Salvete!
> So are you saying that there can only be one worldwide Koha group, and
> that there cannot be national or regional level Koha groups and
> corresponding meetings?
Of course not. It's good to get together and talk things through. What I am
saying is that folks should not call themselves something they are not. I'm a
bit disturbed by the shift in participation I've witnessed over the last few
years. It seems very much that people are starting to prefer their own silos to
the larger project. That heavy localisation hurts everyone in the long run. I'd
rather that not happen.
> Do you presume that anyone from outside North America would be unwelcome
> at a North America/United States meeting?
>
> Would it be appropriate for the NA/USA group to openly solicit
> world-wide attendance, and possibly seem to be competing with World KohaCon?
There's no reason for the US group to not openly invite participation from
elsewhere. What's worrying with respect to KohaCon proper is that institutions
are prefering to only send representatives to the US Conference and not KohaCon
proper. I realise that these are hard budget times, but if the choice is solely
between the two, shooting for the latter is better for all concerned. When
budget does not play a role, it would be wonderful for folks to attend both
since the ideas would not be penned in either at an international level or at a
national one.
> > I don't think meeting in a particular month carries the same weight of
> concern as your first point about inclusiveness, or even your last about
> attendance fees.
>
You might not think so, but the tourism industry in much of the country
does. If cost is a concern, having hosts be able to submit bids for their off
season or at least off peak season can help substantially.
> C. Attendance Fees
>
> Libraries, few in the US rich, don't always have good conference rooms,
> especially if there are conference break-out sessions. That may mean
> renting some hotel meeting room space for $1,000 a day. If it requires a
> $20 charge per person to get some good facilities I think that's reasonable.
>
A Conference is not about having a nice facility, a tea break, a tote bag,
et cetera. It is way more important to speak to one another and share ideas. It
is great when people are out of their element and look back on their situations
with new eyes.
That seemingly harmless charge has been held up to justify charges
elsewhere that put Conference out of reach. If we just charged $20 a copy for
Koha, we could bring in a lot of money. It would run against the spirit of
things, though. Sponsorship has been the tool used to keep costs reasonable if
not free while allowing for some of those creature comforts.
Cheers,
Brooke
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