Mr. Abler,
I'm curious-- has any action been taken in relation to the cost of
membership recently by the Committee? I seem to remember a survey
the AAG sent out some time ago in which one of the questions
regarded the possibility of creating a form of associate membership
without receipt of the Annals or the Professional Geographer to make
membership more affordable for some of us (especially students). It
seemed like a reasonable proposal. That way, people could pay to
receive the newsletter without the AAG incurring cost to do this and
still make a small contribution to the good work of the AAG, but not
have to pay the full membership fee which is a bit much for some of
us, especially given that a good chunk of it goes to cover the cost of
journals we can get from the library. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Thanks. Robert Vanderbeck.
Dept. of Geography
University of Sheffield
Date sent: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 11:03:58 -0500
Subject: AAG Job Listings
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Dear Colleagues,
Some context for the decision to place the AAG job listings
on the
members-only portion of the AAG's web site. The AAG began to put
the JIG
listings on the AAG web site only in late 1996, as an experiment. Prior
to
that, the listings were available only to AAG members via the AAG
Newsletter. Since 1996, AAG membership has declined by about 500
members,
with some serious revenue implications for AAG operations. While we
are not
wholly certain that the open posting of the job listings on the web is
cause
and the membership decline is effect, we suspect they are. That's
largely
the reason we have decided to revert to the former practice of making
the
information available as a member benefit rather than a public good.
Other things being equal, the AAG Council and officers
would prefer
to continue to make the job listings as widely available as possible.
One
major thing that is definitely not equal, however, is AAG membership
in
1999 compared to what it was in 1995. I know some people are
disappointed
about the decision and it is indeed a move I would have preferred not
to
recommend. On the other hand, bills keep coming in and they must be
paid.
>From where I sit, it appears that while the web experiment may have
won AAG
some friends, it did not result in the increased membership we hoped it
would generate.
If you are not an AAG member, please temper your
disappointment over
this decision with the knowledge that the it was made reluctantly and
with
considerable forethought. The AAG's primary goals remain those of
serving
its members and the global community of geographers (in that order).
We are
not in the business of making money, but we can't afford to lose much
either. Should any readers wish to help by joining the AAG, you will
find a
membership form and details on the AAG web site or I will be happy
to send
you one by fax or mail.
Thanks for your interest.
Ron Abler
________________________________
Ronald F. Abler, Executive Director
Association of American Geographers
1710 Sixteenth Street NW
Washington DC 20009-3198
Voice +1-202-234-1450
Fax +1-202-234-2744
E-Mail [log in to unmask]
Internet http://www.aag.org
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