Greetings to all of you,

Since this newsletter issue is devoted to conference activities, summaries and reactions, I want to share some of my thoughts with you.

First, as a SIG, we were very visible with our free business card holders, stickers, and prizes given at the business meeting. We drew many new faces to our luncheon and renewed interest from many familiar faces. We very clearly accomplished our goal of becoming more visible while making the statement that we are here for STC members. We hope you'll all take that statement to heart and let the entire membership know what your needs are by participating in the discussion group listserv and helping to provide content to both our newsletter and our website. Since a SIG is a community of interest, we exist primarily to share that common interest and provide information to each other.

Second, I personally benefited greatly from attending the conference. I learned a lot from the sessions I attended. I enjoyed presenting my sessions and sharing my knowledge. And, I thoroughly enjoyed making new friends and renewing old friendships. I have typically avoided participation in organizations because I don't enjoy the politics that can come with committees, etc. However, I can truly say that being part of the SIG management team has been a great experience. I've made new and stronger connections both personally and professionally, and I've seen my profession and skills grow within the perspective of the total field and community rather than in isolation. Through my involvement and increased participation, I've begun to reap the rewards of membership in ways I had not expected. The conference cemented those benefits and encouraged me to maintain and increase my involvement.

Third, the SIG meeting gave all those who attended a chance to identify the benefits of the SIG, as well as brainstorm additional ways of meeting member needs. The minutes of that meeting are in a separate article in this newsletter. We will be soliciting your opinions and ideas over the next year with the goal of making the SIG a true community of interest that does, indeed, meet the needs and interests of its members.

The next conference is May 8th - 10th in Seattle. I hope we'll see our old friends, as well as many new friends, and members in 2005.

Jane Smith
SIG Manager

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