Friday, March 28, 2008

Dorm Rooms



Dorm room prices are confirmed:


Single: $28.50 first night. $14.25 for each subsequent night.
Double: $19.00 per person first night. $9.50 for each subsequent night

OK to bring family members (spouses, kids, etc. but no pets). Only two people per room, same rates apply per person. No triples.

There are 90 singles in Draime Main.
There are 25-35 doubles in Draime Extention.

If registration exceeds the Draime capacity, overflow will be into Knowles Hall. Knowles has not been renovated recently like Draime, but is adequate. I would encourage folk to register early.

There is a kitchenette on each floor with a microwave, mini-fridge and sink. The Local Arrangements Committee plans to make hospitality baskets for each kitchenette with popcorn, snacks, tea, etc.

There is also a small lounge area on each floor...most have a TV with cable. The lounges would make good impromptu meeting spaces for small groups (i.e. 10 or so people).

There are coin operated laundry facilities in each dorm.


Each dorm room comes with:
  • High speed internet connection, no charge (bring your own ethernet cable).
  • There is no wireless in the dorms.
  • One pillow
  • Bed linens, a blanket, towel and washcloth. There is an additional fee for extra linens ($6.25)
  • Cable hookup if you want to bring a TV, no charge
  • Single bed, desk, closet.

Things you might want to bring:
  • A fan (there is no air conditioning)
  • Reading lamp (the only light is a floor lamp)
  • Extra blankets, pillows, etc.
  • Stuffed animals


Draime Knitting Lounge: Think you might need to take a break, or relax in the evening with other busy bees? The Knitting Lounge will be in the Draime Lounge on the first floor of the dorm. Sorry there is no wireless in the dorms.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

RSS feeds

Blogger doesn't seem to have a sidebar widget that shows the feeds for a blog, so in the interests of easy access, here they are:

Blog posts: http://sunyla2008.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Blog comments: http://sunyla2008.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default

You can use either of those in your feedreader of choice (Google Reader, Bloglines, etc) to stay on top of our postings.

Come Early, Stay Late!


There are great recreational opportunities in the North Country! Take a mini-vacation before or after the conference. You can stay in the dorms real cheap and explore the area.

Things to do in Potsdam
Near by hikes
Bring your canoe or kayak (boat launch at SUNY Potsdam's Lehman Park)
Potsdam Public Museum


Things to do in the Saint Lawrence River Valley:
Akwesasne Mohawk Casino (strike it rich!)
Boldt Castle (pretend you're royalty!)
Visit the 1000 Islands


Things to do in the Adirondacks:
Paul Smith's VIC (easy hikes and a butterfly house!)
Tupper Lake Wild Center (an outdoor Adirondack museum)
Hike! There are easy trails as well as High Peaks


Lots of things to do!
St. Lawrence County North Country Guide (food, recreation, ...)
Visit Montreal or Ottawa (both less than 2 hour away)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Diverting!


I know that the conference planning committees are hard at work on our programming (submit a proposal over here), and we're also having a great time planning diversions that show off the wonderful character and beauty of Saint Lawrence County. Full descriptions will be in the program, but as a sneak peek, I'll let you all know that I'm leading an easy hike through Stone Valley a few miles down the road in Colton. It's a gorgeous spot in early June, with a gently rolling path to hike along some really cool rock formations in the Raquette River. Join us!

The snow WILL melt, we promise


It's still pretty cold and wintry here in Potsdam, but the staff and friends of the College Libraries are already hard at work on planning summer fun at SUNYLA (including warning campus friends that "a lot of librarians are going to be here in June..."). We're thrilled to be hosting the 40th annual SUNYLA conference in 2008, and we'll be sharing our plans here on this blog -- watch for regular updates from now until the conference starts. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or contact any of us at any time.

We're looking forward to seeing you at the conference!