VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Library 45 Anniversary Meet

Does anyone know why the Library was not set up at the 45th Anniversary Meet like at the past Meets?

It was not set up because the fellow who owns it is in bad health. There is a wide-spread belief that the Library you are used to seeing at Anniversy Meets is the VCCA Library. It is not. It is a (far more extensive) privately owned collection that a member brings and sets up on his own.

The person that owned the library and brought it to the past meets did not attend the GJ Meet.It was a private collection-not the VCCA library.

Though not the VCCA library, it could sometime in the future become the center point of the "VCCA Library" if the Board ever gets off their collective duffs and pays more than lip service to it. It is a crying shame that several extensive literature collections will be broken up and lost over the next decade if nothing is done! Contact your Board Member(s) and demand action NOW!

Sorry for the double post. This darn Dell computer has a mouse button that activates on its own! They can't seem to find out why!

Ya Chippy Dippy.........blame the computer! ha ha!

Anyway dudes, "Chip The Dip" is 100% correct! There are several literature collections out there that if put together in the future would be the absolute cream of the crop! It would be a real shame to break them up. However, the VCCA currently does have a library (don't know how big it is) but very few members have been able to access it from what I understand.

:( :cry: :(

Skip.......Mmmmmmm.......interesting. Don.

Chippy Dippie, are you sure it isn't either CRS (it took so long to post after you hit SUBMIT that you forgot and hit it again??) Been there, done that...

Or maybe you have one of them itchy trigger fangers!

This site is so slow today that the snowflakes are melting half-way down!

I have ordered additional memory for my computer but it hasn't arrived yet! I wish I could order more memory for the ole' bean!

What good would it do to donate it to the VCCA library?There is no way for the members to access it. :(

Ya know..........I'll bet if there was a group of VCCA/CHAT members that was willing to form a non geographic region of VCCA where the common thread was to advance and enhance the mission of VCCA via the computer........I'd bet that group would probably be willing to volunteer some collective time to ....oh, maybe scan and catalog VCCA library documents and maybe have someone like Bill Barker help them make that material available to ALL VCCA members via this Chat site.

Nahhhh....who would want to do something like that?????


Nahhh.....it would never work........or would it????

Ha Ha... thanks for volunteering ME!!!

I almost get 6 hours of sleep a night NOW!! I guess you want me to cut back on that??

But....... it IS a great idea!!!

Hey Bill, you're welcome!!
But don't worry about losing more sleep because of that idea...........you know how long it takes to get an idea, regardless of whether it's good or bad, accepted by certain folks. :sleep: :sleep: :sleep:

During the later years CCON have continued to buy as many as possible of(different years)the paint color chips for Chevrolet and GMCs. The present collection: Passenger cars, exterior 1933 to 1983, interior: some less, Chev trucks 1936 - 1979, nearly same for GMCs, for the members to borrow for a fortnight or so. We know they are not equal to the year, but still the best possible solution to help our members to match the original colors for each year.

We also steadily buy technical, identificating and other literature describing the two brands, and have a good and useful collection to be used by the librarian, technical advisers and members to borrow for some time.

Luckily we got the Hollander Interchange book recently on eBay, and a very useful bargain for Norwegian GM and Chevy fans.

The VCCA board should ask some of the people with lots of books and material to sell their collections, now or later, to secure those bits for the future. May be Keith Hardy, or someone else, could convert the most vital parts on to the web pages, to make the books etc. useful to all members?

Once again, the voice of reason from Norway!

Thanks Erling!

It is my understanding that the VCCA library fits in 2 file cabinet drawers. Most of the Natinal Board members will see it on March 2, 2007. I will not be there. Maybe one of those members could take a digital photo and post it on the chat site so we all can see it.

cordman, it sounds like those of us that have been collecting literature just for the cars we own, restore and drive each would have more literature than that!

I continue to see items listed in the G&D that members are donating to VCCA. Does anyone know where all of those items have gone? Or are those also included in the two file cabinet drawers?
Maybe that is a huge file cabinet?

Can someone give us some more information about these libraries that might be lost?

Are they for sale?

Price?

How extensive are they?

etc...

This is the first I have heard about them and maybe if all of us get informed we can start trying to save them somehow...emails, raising money, petitions, etc...

These are private collections and not for sale. The Chevrolet library that has appeared at past Anniversary Meets is probably the largest collection of its type in the world.

:) :grin: :whistle:

I HAVE seen the VCCA library and I think that people should stop calling it that. It is literally in two drawers. It consists of some ads and manuals that some kind people have donated to the VCCA. Jean uses these sometimes as filler pages in the G&D.

I don't collect a lot of written stuff myself, but I easily have three or four times as much as the "library" does. It would be best to stop calling it a library.... frankly we don't have one. It's not available for sharing and it contains almost nothing to speak of.

Past discussions of whether we should create a "real" library have alwasys ended up in the "WHERE" issue. WHERE is it going to be kept? WHO is going to manage it? Are we goign to pay someone to sit there and welcome visitors. How are we goign to treat written or email requests for research? yadda yadda ydda. It rapidly becomes a complicated discussion.

I'm not suggesting that it's not a good idea... hell, it's a GREAT idea... but there are some real-world issues that would have to be solved. Like most of the issues that the club has dealt with over the past five years, we get mired down with the administrative and logistical details and then it all comes to a grinding halt.

Sorry to be the damper on this. But when we decide to run this organization like a business, then we'll be successful. Until then, while it's still being managed as a "club", then you won't see much forward progress.

Well spoken Bill.

There has always been confusion between "our" so-called library housed at Fink's and "his" library, part of which has often been graciously displayed at Anniv Meets. As Don, Gene and others said (in so many words) - - "his" library is his; privately owned; etc.

Regarding the whole idea of having a "real" VCCA library, you said....


It's not "news" to YOU; but we all need to understand there are many folks (some in positions of power) in the VCCA who want a "club" not a "business." The "problem" with being a club is there's just a whole bunch of stuff that a club can't do, be, facilitate, have, etc. etc.

Bill.

BBB and others,
The basic answer to the questions that you presented is, the AACA library. They have offered to store, catalog, administer, research for a nominal fee. The VCCA would own the items in its "library" which would be stored in a building specifically built as an antique vehicle library. VCCA members could either visit (Hershey, PA) in person or request the staff to do the research and then provide copies, faxes, etc. I understand that the research cost would be reasonable. Several non-AACA clubs already house their "libraries" in the AACA facility.

I need to be sure that people do not get the impression that the Finks and Pat McGowen have not gone the extra mile to provide as safe and secure a facility for the "VCCA Library" as practical. They have jobs to do and a business to run and it is not the library. Without their gracious donation of time and space, at least some of the materials that are currently in the library would likely not be there.

If the above was done then several individuals (me included) would feel much more positive about donating to the VCCA library. Once people feel comfortable that the items donated will be in a safe/secure place, owned by the VCCA (or an organization that is part of the VCCA), more readily available to VCCA members then more donations are sure to follow. It would also give time to understand the costs involved, decide if a separate facility was justified and work out other details.

The BOD has given lip service to the "library" for over 20 years. And never has anything progressed any further. There is a motion before the BOD to take more positive action. We will see if there is enough support to actually get something done!

Why not start making a list of all content in the club library, and put that list on the web pages, for all members to see what we are talking about.

We have just finished a new updated list here in Norway for our CCON-members to see and ask the librarian for some help, copying etc.

Have a look: http://www.chevyclub.no/php/medlemssider/Bibliotek.pdf

Ok , so VCCA has no library. That is bad news, but the truth should be told.
Now that we know that, where should we go from here?

I always thought that "The Library" was a BUILDING that held books and provided a catalog system where interested folks could go in , do research, check out a book to take home and read, then return the book back to "The Library" all controlled by a Librarian and everyone having a "Library I.D. card"!

I don't really see why we should have library material (literature) with out first having a permament place to house it.
As has been said WHERE? West Coast? East Coast? Mid America? my house or yours?
I vote for a Chevrolet Website Library, controlled by, paid for and for the use of VCCA Members Only!

K. Hardy has done it on a good scale all without general funding, he proves to me that it can be done.

There are enough talented ,willing VCCA members that regularly use the Chatter site to do scanning and cataloging literature WITH some good leadership and direction from the National VCCA Organization.


Another Very good reason for HAVEING a MEMBERSHIP DATABASE! (IMHO)

Why not also use this possible database to create more convenient, faster and steadily updated ways of running the club, both for all at the top and all members?

To raise the money for it: Let part suppliers pay for ads somewhere on the web-pages, and you get enough money for installation and running the necessary server and equipment.

Please, do it and the sooner the better!