September 1997 Volume 19 Number 3

President's Letter

Outreach Successes

This has been an exceptionally rich period of outreach for WAAC. Several projects are involved, all of which exemplify our organization's commitment to the conservation field in general, as well as to our members:

• Complimentary copies of the WAAC Newsletter (600 of them!) were distributed in June at the AIC meeting in San Diego. Through this gesture of "Western hospitality," conservators from all over the country were able to take home a sample of what WAAC does and to gain a clearer sense of who we are. We thank AIC for allowing us to conduct this outreach effort during the conference.
• "Salvage at a Glance", included in the May Newsletter, is a special poster printed on tear-resistant and waterproof synthetic paper. This chart and its accompanying article are Betty Walsh's eagerly awaited updates of her extremely popular earlier publication on rescuing water-damaged archive and library materials (WAAC Newsletter, May 1988). Newsletter editor Carolyn Tallent worked hard to give this quick-reference poster the durability and readability it needs to be usable in wet emergency conditions, and we anticipate that it will see widespread use beyond the WAAC community.
• "108 Tips for Effective Presentations," another article in our May Newsletter, is currently being translated into Spanish by APOYO (Asociaci�n para la Con-servaci�n del Patrimonio Cultural de las Americas) so that it can be republished in APOYO Newsletter, where it will reach 3,000 recipients in the Americas and Europe. Additionally, Paper Conservation News, based in England, has asked to reprint the original English-language version. Thanks to all who contributed their pearls of wisdom, and to Carolyn Tallent for pulling it all together so effectively.

From its founding over 20 years ago, through many projects, WAAC has placed a high value on disseminating information and advancing conservation awareness, and we can all take pride in these recent successes.

Thank You

By the time the next Newsletter issue is published, new WAAC officers will have been elected. I would like to thank the Nominating Committee--Lesley Bone, John Griswold, and Jane Hutchins--as well as everyone who accepted nomination to Board positions.

Working as a WAAC Board member over the last seven years has been tremendously rewarding for me. Much of this satisfaction has come from the pleasure of working on valuable projects with an outstanding group of people. I thank especially my wonderful WAAC mentor and Board colleague, Chris Stavroudis, for his wit, enthusiasm, and superb handling of diverse WAAC responsibilities as well as for his generosity and kindness in guiding me through many aspects of "WAAC work" over the years. Walter Henry coaxed me onto the Internet in 1992, with a hidden agenda to put WAAC Newsletter at the forefront in providing Internet-accessible conservation information; his brilliant teaching, gentle humor, and warm friendship have contributed enormously to the quality of my WAAC experience. Carolyn Tallent has infused the WAAC Newsletter with her energy and imagination, keeping this very public side of WAAC in top form. Neil Cockerline, my predecessor in the presidency, and John Griswold, my successor--along with scores of other fellow Board members and Newsletter coworkers--have been exceptional colleagues in every way: serious, professional, and productive, as well as great fun. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve this organization.