Re: [GBW] Guild benefits and dues

[Signa Houghteling <judy@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I

-----Original Message-----
From: Guild of Book Workers Discussion Group.
[mailto:GBW@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Karl Best
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 3:59 PM
To: GBW@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Guild benefits and dues


In the February GBW Newsletter the Guild president, Betsy Palmer
Eldridge, wrote concerning the Guild's financial situation. It appears
likely that our dues are going to be increased.

I wrote to Betsy to express my opinion about the situation, and thought
that I should also ask how others in the Guild felt. While I can afford
the $60+10 dues perhaps more than others (my day job is in the computer
industry), I still expect value for the money that I spend. My feeling
is that I receive more value from my local chapter (in my case, New
England) than I do from the national organization, and the 60/10 split
does not fairly reflect the value I receive.

 From the national organization I get the bi-monthly Newsletter, and an
annual membership directory. (I believe that there's also supposed to
be a Journal, but have only seen one volume in the three years I've
been a member.) There's also Standards, of course, which I haven't had
the opportunity to attend yet, and I'm happy to be told that this is
self-supporting and is not subsidized by dues. And I also understand
that the national organization provides some level of administration
services (membership tracking and bookkeeping) to the chapters.

While these are useful things, I feel that most of the benefit I get
from my GBW membership comes from my participation in my local
chapter's activities. I get much more here than from just the
Newsletter, and it only costs me 1/6 as much. Shouldn't a much larger
portion of my dues go to the local chapter?

How do others feel?

-Karl
=================================================================
Karl F. Best             "Each in his own way imagines Paradise;
karl@xxxxxxxxxxxx        since childhood I have envisioned it as
Chelmsford, MA           a library."  - J.L. Borges

   *******************************************************************
             GBW: The listserv for GBW member communications

             The GBW website is supported and maintained by
                           Conservation OnLine
               <http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw>

            For problems, contact Eric Alstrom, List Manager:
                         <GBWweb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
   *******************************************************************

   *******************************************************************
             GBW: The listserv for GBW member communications

             The GBW website is supported and maintained by
                           Conservation OnLine
               <http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw>

            For problems, contact Eric Alstrom, List Manager:
                         <GBWweb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
   *******************************************************************