Thursday, March 31, 2005

Houston

So on Wednesday, I was in Houston, doing a scan report for the Houston Area Research Library Consortium (HARLiC---sorry, no current URL that I could uncover). HARLiC has been around since 1978, and has, like many library consortia, worn many hats during its existence. Part of this meeting was to consider the creation of some new special interest groups to focus on issues on the library horizon. Bonnie Juergens, the executive director of Amigos Library Services, facilitated the event. She did a terrific job keeping the meeting focused and rolling. Somehow, she was tougher on time than the people who produce the Oscars, but she did it in such a charming way that no one objected!

The audience was, in some ways, the mirror image of the students I described in my previous post. These Texans were experienced librarians working in some of the biggest, most comprehensive institutions in the Southwest. But they had the same excited (and exciting) drive to find new ways to serve. The discussion was effervescent, full of exploring for possibilities, and refreshingly free of the kvetching about how we're all victims. No pity parties for these Tall Texans!

The prize for the best line of the day definitely went to Nita Schriver from
Houston Public Library. She was appointed to report on her group's discussions, and when Bonnie handed her the microphone, she said, "We were the virtual reference group, so if you want to know what we talked about, send me an e-mail."

And if you happen to be in Houston, make sure to check out the
M. D. Anderson Library at the University of Houston. Their major building project is nearly complete, but even in its not-quite-finished state, it's nothing short of magnificent. We had the HARLiC program in a gorgeous conference room with a splendid view of the heart of the campus. Kudos to Dana Rooks, the indefatigible dean of the library!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

HARLiC Links:
harlic.org
http://resource.library.tmc.edu/harlic

:)

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Your interest rate may dramatically increase if you make late payments. For example, some issuers will raise your interest rate to the maximum after one or two late payments. Consequently, your 12% credit card could quickly turn into a 25% credit card.
Your credit card issuer may also raise your interest rate after conducting a routine credit report review. If your overall credit history has deteriorated, the issuer may raise your interest rate, even though you've never made a late payment on the card in question.
The 25 day grace period only applies when you pay-off your entire balance due each month. If you only pay the minimum payment, interest is immediately accrued from the moment you charge something to your credit card. Some companies are also shortening the grace period to 20 days, and some cards have no grace periods.
Ignore offers to reduce or skip payments. These options are frequently offered over the holidays. When you skip a payment, the loan continues to accrue interest; therefore, these offers simply increase the overall interest and finance charges that the creditor collects. On a similar note, beware of offers of no payment/no interest for a period of time. Furniture stores, jewelry stores, and electronics stores frequently offer these programs. For example, no payment/no interest for 12 months!! This can be a good offer, but once again, read the fine print. Make sure you know the details of the program. Generally, you need to pay off the entire balance before the end of the "free" period to receive the benefit. Otherwise, you will probably have to pay interest on the entire balance from the date of your purchase

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