What’s ‘just outside your door’ at the conference!

Foshay Tower + W Hotel, 821 Marquette

A good way to squeeze the most out of your free time during the conference is to take advantage of what’s ‘just outside your door’ from the Hilton conference center.

We recommend taking in the Foshay Tower, only one and a half blocks away by skyway or sidewalk.  This Art Deco gem on the National Register of Historic Buildings was modeled on the Washington Monument and completed just months before the stock market crash of 1929.  It is named for Wilbur B. Foshay, a businessman who financed the building, but later convicted and jailed for being involved in a pyramid scheme.

Foshay elevator doors

The Foshay’s primary tenant today is the W Hotel which features two unique bars, a restaurant, and a museum on the 38th floor.  The Foshay is a stop on the Saturday morning (3/26) Minne-tour but do go there on your own for a drink or bite to eat.  (NOTE: street entrance to the W Hotel is across the street from where it’s shown on Google maps)

At the Foshay we recommend…

Breakfast at Key’s Cafe.  This local eatery in business since 1973 serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It’s known for fabulous baked goods and is a popular lunch spot.  Free wi-fi; serves beer & wine, too.

Happy Hour at the speakeasy-themed Prohibition (27th floor), or hipster hangout, The Living Room (lobby/street level).  Both offer $5 drinks during happy hour (5-7 pm) & are open ’til 2 am.  To get to Prohibition, stop at the concierge desk of the W Hotel for access to elevator service to the 27th floor.

Foshay museum, 38th floor

The Foshay Museum on the 38th floor invites visitors to explore the historic building’s rich and colorful history through photographs, newspaper articles, letters, blueprints, film and audio recordings as well as artifacts from the tower’s early years.  Weather permitting, the observation deck offers panoramic views of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs.

The museum is managed by the W Hotel and is open from Noon-9 pm, Mon. through Sat.; Noon-6 pm Sundays.  Entrance fee is $8. (free to W guests).  Stop at the concierge desk for tickets and entrance to the museum.  For more information call: 612.215.3700

Craving steak?  There’s Manny’s Steakhouse, also on the lobby level.

Wilbur Foshay would be pleased to know that his building is still so fabulous!

More options within 2 blocks of the conference hotel….

• For breakfast, lunch, dinner, or drinks : Hell’s Kitchen
• For the charm & hospitality of an Irish public house visit : The Local
• A book lover’s dream!  An independent bookstore known for its large inventory of fine books, first editions, prints, and antiquarian maps : James & Mary Laurie Bookseller

Here’s a MAP to prove that you don’t have far to go for fun & entertainment!

See you all soon in Minneapolis!!!

Another high value donation

Announcing another High Value Donation (don’t forget to pack those purchase orders!)

Exciting news!  There is a new addition to the purchase order high-value items donated to Shhh… Silent Auction! Very soon we expect to see a donation of images from Scholar’s Resource to appear in the photo gallery.  We are sending this as a head’s up so you might prepare a purchase order from your institution in order to pay for it should you turn in the winning bid.  Scholar’s Resource (long may it wave!) has very generously chosen to prepare a suite of image selections for the fund-raiser, intended for an institution (not an individual). As it’s valued at $4,750 we are announcing its imminent arrival ahead of time so members can come to the conference with a fistful of purchase orders for bidding on the many exclusive and desirable über-donations.

They other high value auction items are (lest we forget):

• two from Archivision, Inc.- the Digital Library Base Collection, valued at $15,000, consisting of 16,000 images;  also one year’s access to their new subscription product accessing Archivision’s entire digital research library of 53,000 images and videos valued at $3,240
• a nine month subscription to Bridgeman Education valued at $500-$4,000
• the ten-volume Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion from Oxford University Press, valued at $1,995

Purchase orders may be used for the Archivision offerings, and ARLIS/NA will accept them for the remaining donations listed above.  All others are by cash, check, Mastercard or Visa.

See?  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, WHAM!  Thanks to Scholar’s Resource and our other generous donors (Archivision, Inc., Bridgeman Education, Oxford University Press) for donating these primo prizes.  We are indebted to all the donors who have come forward with amazing and alluring items.

Come prepared to bid for a bargain!  The opening bids will be very tempting, especially for those high value items.

Empress Patti and Janice, Julie and Allan

Minneapolis music scene

The Twin Cities have a vibrant and very diverse music scene. This includes being home to two world classical orchestras (The Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) and one the country’s most innovative opera companies (The Minnesota Opera). Rock, pop, and indie music is as popular as choral, folk, and jazz. The wide range is pretty much anything from afropop to zydeco.

The easiest way to find out who’s performing while you are here for the conference is to check the City Pages Music website < http://www.citypages.com/music/> Here you can limit your search to venues in the Minneapolis downtown area and also select your favorite genres.

Here are a few performances scheduled during the conference weekend. Click here for a Google map for locations.

1. The Minnesota Orchestra on Friday and Saturday nights (March 25 & 26) will present Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Cholie and La Valse. The guest conductor will be Sarah Hicks, with Sam Bergman as host. Orchestra Hall is one block from the Hilton. http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/season/event_detail.cfm?id_event=1011028

3. At the First Avenue and 7th St. Entry a number of different groups will be performing, including The Rural Alberta Adjantage, PS I Love You, The Cloak Ox and Southeast Engine. First Ave is located at First Avenue and 7th Street, Minneapolis. Walkable. http://www.first-avenue.com/calendar/all/2011-03

3. The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company will present The Pirates of Penzance, for four weekends, from March 18th through April 10th of 2011. The performances will be at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, at Plymouth Congregational Church, located at 1900 Nicollet Avenue South, in Minneapolis. This would be a short cab ride. http://gsvloc.org/tickets

4. The Cedar Cultural Center has been the non-profit venue for electic music since 1989. Some of the artists performing during the conference dates are Trashcan Sinatras (acoustic) with The Twilight Hours (pop), Patty Larkin and Willy Porter (urban folk, pop), and Kaki King with Washington (Indie). The Cedar Cultural Center is located at 416 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis. This would be a short cab ride. http://www.thecedar.org/events

Lunchtime chat “Meet me in Minneapolis”

Mark your calendars for another upcoming Lunchtime Chat, presented by ARLIS/NA’s Professional Development – Education Subcommittee. Chat discussions will take place in a Meebo online chatroom and are free and open to all. To chat, go to http://www.arlisna.org/chats/index.html and follow the directions at the bottom of the page.

Lunchtime Chat: Meet Me in Minneapolis: The 2011 VRA + ARLIS-NA Joint Conference

Friday, March 18, 2011, 11a.m. Pacific – 12 p.m. Mountain – 1 p.m. Central – 2 p.m. Eastern

Moderators:
Jessica McIntyre, Assistant Librarian, Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Local Committee Co-Chair, Program
Rebecca Moss, Coordinator of Visual Resources, University of Minnesota; Local Committee Co-Chair, Local Arrangements
Heidi Raatz, Visual Resources Librarian, Minneapolis Institute of Arts; VRA Vice President for Conference Program; Local Committee Co-Chair, Program

Are you headed to Minneapolis? Then join us for a chat about the ARLIS-NA and VRA communities and our shared conference. Planning committee representatives from both organizations will provide information about what to expect at this exciting event. Whether you are involved with VRA or ARLIS-NA (or both!), please join us to ask questions and share advice in this informal and informative discussion.

Learn more about…

• What’s special about the VRA + ARLIS-NA joint conference
• Resources that are available for first-time conference attendees
• Tips for networking at the conference
• Fun things to do in Minneapolis
• How to get involved in the ARLIS-NA and VRA organizations

Details and chat instructions posted at http://www.arlisna.org/chats/index.html(chatroom is embedded at the bottom of the page)

I hope you can join us!

Heather Koopmans
Reference Librarian
Savannah College of Art and Design®
Jen Library, 201 E. Broughton St.
Savannah, GA 31401
T: 912.525.4719 – Fax: 912.525.4715
hkoopman@scad.edu – http://www.scad.edu

A bit of this, a touch of that

Deadline reminder
If you have met the deadline for donation forms and shipped donations to arrive at Juliann Swanson’s office (Friday, March 11) then you are probably feeling very pleased with yourself right about now. Have you visited your donation at the photo gallery, and then lingered there to see what you wish to bid on? More donations are arriving daily, so visit early and often. There is something there to fit everyone’s budget — and of course there’s still time to prepare a P.O. from your institution if you plan to go after the higher value prizes donated by Archivision, Inc. and Oxford University Press.

Still seeking volunteers
We are still looking for a few volunteers to help out especially on Friday morning to set up. We will send to all volunteers a briefing in advance outlining the duties so when you arrive you’ll be ready to apply your considerable personal flair to the task at hand. The volunteer form is also found on the Shhh… Silent Auction! blog.

It’s not too late to be a contestant for the Finale’s Jeopardy! game show
Show off your chops and wit as a contestant! The prizes alone are worth it, never mind dazzling the crowd with your erudition, memory, and skill with ringing a bell! Send an email to patricia.mcrae@unlv.edu with the word “contestant” in the subject line. Remember, there are fabulous prizes to be had for the top 3 winners!

So, you made a winning bid, now what?
When the auction results have been recorded, they will be announced after the Jeopardy! game concludes. Please be prepared to pay for and receive your lot at this time, queuing up in a line nicely, drink in hand, a convivial expression of triumph on your face. Personal check, Mastercard or Visa are accepted. All winnings must be picked up and paid for by 3:00 p.m. on Sunday from the Registration Desk.

And now to blow a kiss to our donors and bidders
All donors are now hereby thanked profusely in advance for their considerable generosity and thoughtfulness, their wit and attention to detail and willingness to help strengthen both organizations for the future. The same goes for all once and future bidders: thank you for finding these offerings irresistible!
Next week- final thoughts on Shhh… Silent Auction!
Empress Patti, Janice, Julie and Allan

Visit the Minneapolis College of Art and Design during the conference

Attention workshop attendees, AICAD Library Directors, and ALL conference goers who wish to visit the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) while you’re in town.

Here are a here are a few things to know:

MCAD is located about 1.5 miles from the Hilton, less than 10 minutes by bus and is directly next to the Minneapolis institute of Arts.  Use the Metro Transit trip planner to find a bus schedule that works for you.

If you’re attending a workshop on Thursday, March 24 here is a sample bus itinerary for getting to an 8 am workshop.  Use the trip planner to find a return trip, arriving in time for a noon workshop, or for visiting on another day during the conference.

MCAD’s spring break is Mar. 21-25.  The Library will be open 8:30 am – 4:30 pm on Thursday and Friday during the conference.  Regular hours resume on the weekend: Sat., Mar. 26, Noon – 7 pm; Sun., Mar. 27, Noon – 10 pm and Mon., Mar. 28, 8:30 am – 10 pm.

When you’re on campus be sure to visit the MCAD Gallery to see the annual juried exhibition of student work, Made @ MCAD.

In the Library you’ll see an exhibition of work by illustration students and an exhibition of artists’ books also “made @ MCAD” by faculty and students.  Stop by and say hello.  Although some of us may be away at the conference, library staff will be ready to welcome you and show you around.  See you very soon!

Call for volunteers

Announcing volunteer opportunities for the 2nd Joint Conference of VRA + ARLIS/NA in Minneapolis! Please consider contributing to our conference by volunteering at the registration and information desk and the silent auction.

Registration and Information Desk
The registration and information desk needs at least two volunteers per shift, with three preferred on Thursday and Friday, the first two days of the conference. Orientation will take place near the Registration and Information Desk on Wednesday at 5:00p.m., before the beginning of the first shift, and again on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. and Friday at 8:00 a.m. If you will be arriving in Minneapolis by Tuesday evening, please consider volunteering to help put together the conference packets.

The Volunteer Schedule will be updated periodically here. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer immediately, please fill out and submit the volunteer form or contact Kristen Mastel (meye0539@umn.edu).

Silent Auction
We are in need of volunteers to assist with Shhh…Silent Auction! No experience necessary! Volunteers are needed especially on Friday morning from 7:00-8:30 a.m. for initial set up and on Saturday evening from 5:30-8:30 p.m. to assist with the Finale. Click here to volunteer for Shhh…Silent Auction! time slots.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and see colleagues you might not otherwise get to see. This is also a wonderful opportunity for new members, non-members, and students to get involved, so please pass this information along to anyone who might be interested.

Silent Auction bidding!

I see it, MUST have it, but how do I bid?

Perhaps you are new to the silent auction style of fund-raiser, perhaps your head is too full of useful new data about your profession from that session you just left.  And now, there you are, standing before the Shhh…Silent Auction! donations, yearning to bid yet  uncertain how to proceed!  Fret not, here is your primer on how to bid.

Shh… Silent Auction! consists of prizes (lots) that will be won by the highest bidder for that lot.  Each lot is one or more items with a description and a bid sheet listing the lot’s stated value, its minimum bid and increment the bid advances.  To bid, write your name and your bid on the next available line of the bid sheet, increasing the bid over the previous one by at least the increment stated on the bid sheet.  For example, if the minimum bid is $40 with an increment of $5 and the previous bid is $55, your bid must be at least $60.  The final, highest bid on the sheet wins the lot.

At 6:30 on Saturday night bidding closes and the bid sheets will be collected by volunteers, recognizable by the Shhh…Silent Auction! buttons they will be wearing.  Volunteers will also be on hand to assist bidders during the finale.  Bidding begins once the lots are set up in the Exhibits Hall Friday morning (March 25) until closing at 4:30 p.m.  Bidding resumes at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, until 6:30 p.m.

Saturday evening slake your end-of-the-week thirst at the CASH BAR starting at 6:00 p.m. as we count down to the finale.  After the bidding closes, and while the winners are determined, we invite you to participate in or be entertained by the Jeopardy! game show in the same venue.

Winning bidders may pay with cash, check or MasterCard or Visa at the “check out” table at the finale.  You do not have to be present to win, however, we urge to you attend and keep an eye on your bids.  You wouldn’t want to be outbid because you didn’t attend and someone else topped your bid, would you?  All winners must claim and pay for lots no later than 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 27 at the Registration Desk.  If you wish to ship the items home, this can be done through the business center at the hotel on Monday (business center is closed on Sunday), or through the FedEx Kinko’s located on 8th Street and Marquette Avenue (3 blocks from the hotel) which is open 24/7.

Know ahead of time what is up for bid by visiting the Shhh…. Silent Auction! photo gallery . More items are being donated all the time so visit frequently.  Practice signing your name clearly (printing is preferred, so we can read it!) and come prepared to outbid for that special item– because it’s just gotta go home with YOU!  Finally, a reminder and a plea for items to be shipped, arriving by March 11.  We hope to not be slammed by the arrival of multitudes of donations at the conference- our plan is to form them into lots ahead of time, when we have time to do it thoughtfully.

Empress Patti, Janice, Julie and Allan

Next week- well, tune in to find out!

First Time Attendees

Attending a conference for the first time can be a daunting experience.  You don’t really know what is going on, where you are supposed to be, or who you are going to hang out with.  Luckily the VRA and ARLIS members are a friendly bunch and will welcome you with open arms!  Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your first conference experience.

First Time Attendees and New Members Breakfast
This event is a must!  Let breakfast be on us while you mix and mingle with both new and longtime members of the organizations.  The event is also an opportunity to meet VRA and ARLIS/NA leaders.  Attending the breakfast is a great way to meet others in your organization in a friendly and social environment.  You definitely do not want to miss out on the fun!  Friday March 25th @ 7am

Participate in the Conference Networking & Mentoring Program
If you’re new to VRA or ARLIS/NA the conference networking program is a great opportunity to have a more experienced member to mentor you, introduce you to other colleagues to help you establish a new network and guide you through conference events.  It is a great service that helps you get the most out of your conference experience.  Click here to learn more and register!  But hurry! The deadline to apply is March 7!

Introduce Yourself:
Some people are naturally gregarious, others can be shy about approaching people they don’t know at a conference. Gather up your courage and do it anyway. You’ll learn a lot, and eventually you will get better at it.  Here are some tips to help you meet people at a conference.

• If someone gave a talk, introduce yourself and ask a thoughtful question about an issue that you are curious about or found interesting.
• Introduce yourself to the people sitting next to you at each session, meeting, meal, or even just standing in line.  Making contacts early on eases meeting people during the rest of the conference as it is easier to approach a group of people if you already know one of them.
• Meet other first time attendees at the First Time Attendees and New Members Breakfast.  Talking with first-timers can be less intimidating than talking with more senior people.  Additionally, you will form a relationship that can be maintained from year to year as you both grow in your profession.
• If there’s someone on your “hit list” of people you want to talk with at the conference, just go up to that person and join or start a conversation. If you have a topic to discuss, the person will be grateful to you for broaching it.

Attend Social Events:
Learning new ideas and acquiring information are the main reasons people come to our conferences, but social events are what solidifies our personal relationships.  Social events provide a chance to get to know people whose names you recognize from listserv messages, and networking in ways that go beyond strictly professional contacts.  I urge each of you to attend the Founder’s Fete fundraising event Thursday night, the convocation and Welcome Ceremony on Friday night, and the vendor slams and the Silent Auction on Saturday.

Attend Committee Meetings:
Committee meetings are open to all members and you’ll find the times and locations for them in your conference program.  Committee service is one of the best ways to become involved in the life of the organization and to meet people with experience in an area you’d like to know more about.  Please feel welcome to attend the meeting of any committee that interests you.  You’re encouraged to ask questions and participate in discussion, and the committee chair just might ask you about joining the committee if there’s a spot to fill!

What to wear:
Attendees generally wear nice, comfortable clothing. You will be sitting a lot of the time while in sessions or standing around during breaks.  Be at ease.  Some people do like to dress up for the special events like the welcome party, but this is optional.  Remember it will (sadly) still be winter in Minnesota so layers are a good bet and a coat or jacket is a must if you plan to be out and about.  Even though the hotel is connected to the skyway system, you will have to go outside now and then.

If you have any additional questions about the conference – Who will I have lunch with? How much free time will I have? – please email me (Inga Theissen: inga@umn.edu) and I will do my best to answer them.  Or just find me at the conference and introduce yourself.  I would love to meet you!

Add a workshop, event or tour!

You’ve already registered for the 2011 VRA + ARLIS/NA Joint Conference.  But now, you’d like to add a tour or a workshop — can you still do this?

Of course you can, and it’s easy.  All of our workshops, and most of our tours — as well as the Founders Fête gala on Thursday night — still have places available.  Here’s how to add an event to your registration (you can also use this procedure to purchase extra tour and Founders Fête tickets for friends and family members who accompany you to the Conference).

First, access the registration page from the Conference portal as you’ve done before, using the same log-in code.  Complete the “Registrant Information” fields; then below, in “Registration Information,” select the option “Registering for Events Only – Previously Registered for Conference.”  Now you’re ready to add any fee-based event of your choice (you can also add sessions and other non-fee based events as well).  You can also call 1-800-817-0621 X450 or 414-908-4954 X450 to register by phone.

When you’ve completed your supplemental registration, hit the “Submit” button at the end of the form.  This will be a completely separate transaction.  Perhaps your employer is providing support for conference registration, but not for optional events.  By making a supplemental transaction, you’ll receive two separate receipts.

Take another look at the available options, and plan to join your colleagues in a workshop, on a tour, or at the Founders Fête (or perhaps all of these!).