sent to each (including a partial packet that had not been sent earlier to the Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto.
Increasingly, grottos and regions are coming up with needs that call for updating their bylaws and/or sending them information that is in the grotto reference packets that are new since they were chartered. I found over a dozen letters written in the period that required more than a one-page answer or a form letter response.
A bulk mailing was sent to all grottos September 20, in the continuing effort to get more prompt response. Besides an information letter about the schedule and plans, a form was enclosed to return with the best address to use in the report period through March. Some other questions were asked that we don't include regularly in the report forms: Incorporated and in what state; 501(c)(3), and employee identification number (EIN). Every now and then we get grotto requests to know who else or how many grottos are incorporated or 501(c)(3); the responses on this can be useful. We asked about the EIN several years ago when Bill Sringfellow was treasurer. He wanted to find out if any used the NSS EIN by mistake. None did but I found several using their personal social security numbers and straightened them out.
Relations with the Huntsville office are excellent. As you undoubtedly know, the monthly membership updates are now coming out to many of us by e-mail and those that are mailed are also now in type of a readable size. "Using the Updates" is once again an item in the grotto reference packet. I am indebted to Camille Duke for taking the trouble to work out how to send me the entire membership base by e-mail in a form I could use and index more than by name. Being able immediately to verify the NSS status of officers and other grotto board members expedites the process of preparing the Members' Manual promptly and I look forward to the 1998 season with optimism, particularly if Gary Bush is successful in preparing a disk for grotto reports for those using Windows 95.
Because I receive address changes from mailings to the Virginia Region, the Conservation/Management Section, the American Spelean History Association, the D.C. Grotto, and to the Internal Organizations, I get quite a few and send them promptly to the office (they tell me sometimes I get them first and this saves NSS a little money). My future plans are, of course, to issue the actual report forms by bulk mail about Thanksgiving and follow up with disks where requested by first-class mail. (Because we were upgrading the program, we did need to distribute fresh disks. Gary has indicated that it is not practical to send the program itself by e-mail.
Bill Bussey and Dave Taylor are continuing to handle sections and surveys respectively and I talk or correspond with them every now and then. I know that a section is being worked on for an Arts and Letters Section. Since Paul Steward is the one promoting it and he is from New Jersey you may well meet him some time. Actually, such a section was talked about as long ago as Cobleskill.
Joshua Abdulla
2744 Town Dr
Carmel, IN 46032-9749
jabdulla@caves.org
The NSS Internet Committee has two main functions:
Management of all NSS Internet Accounts which include:
nss@caves.org, manager@caves.org, joshua@caves.org,dluckins@caves.org, nssnews@caves.org, nss98@caves.org, ncrc@caves.org, cds@caves.org
Management of NSS Web Site
Online Bookstore
Online Audio-Visual Library
Grotto Search Engine
Convention Web site (1996 & 1998)
Membership information
Satellite NSS Web pages (NCRC, SWR, CDS, etc.)
PROGRESS:
This was an extremely busy quarter for the NSS Internet Committee. Most of the goals in the past report were met. Additions over the summer include:
The entire NSS Board of Governor's Manual
The 1998 NSS Convention Web page (available at:
http://www.caves.org/~nss98/ (and via a link from the main NSS page)
An official NSS News Home Page: (http://www.caves.org/~nssnews/)
The NSS Southwestern Region Home Page: (http://www.caves.org/swr/)
Addition of Inner Mountain Outfitters as an advertiser
This includes a banner on the main home page and a web site at: http://www.caves.org/~imo/
Since May 21, 1997, the NSS web site has had over 15,000 visitors. Total hits now exceeds 43,270. Total requests include:
116 Membership Applications ($3,150 new membership dollars roughly 4.5 new members a week as a result of the NSS Web Site
35 Online book orders from areas around the United States & around the world. Total purchases: $1,27.25.
PLANS:
Continuing to update grotto links and information
Addition of Journal of Cave and Karst Studies Home Page
Shopping Cart Program
Publicizing of NSS Web site to both potential advertisers and users via the NSS News.
PROBLEMS:
Once again, lack of time is the biggest problem. Tom Rea has been able to help out on much of the time consuming tasks of updating the NSS BOG manual.
There is also a lack of usage of the online NSS A-V library. I believe this is a result of a lack of knowledge by the NSS member's that the service is available. There were only eight requests for materials since May, 1997.
Greg Freese
763 Telephone Tower Rd
Laceys Spring AL 35754
gfreese@bmtc.mindspring.com
no report
OVP COMMENTS:
Jim Hall has recently ben taking care of the problems with the physical plant. I have had no communication from Greg.
Jon Smith
jsmith@usm.k12.wi.us
I'm on leave from my job in Mississippi this year and am probably not returning. Consequently, I will not be able to do any cataloging during the academic year. I would like to do some this summer prior to the NSS Convention, getting the NSS Library catalog as online as possible prior to the Sewanee convention, where I'd like to conduct a field trip to the library and then turn the committee chair over to someone else. I have some trepidations about this: not many NSS members know enough about books and descriptive bibliography to oversee the catalog conversion as well as I'd like to see it done, but it's better to have someone there than a well-qualified person who can't be.
I will try to get as much of the library cataloged as possible, and am copying this to Jim Hall to touch base with him after some months' noncommunication.
Oh--I'm in Milwaukee now, if you're wondering.
OVP COMMENTS:
It appears that we are going to have to recruit a new librarian soon.
Craig Hindman
7600 Pindell School Rd
Fulton MD 20759
tiderman@erols.com
No report
PROBLEMS: None
Karen Kastning
PO Box 1048
Radford VA 24141-0048
kkastnin@runet.edu
Plans:
No change here. Long-range plans continue to be to establish a detailed database for the photo archives (starting with recent materials and working my way backwards). If we ever get a research library, we'll have the beginnings, anyway of a photo archives for research.
Progress:
Finally (in late August), I obtained access to a new computer (at work) that will run the new software that I purchased out of last year's budget [Excel, FilemakerPro, and Adobe PhotoShop (all for Macintosh)]. It was supposed to have arrived about nine months prior to that. We plan to upgrade our computer at home at a later date, but for now, will make do with this arrangement.
At the convention, I received slides of the winners from the 1997 Photo Salon (from Paul and Lee Stevens), plus a small number of other donations. In early October, I met with Al and Peg Mueller to take notes on a set of slides that they had donated to the Photo Archives in 1994. The slides were from the 1940s and 1950s, mostly concerning the C-3 Expedition to Mammoth Cave, but also some were of early NSS members at early NSS conventions. Al and Peg have many more slides, all neatly organized and catalogued. I hope to expand this collection in future years.
Problems:
Nothing special at this time. I will need to obtain some ZIP disks (and a drive) in the very near future, as photos use a LOT of memory, but have not checked deeply into this yet. I do know, however, that it will be a lot less expensive to do it this way, as opposed to having the photos put on a CD rom, because we have thousands of photos to scan into the computer.
OVP Comments:
I have a ZIP drive and it works very well. A ZIP disk holds 100 mbytes and costs about $20 ($15 in quantity). A JAZ disk holds 1 gbyte and costs about $125 ($85 in quantity). A CD-R disk holds 650 mbytes, costs less than $5.00, and has rated lifespan of 100 years.
A ZIP drive is $150, JAZ drive is $300, and a CD-R drive is $600. The CD-R disk can be read by any CD ROM drive (I think).
If I were doing it, I'd go for the CD-R format. Disks could easily and cheaply be reproduced or made up special for various research projects.