Formation of MAAST Library/Equipment bank

[hobogato]

We are in the process of organizing a library of books, videos, and equipment for MAAST Charter members to check out and use. We will be purchasing some equipment, asking for donations from retailer, and are accepting donations of books, videos, and equipment that you would like to contribute. please PM me and i will arrange to pick up items. More details to come, but this should be a great resource for our members!

some equipment that we would like to have:

- refractometer
- glass hydrometers
- light meter
- Hyatt torpedo with pump and plumbing
- carbon media reactor
- spare MH ballast(s) and bulbs
- large stock container(s)
- water storage/mixing barrel
- glass suction cups

[hobogato]

list of what has already been donated:

hobogato
removed

lhoy
Marine Aquarist Manual Comprehensive Edition - Loiselle & Baensch
The Reef Tank Owners Manual - Tullock
The New Marine Aquarium - Paletta
Ultimate Marine Aquariums - Paletta
Coastal Fishes of South Eastern Australia - Kuiter
Working With Acrylic - Craftics, Inc.
Natural Reef Aquariums - Tullock
The Captive Reef - Riddle
Mini Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fish - Burgess

corydude
The Reef Aquarium Vol 1 - Sprung/Delbeek
The Reef Aquarium Vol 2 - Sprung/Delbeek

[clone]

that sounds cool

[BIGBIRD123]

I will be moving across town in two weeks and what ever equipment and supplies that I have that don't go with the three tanks will be donated to this cause. I know that I have a HOB skimmer, some lights, pumps and etc.

Steve

[BIGBIRD123]

I know it was mentioned about having some Maast suction cups for tank moving. These things run about $100 each (ask Caferacermike) but I have a source of getting them at wholesale...about $65 each. Just let me know. The $65 is including tax, I believe.

Steve

[hobogato]

Lee, thanks for the donation!

Steve, im sure we will talk about this more soon :)

[tadkins411]

i should have a skimmer here shortly after i figure out which one i am going to use.

[hobogato]

wow, missed this post tad.... that sounds great. bumping this up so we can get things rolling.....

[lhoy]

No problem, very glad to help the club as much as possible. It has done so much for me!!

Lee

[hobogato]

bump! still need to add to the library.....

[CoryDude]

They're a little dated, but I have Sprung/Delbeek's Reef Aquarium vol 1 and 2. Let me know if they could help w/the library.

[hobogato]

thanks cory, ill send you a pm with info on getting them in the library.

ALL donations are welcome, remember some people are just starting out and could really benefit from those books that you no longer need....

[Rychek]

What is the status of the library? Is it "open for business" yet?

[Joshua]

Man I got all excited, but all the books I have are already on the list...

[hobogato]

if you meant you wanted to donate, that is ok - we could use multiple copies.....


Man I got all excited, but all the books I have are already on the list...

[Captain Jack]

It this up and functioning for people to check books out yet?

I have a small budget (which is currently negative from overspending, haha). I haven't paid for the charter membership yet, but I've spent over $100 in the last year since I started the hobby on related literature (books and magazine subscription). Purchasing a charter membership could SAVE me money if this library worked and it would be one of the best reasons to acquire a charter membership (financially speaking; yes there are more noble reasons to pay membership).

Anyway, any update on availability?

[Captain Jack]

Would mentioning that I would become a charter member right away if I could utilize the library encourage a response?

[aprilmayjune]

Don't know if you want magazines, but I have an old Coral Magazine with a few lengthy articles on seahorses: Intro to Seahorses, Reproduction in Seahorses, Seahorses in the Aquarium, Improved techniques for Raising Hippocampus kuda and H. fuscus, and Seahorses and their Ecological Status.

[hobogato]

ok jack and ryan, i will work on getting a system together for checkout.

april, anything you would like to donate will be great.

[aprilmayjune]

When I get around to cleaning my garage I will come up with a list of items I can donate.

[blindside]

I have the conscientious marine aquarist too if you want 2 of them

[hobogato]

sure.


I have the conscientious marine aquarist too if you want 2 of them

[CoryDude]

Ace, sorry I forgot about my donations. I'll drop them off this Sunday, if you'll be at the meeting. LMK.

Cory

[Captain Jack]

Ok, I couldn't wait any longer (Actually, finally worked it into the budget). I sent off the request for charter membership via paypal, so let's get this thing rolling. If you need someone to organize/run/assist-with the books part of this resource-pool, I'm willing to help out. I could hold books, and/or track who has what, etc. Though I wouldn't have room to store large equipment in my apartment (would be in big trouble with wife ;-)

...and once my membership updates here, I'll put up some frags in the pay it forward program. (anyone feel like helping frag a sun coral? I didn't do too well with my attempt at fragging mushrooms. haha)

[cowboy572]

I didn't know where to post this but I wanted to ask. Since we are setting up a MAAST library how hard would it be to record some of the meetings and put them in this library. As some know I have been out of action and for the last three months so I have missed some meetings. I heard this last one was very informative about sumps. Well I need some of that info since I plan to build a 110 gal reef tank and that info would be helpful. It's just a thought.

[hobogato]

i am no longer in charge of this project. i am sure the BODs will announce the new person when they find someone. if you are interested, send a pm to a BOD.

[Captain Jack]

Bump :wink_smile:

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

I know the BOD is in search for someone to organize this, and the Pay it Forward Program, I think they are awaiting for a response....maybe someone will chime in.

[Captain Jack]

I've chimed in a couple times. Maybe I'm not PMing the right people, or I just need to give it more time for a response. But I've been anxious to see this running for months! It would represent yet another excellent benefit for charter membership.

[BIGBIRD123]

Jack,
We are working to get this together. Please PM me your number and we can talk. We (the BOD) would like to get it rolling ,too.

Steve

[Captain Jack]

I'll be working to get this program running. We'll get a process setup, round up the items, figure out where to store anything large (my apartment won't work), and be in business.

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

Jack, I have The C Journal collection, donated by Anthony Calfo I need to give to you to add to the Library....if only I would have asked him to autograph them.
By the way, thanks for taking this on.

[BIGBIRD123]

Also, you won't have to worry about the equipment, we have someone else to help with that. Maybe that will help.

[txav8r]

Any progress on this? I'd like to look through a few books.

[Captain Jack]

We've more or less got the rules ironed out. Now I need to figure out if we can get a dedicated forum to use (similar to pay-it-forward forum).

[txav8r]

Any luck on getting the Library up and running?

[cbianco]

I am excited to see how this works out!

I have some ideas of my own for the library/equipment bank if they are needed, lol.

Christopher


We've more or less got the rules ironed out. Now I need to figure out if we can get a dedicated forum to use (similar to pay-it-forward forum).

[Captain Jack]

Hey Guys,

Sorry no progress has been made on this for a while. Our baby has finally come, and workload/overtime has finally settled down enough to allow me to take care of this.

The hangup right now is what forum to use. We were thinking the existing "library" forum, but it's locked so I can't use it. And the way I was picturing things, I would want any charter member to be able to start a new thread. So we'll work to find a good solution to that. Maybe I'll see if Rob's planned use of google-docs for pay-it-forward might also be a good approach of library.

Anyway, here is a draft of the rules. It's 1:30 am, so I probably have some blaring gaps or mistakes. There are definitely details to flesh out.

Please let me know what yawl think, or what questions you have. It sure helps to get other points-of-view. If the discussion get's too complex to handle here, then we can use some other channel (meeting, phone call, etc.)


***Library Rules***

Overview:
Each different library item will have its own thread. This will show the item's availability, location, waiting list, and history. Participants can request items and coordinate their acquisition with the item's custodian. Some form of deposit might be required for some items. Participants can also post items they wish to offer to the program, and optionally remain the custodian of the item.

Eligibility:
All charter membership in good standing (i.e. no unsettled checkout items) are eligible to participate.

Request:
Post your request in the item's thread. If multiple people have requested the item, the oldest request from an eligible participant will have the first opportunity to checkout the book. If the requester has neglected to get the item within 2 weeks, the custodian can skip on to the next person on the waiting list.

Acquisition:
Work with the item's custodian to arrange the item acquisition. Some items may require a deposit, as specified in the item thread. Once you have checked out the item, the thread should be updated to indicate checkout has taken place.

Checkout Limit:
The max number of books that can be on loan to the same participant is currently 2. If you already have two books, you will not be eligible to checkout any more until after at least one of the books is returned.

Checkout Duration:
The checkout duration for each book 4 weeks from date of acquisition. If there is no waiting list, the book can be renewed once to extend the checkout duration an additional 4 weeks.

Past Due:
If items are past due, the custodian should send notice to the offending party as well as update the thread. Further participation will be suspended until item is returned. If an item is more than 4 weeks past due, it will be considered "Lost" (see below).

Damaged/Lost:
If items are damaged or lost, the offending party will be suspended from participation and required to provide appropriate compensation. If a deposit was made, some or all of it can also be used to meet the required compensation. Once the required compensation is met, the offending party is once again eligible to participate.

[Kristy]

Jack -
Thanks for your work on this project. Looks pretty good to me. Couple of questions: your guidelines refer to checking out books, does this mean that you are only in charge of the book section of the library? Is there someone else who is in charge of the equipment bank portion?

We were interested in donating a couple of different things to the equipment bank but haven't really seen / heard anything more about that. Anxious to hear an update on that project.

[txav8r]

Mike and Kristy,
This was discussed to some degree at the last BOD meeting. We are trying to work up a program that will be easy for everyone to use.
Captain Jack is in charge of the books only.
Here is an excerpt (sp?) from the BOD minutes






BOD Meeting Minutes for August 15, 2009








Equipment Bank
(I)$250 to purchase equipment for bank.
(II)Equipment bank is to be used by Charter Members.
(III)Begin looking for donations from MAAST members
(IV)Questions:
(a)Who is to keep track?
(b)Who would collect deposits from members?
(c)Where will items be stored?
Votes will be needed to proceed and will be taken to the forum for BOD to make a decision.

__________________

[Mr Cob]

Looking good Captain Jack.

[txav8r]

Captain Jack,

Sound's like you have put quite a bit of thought into this. If at any point you need help with this, I would be glad to lend a hand.

[Mr Cob]

Captain Jack,

Sound's like you have put quite a bit of thought into this. If at any point you need help with this, I would be glad to lend a hand.

Possibly, splitting the library inventory into two parts...?

That would prevent the possibility of the program becoming "temporarily out of business" in the event of an emergency.

I think that would be a good idea. We could split the inventory in 2 by alphabet. And the best part about that…both inventories would be managed by a Jack. LOL!

[txav8r]

A pair of Jacks!

[Mr Cob]

LOL!!! That's funny!

[Kristy]

Hey Aviator Jack -

Thanks for the quick response. Must have missed that in the BOD minutes. So, it looks like we are still in search of someone to head up the equipment bank project?

-Kristy

[txav8r]

Kristy-

We are still trying to work this out. we need someone that can organize, collect donations and keep track of the equipment bank. I am not sure whether or not there have been any people that have come foreward to help at this point.
Interested?

[Kristy]

Tempted... but I'll probably opt to help recruit someone else to take this on (ahem, ahem... anyone?)

I need to double check on the level of commitment that I have just extended to help in areas of special events coordination and also with the newsletter. Don't want to over-extend myself! :) I fear that is the one of the factors that takes out active board members. I am truly concerned that we seem to keep losing good people.

[Captain Jack]

I tried to keep the rules somewhat open enough that the equipment could be handled a similar way, if it made sense. It could still use the forum, and individual threads for tracking. Most equipment would probably require some type of deposit, and each item might have different checkout limits and durations.

One of the other ideas I had relating to the library (both for equipment and for books) was that people might be more willing to loan stuff out but still retain ownership.

For example, I have "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist", it costs around $50. I don't want to donate it to MAAST, because I want to keep it for reference (and my memory is bad). But I would be more than willing to let anyone borrow it for a few weeks, if they left some type of collateral (maybe a signed check for ~$50, which I would only cash if the book never makes it back?). I assume there are probably other people out there who feel the same about some of their books or equipment. I would love to find someone that would loan any of "The Reef Aquarium" books, which I could leave collateral for. But it might be harder to find someone willing to *donate* an $80 relatively-timeless resource book.

Anyway, I figured all that could be considered sometime after the library gets going. I was just trying to keep things flexible enough to allow that type of participation in the future.

[JimD]

Is there a list of equipment availability yet? I have a few items that could be of use...

[snfkotara]

I have alot of book I am willing to loan to someone Capt. Jack if you are looking for The Reef Aquarium Vol.3 I have that one you are more than welcome to borrow.

[txav8r]

Okay folks, the Library is up and running! The selection is slim but we are working on that. Anyone who still has books that they would like to donate, please PM me. and I will come get them or make arrangements to get the picked up.

Now, GO CHECK OUT SOME BOOKS!!

[CoryDude]

I'd still like to donate my Reef Aquarium Vols 1 & 2, if you could still use them. I have Joyce Wilkerson's book on Clownfish. There's also a coffee table style book that more entertainment then educational. Just lots of pics from different reefs.

[txav8r]

CoryDude
PM sent
Thanks!!

[txav8r]

Bumping this up for a read.

The library is up and running for those of you who would like to check out any books.
Here is a link:
http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=54392

If you see a book that you would like to check out just respond in the book's thread and we will contact you and make arrangements to get the book to you.

Thanks for looking!
Jack