VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Library 45 Anniversary Meet

Keith,
The offer is still open for you to borrow manuals that I may have. Since I only live about 70 miles from you it might be best for you to visit and select the manuals you want to scan. I don't have as extensive a collection of Chevy literature but currently it takes up 30+ feet of book shelf space and most of a 4 drawer file cabinet. You should be able to find something you can use.

khardy, quote: I spend several hundred dollars a year on the materials used on the site.

Hello Keith,

I really believe you are working to help all Chevy lovers, restorers and other enthusiasts. From Norway we have made some few minor efforts to help you, but the big support should come from VCCA, both as to money and time to scan and make the stuff readable online. A physical library cannot be of much use as the club will need someone to do the search and work sending the information to members. It will cost far more than is affordable.

So, in order to come forward: Would you like VCCA to work in some kind of a partnership with you in the future? (I am only raising the question, and have not spoken officially to the BOD.)

Another thing:
You write: If the VCCA does decide to set up an online library, I hope it is open to all Chevy enthusiasts without cost .....

The more I have worked (8 years) with our Chevrolet Club of Norway's web sites and content, the more I have to admit the cost of time and money will ruin the club's economy if the online library is free. Too many people would not join the club, and stay: Why pay if you have the help and info for free?.

Sorry, but such an online library must be a part of the members' only pages. I know there are many manuals, lots of information etc. already readable and for free, thanks to you, among others. Many should be very grateful to this valuable help(and pay), but already free information is not a good reason for VCCA to continue this line. You say yourself you are using a lot of money and time to do such service.

The club will have to ask for membership to give that kind of help and information. The present huge and free support of technical help on the Chat is a major reason for many Chevy owners not to join. They get nearly all they need of advice and most parts by using the open chat pages. A little help is OK, but the club has suffered too much the last years because of this situation.

CCON in Norway is planning to scan all our color chips and put them online, both for our own members to use, and for all valid members of VCCA too, through a future membership database. But we will not accept them to be given to anyone outside those clubs and for free. As we have paid quite a lot to get them, we consider them as expenses done to gain new and keep old members, wanting to preserve and restore their Chevys the same way as VCCA's goal is.

Hoping you still will be able and willing to continue your valuable work, and could think of a "working together" with VCCA.

:vcca: :vcca:

For anybody interested in Chipper's suggestion, the AACA library web site is: http://www.aacalibrary.org/ Moving the material to them would get the material out of storage and make it accessible, allow it to be preserved, and we could scan it as we found resources and volunteers.

Chevy50jim

I have sent you a PM, Keith. Hope we can find a common solution to this in the near future.

:vcca:

There certainly seems to be a great deal of interest in this topic and I was pleased to hear so many folks interested in finding a solution to what may be soon be vanishing collections.

There is a bit of misinformation afoot. The BOD does not currently have a motion regarding the development of a VCCA library. The BOD does have a motion to develop an electronic library and, as Bill Barker pointed out so well, we are currently not organized to undertake such an endeavor. The BOD has assigned the task of exploring library possibilities to the Library Committee and to date that committee has not completed its work. In a recent memo to the Board I suggested 4 possible approaches to the library problem. A number of those ideas have been mentioned in this discussion.

The creation of a VCCA Library is a major undertaking and should not be initiated unless there is agreement that the membership will take the time, effort and financial commitment required to complete the task. Before significant additional material is acquired, there needs to be funds available for library staff, physical space, servers, insurance etc. It may be that the first step needs to be to raise funds for such work.

The material we currently have stored at the Finks is being appraised for its value in anticipation of purchasing insurance.
The chairperson of the Library Committee is no longer serving on the Board and a new person will likely be appointed at the March 2008 BOD meeting in Dallas. I am certain that the Board will be looking for volunteers to serve on this committee, and I hope those of you with a passion for this topic and with the ideas you have expressed will volunteer to serve.

Leigh Wilcox
Area III director

I sure hope that the next Library Committee Chairman will do a better job than the last one. I have tried for nearly 20 years to get this issue to be seriously considered by the BOD and only the last couple of year have a few BOD members actually taken the time to investigate further.

It will take VCCA members to contact BOD members and express their support for a VCCA library before some BOD members will feel comfortable allocating funds to support a library. Since we all are helping to preserve Chevrolet history by maintaining our cars why not preserve the literature that documents that history? And then it will be available to VCCA members when the current "experts" are gone. We are blessed with the JYD, ChevyGene and others who help us all with our restorations but they will not live forever. The literature can if we take the effort NOW!

In response to Chip's comment that members need to contact Board Members and tell them what they want in the Library. I just finished a 3 year term as a Board Member. I only heard from one member out of 8,000 plus on this subject. That was Chip.

The BOARD does not know what the membership wants in the Library.
The membership needs to tell all board members what they want.
The next problem - who is willing to do the work ???????????
Don't ask the board to do it - Members need to step up and say they will do it.

I suspect that many of us had believed that the library of information that was owned by one of our long time members and was setup at a National Anniversary meets is the same as the VCCA library, which isn't so. It was not at Grand Junction.

I wonder if the BOD decides that the library needs to be available online, would that be a possible project for the Chat Group Non-Geographical to do?

I have seen several large collections of literature has been donated to the club by members the last several years. How much literature is there? and has it been cataloged? Also are there many duplicate items that need to be culled out and maybe sold to members to start a library fund?
I know that there was some discussion at one time here about the club working with another larger organization of antique cars to have our literature displayed at their library, and our members having access to the literature. Is that still a possible way to utilize the information?

Why not ask our regions to kick in some seed money to get this project off and running?

It seems to me that Forest Sweet (Chipper) would be a good person for the VCCA Library Committee Chairman, I don't see why the chairman must be a present National Board of Directors. member, I would volunteer to work with Chipper if he is appointed to that position, and also help get the funds donated to kick start this effort. We need the right dedicated person to handle this project and Chipper seems to me to be that person.

As to the members stepping up and doing the job, why not have El Presidente ask specific members that aren't currently involved with club projects and programs if they will do this job rather than appointing the same old group that is in charge of most of the club programs? You may be surprised at the talents available, that have never been asked for anything but their annual dues.

I asked VCCA members for general "marketing" help/aid/assistance in 2/3 G&D's and On-line.

Out of 8,500+- members I got over 16 volunteer replies and 8 told me they could/would/will help the effort {aprox. 2%} which makes me happy. I know a of lot of others would help but they have families, jobs, duties, responsibilities, etc. etc.

So I'm THRILLED and APPRECIATIVE with the caliber and quality of people that have volunteered. And IF MORE WANT TO OFFER HELP, I'll take those people as well. There's no such thing as to much help. :grin:

Mike41

"There's no such thing as to much help"

You've never layed out a Swap Meet field, with a group of "well meaning individuals", have you?

Mike, you got that right, we do have many multi-talented members, many of them show up around here ocassionaly...sometimes they need to be asked!

Since you asked I will do any thing to help move this club off of high center, with the drive wheels spinning, sometimes it takes a little rocking back and forth effort from those willing too give it a little push. :vcca:

See you in Irving!

Nope never have "laid" out a swap meet field. :confused:

Laid out a gunny sack race & lots of building plans. But got to say nada on a swap meet thing.

But still stand by my view. Much rather have 50 people attempting to help than one person "jawing."

Help is help, as long as they are fun, bright well meaning folks, who have good ideas and good communication, everything will work out just fine. Always has, always will.

Mike41

Well Oldie, I have been there and done that, we all meant well, and after it was said and done we were glad that we got to participate, and they, myself included, appreciated everything that had been done by past swap meet coordinators and LSR members to set the standard and make the swap meet run smoothly.



Come on down to:
Lone Star Region's Swap Meet at Traders' village in Grand Prairie Texas in June of this year

Check out our new look and improved web site: Get the newest info on the LSR 2008 swap meet and sign up for a space!

Lone Star Region of VCCA!
:vcca: :vcca:




We will see you there!

mrmack -Yip, we gots us some real fun folks who know a big-pot full-a-stuff.

One guy on the "marketing" team called and said he'd like to help. So I asked how and or what his back ground was/is....he proceeds to tell me he had/has owned an "insurance" agency w/hundreds of employees. Now THIS guy, like all of our other "marketing team members, knows his stuff. And he is and will be a welcome and valuable addition to the team and The Club.

Get those Long necks in some Ice mrmack I'll be a mos-e-in by soon,
Mike41

I just hope you don't want too much of that LSD (Lone Star Draft), that stuff is almost as bad as:


Chipper and Pushrod's favorite

I really hope for a soon start of the online library on the M O pages, as mentioned here:

Motion 07-08 Put monthly technical articles from G&D on website for members only, in the same manner as Bill Barker is copying the ads now. Include an index for those articles as well, so we can search for the information. Held until a new chair of Technology Committee was selected.

May be BBB or other volunteers will need a database to create the opportunity and the possible search for wanted articles?