SPECIAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE GUEST EDITORIAL
Susan Davis
As the countdown toward NASIG's 10th Annual Conference winds down, it is fitting that we take a look back at the years gone by. There are so many wonderful events and people to chronicle, that I am sure some have been overlooked. Therefore, apologies in advance. NASIG could not exist without the dedication and contribution of all its members, so each one of you should take pride in your own efforts to make NASIG what it is today and what it will become over the next ten years.
NASIG has played such a crucial role in my own career, I cannot imagine life without it. Yet those early days were filled with trepidation as well as excitement: would ALA snuff us out before we'd even begun? would enough people become members? would enough people attend our conference? would enough members roll up their sleeves to pitch in and help? Luckily for all 1,000+ members and 600 or so conference attendees today, the answers were NO, YES, YES, and YES!! Here we are, a strong, vital, stable and financially solvent organization.
This special issue highlights the many NASIG accomplishments over its first decade, celebrates many of the key players in the organization, hears "words of wisdom" from a number of the "22" (those who will be attending their 10th consecutive conference), and honors the nearly 50 Student Grant awardees. There are many dedicated and devout NASIGers in serials land, and we'd like to dedicate this issue to all of them, but in particular to our founders, John Riddick and Becky Lenzini. We'd also like to take a moment to remember those who are no longer with us, especially Mary Ellen Clapper and Margaret McKinley.
So just how did NASIG start?
My version of the birth of NASIG goes something like this. In 1978 the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG) held its first conference, under the auspices of Blackwell's. John Merriman, Director of Blackwell's Periodicals Division was the real driving force behind the group. A number of years later, in 1984, a group of sixteen librarians from America attended the UKSG conference as part of a promotion for an "International Serials Conference." (Other Americans attended, but were not part of this tour group.) The sixteen were: Minna Saxe, Marcia Tuttle, Kimberly Dobbs, John Dean, Alice Ball, Charlotta Hensley, Leigh Chatterton, Clara Mae Chittum, Susan Malchoff and Christine Smith (aka "the Getty Girls"), Susan Davis, Ken Kirkland, Marilyn Gonsiewski, Linda Visk, Hilda Horvath, and John Riddick. These librarians found themselves set adrift upon British soil without benefit of actual tickets home or certainty that their week's tour had really been arranged as promised. Marcia Tuttle became de facto tour leader (ask her about the "$100 a day") and John Merriman took the group under his wing. In spite of the travel arrangements snafu, the "Class of '84," as they are known in UKSG lore, banded together and had a wonderful experience.
Now for those unfamiliar with the UKSG, it is the model on which NASIG is based. The UKSG conferences are also held on college or university campuses with plenary and workshop sessions, but they allow exhibits and corporate sponsorship. Tours are held one afternoon during the conference, and there is usually some type of sit-down banquet. UKSG membership and conference attendance numbers are lower than NASIG's, but their dues are much higher because they support a full-time paid administrator. NASIG members asked for more programming time during the conference, so we adjusted our schedule to hold tours after the conference closing. NASIG runs on the strength of its volunteers and support from its members institutions/employers and accepts NO contributions or sponsorship from corporate entities.
It was this UKSG experience in 1984 (plus many pleasant hours exchanging ideas over sherry, bitter or maybe a "Pimm's cup") that stuck in John Riddick's head, and the concept of a North American Serials Group began to take shape. But John needed partners (co-conspirators) to bring his idea to fruition. He formed a study group to investigate the possibilities and determine the viability of such an enterprise. Initial positive reaction resulted in an informational meeting held in conjunction with ALA Midwinter 1985 in Chicago. More positive feedback and encouragement--NASIG is off and running!!
John tapped the talents of many people, including a number of his UKSG trip companions. Marilyn Gonsiewski and I were invited to serve on an Executive Council and were subsequently elected as officers of the fledgling NASIG, Ken Kirkland arranged for meeting space at DePaul and has served on the Nominations and Elections and Student Grants Committees, Leigh Chatterton helped plan the conference program for Bryn Mawr and co-edited our first proceedings and was elected to a Board position. Marcia Tuttle was elected to the first official Board, and Minna Saxe has also held Board office and committee assignments.
What about the next 10 years?
I have never claimed to be a great visionary or innovative thinker, so I don't expect to see this section reprinted in the 20th anniversary issue! However, in the true NASIG spirit, I'll give it my best shot.
From reading the thoughts of those who have attended all the conference, it is apparent that we need to get back to the smaller, more intimate conferences. Regional mini-NASIGs or the "Best of NASIG" seem likely. I see continued dependence on the volunteer spirit so characteristic of our first decade--NASIG is a real "can do" organization. Tapping into the talents and energies of a large membership is essential. Any move toward permanent, paid office staff will be a slow and difficult row to hoe--at least until we "old timers" move on....
We have already successfully ventured into the electronic age thanks to Birdie MacLennan, Ann Okerson, Marilyn Geller, Dave Rodgers and the American Mathematical Society. Many capable NASIGers are moving us ever forward on the electronic front and we can look forward to applying our electronic know how from our pole position on the information superhighway's race to the 21st century.
NASIG's greatest strength--NETWORKING--will be sorely needed and tested in the times to come. As scholarly publication moves into a predominantly electronic form, as governmental and institutional support dwindle, as personal resources become more scarce, as library schools continue to close, as who knows what will happen happens, we will depend more and more upon the networking opportunities afforded by NASIG to understand where we have been, where we are going, and where we could be. NASIG is greater than the sum of its parts, but each part (ie, member) is essential to NASIG's continuing success. So, in the words of that sports shoe company, "JUST DO IT!"
In closing, I would like to offer some very personal musings...NASIG has grown so much from those early days of small, intimate conferences. As Treasurer I learned almost every member's name by heart, and while I don't know everyone in the organization now, I still know quite a few! It's been an adjustment, and there is some sense of loss as we continue to see memberships exceeding 1,000 and conference attendance at 600 or so. We risk losing the intimacy and true sense of belonging that distinguishes NASIG from many other professional organizations. One of the reasons I was so happy to become involved in NASIG was my frustration at trying to overcome the bureaucracy of the Serials Section of ALA. NASIG has given me professional recognition in a way that ALA never could. I still belong to ALA and support the Serials Section, but NASIG is where my heart and soul are. For all but one year of NASIG's existence I have been involved as an officer or conference planner. And I can honestly say that they have been the most wonderful years of my life (maybe the fact that I got married in 1986 helps too). There have been so many special people, beautiful and intriguing conference locales, stimulating programs, but mostly wonderful conversations about all things serial. Thank you, John, for offering me the opportunity to be a big fish in the NASIG pond. It's been great!
