Blackflies and Other Un-invited Guests

Black flies are a feature [not a bug?] of the North Country. While they are not a problem on campus, I expect them to make an appearance at the BBQ picnic by the river on Wednesday night.

We will be providing a variety of insect repellents, but if you have a preferred bug dope, you may want to bring it along. We will also provide citronella candles for an authentic North Country ambiance.

Other preventive measures you can try:

• Wear long sleeved, light colored shirts
• Wear a broad rimmed hat
• Spray deet on your clothing
• Wear a headnet
• Hope for a breezy day!

Thanks to Andrea Malik, Director, Town of Colton Black Fly Control Program for her advice on how to plan for black flies at your picnic!

Parking on Campus

You MUST have your parking permit prominently displayed on your dashboard or you will get a parking ticket!

Parking permits will be included in your registration packets. As soon as you check in (either in the dorms or at Kellas Hall), make sure you dash back to your car with your parking permit.

A map of campus with designated parking lots is printed in the conference program.

SUNYLA Goes GREEN!

SUNYLA GOES GREEN!

Our conference registration bags just arrived!

Not only are they lime green with a cool blue conference logo, they are made from reclaimed polypropylene plastic (i.e. the little tear away plastic extrusion nibby things from manufacturing).

Best of all, they are a handy size and shape. You can reuse the bag. Take it shopping, to the beach, pack it with baby stuff, etc. And they only cost $2.25 each!

Are you a fashion maven and wouldn't be caught dead carrying such a "what-not-to-wear" bag? Do you absolutely HATE our bags? Not to worry. They are 100% recyclable.

Here at Potsdam, we think they are quite fashionable!

New Member Orientation

Attention New Members! Please join us in front of Barrington Hall (the Student Union) Wednesday, June 11th at 5:30pm. Meet fellow new members and get oriented to the conference. We’ll all walk over to the BBQ together. Then, after dinner, we’ll meet back up and walk to the membership social where you’ll have the chance to win fabulous new member prizes.

Attention fiber artists!

(I was going to title this "Attention Knitters", but I spent last evening crocheting afghan squares and I don't want to disenfranchise the crocheters, weavers, or whatever-else-you-do-with-string-ers among us!)

If you play with string and sticks to make fabric-like objects, please join us in the Knitter's Lounge during the conference. In addition to a nice place to stop and catch up with colleagues, we will also be doing a stash swap and a raffle. We are giving away a felted slippers knitting kit (pattern, yarn, and needles, and I've knit the pattern about a dozen times so I can testify to its fantastic-ness), and if you'd like, bring your surplus yarn for a stash swap -- offer up whatever yarn you can't seem to find a great pattern for, and trade it for something new-to-you. I know I'll be bringing a bag of miscellaneous skeins and balls to offer to anyone who wants to give them a good home!

This is a reprise of last year's super-successful knitting lounge at SUNY Maritime, and I hope that it proves just as much fun. I'm sorry to say there will be no wireless in our lounge, which means that we'll lose the cheerful and charming company of one Bill Drew, who, laptop in hand, braved a room full of swishing needles and hooks and chatter about swatching and Entrelac in order to surf the web in comfort last year.

The Knitter's Lounge will be in the Draime Lounge on the first floor of the dorm, in a nice bright room with big windows and comfy chairs.

SUNY Borrowing Taskforce Pre-Conference

SUNY Borrowing Task Force Pre-conference is FREE with registration!

Description: The SUNY Borrowing Task Force is sponsoring this pre-conference
to help reinvigorate discussions on how to improve SUNY¹s libraries¹
collections through data analysis, purchase on demand, and resource sharing.
The pre-conference will include speakers from acquisitions and ILL to
discuss how their institutions have implemented purchase on demand programs.


Abstract: The SUNY Borrowing Task Force is pleased to announce a
pre-conference sponsored by the SUNY Borrowing Task Force and the SUNY
Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS). As a participant in this
one day program, you will work collaboratively with other participants to
envision the future of SUNY resource sharing and its potential as a
component of collection development.  During these difficult economic times,
it is more important than ever that SUNY institutions work together to
maximize purchasing power for the purpose of expanding information access
for all SUNY constituents.

This program will set the stage for the ongoing development of systemic
strategies to increase and broaden the SUNY collection. Workshop sessions
are designed to provide participants with an understanding of consortia
resource sharing strategies. Participants will learn about the emergence of
new models for collection development and resource sharing from two
acknowledged experts in the field. Julia Gammon, Head of Acquisitions at the
University of Akron Library, will address her experience with OhioLINK. This
consortium has developed highly successful cooperative collection
development and resource sharing models to reduce unnecessary duplication,
stretch budgets, strengthen the aggregate statewide collection, and share
library resources. Sherry Buchanan, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator at the
Portland State University Library, will share her research on just-in-time
interlibrary loan and acquisitions. Her presentation will offer insights on
achieving the best possible balance between access and ownership. The
workshop will also include a synopsis of SUNY Borrowing Task Force
activities to date and a working lunch structured by functional groups. The
workshop will end with a group discussion moderated by SUNY Borrowing Task
Force members, with focus on defining and shaping the scope of future
planning discussions with involvement from all sectors of the SUNY
community.

The Task Force is seeking participation from a wide range of SUNY libraries
from community colleges, university and technology colleges, and university
centers and doctoral degree granting institutions. Examples of participants¹
institutional roles include: library administrators; collection development
librarians; acquisitions librarians; and interlibrary loan and access
services librarians. Team applications are also encouraged to create an
experience that allows participants with varied expertise and professional
backgrounds to explore SUNY resource sharing issues together.

Breakfast and Lunch will be provided (sponsored by the SUNY Office of Library Services)

Crumb Library will be Closed

If anyone is planning on doing any research at Potsdam during their visit, be advised that the F. W. Crumb Library will be closed beginning May 17th for renovations (new windows, ceilings, and HVAC systems).

Library services will be available from the Sheard Literacy Center. If you need materials retrieved from Crumb, we are happy to do so...just fill out our Fetch Form.

More info can be found on our FAQ page. We plan to reopen some time in August.

Crane Music Library will be open as usual.

Send registration via LAND

If you would like to send your registration forms via LAND, please address your envelopes:

ATTN: Marianne Hebert
SUNYLA Registration
SUNY Potsdam ZQM
LAND: Syracuse Hub

I will make sure they get over to our Conference Coordinator, Nancy Hess.

Shake, shake, shake...

I just got to play with the conference gift from the Local Arrangements Squad (I've decided that 'Squad' makes us sound like superheroes, where 'Committee' makes us sound like managers, and who do you want planning your conference fun, a superhero or a manager?) -- and they are supremely entertaining! You want one! The only way to get one is to register! Soooooo, go forth and register for the conference!

See you in June...

Late Night Arrivals

If you are registered to stay in the dorms on Tuesday or Wednesday and you planning to arrive late ...

Although the registration desk will probably close around 8:00pm, late arrivals can pick up their registration packets and dorm keys at the University Police Department in Van Housen Extension. You can park for 15 minutes in LOT 21 while you pick up your packets and dorm keys.

Public Transportation to Potsdam

We admit we are a bit off the beaten track, but it IS possible to get here from there.

Check out our campus webpage on Transportation options.
http://www.potsdam.edu/content.php?contentID=81DCC97E53793A52E19B89C638925B0F

Also, our Travel Arrangements for International Students has useful information:
http://www.potsdam.edu/content.php?contentID=2153A527B015A2E5D76AA3FeF0428F4C

Trains and planes do not stop in Potsdam, though you they can take you as far as Syracuse and Albany.

I just got off the phone with the Potsdam Greyhound office (315 265-2270), and they ensure me that the Syracuse bus to Potsdam will be operating twice daily (7 days a week) throughout the summer. Double check the schedule before you come, but at the moment the bus leaves Syracuse downtown 7:00 am and 5:15 pm; and from the Airport 7:15 am and 5:30.

There are also buses that leave from Albany and other NY towns.

You can always walk to Potsdam (start now!). Take the Northville-Lake Placid Trail --> Rt. 3 to Tupper Lake. You can then paddle up the Raquette River until you hit Potsdam! ;-)