 Good morning everyone and welcome. My name is Andrea Bursler and the President of the Association for World and Small Libraries and we are delighted to be co-sponsoring this with the Nebraska Library Commission and IMLS. With me are Becky Heil. Becky is the past president of ARSL and also Tina Hansen who is the Vice President, President-elect, so you've got the whole executive branch representing ARSL this morning, and we're really pleased to be here. Today we want to introduce you to ARSL with a new presentation style called Pecha Kucha. In a PK presentation there are 20 slides, all very visual with only 20 seconds of narration per slide, so our presentation is going to take 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The term Pecha Kucha comes from the Japanese word for conversation or chit chat, so we'd like to thank the Nebraska Library Commission and the organizers of Big Talk for allowing us time to talk a little bit about our organization. First established in 1982, ARSL's home base was at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, clear up until 2007 when it became an independent organization with an expanded board and committee structure. Our first conference as an independent organization took place in Sacramento, California in 2008. Since then a concerted effort has been made to move the conference around the country each year. Our current board represents a wide range of locations from across the country. Additionally, we include individuals who are involved in various aspects of library work, from front line work, small library directors, consultants, library support organizations, and state library staff, including state librarians. This allows us to tap into the expertise of all types of subjects and offer that expertise to our membership. Our members frequently tell us that it's like coming home when they find our organization. Just like Big Talk, we're here to support small libraries. We're frequently asked, how small do I have to be to become a member? Our answer usually is, if you think you're small or rural, you probably are. Our website, which is arsl.info, has recently undergone a major renovation and is full of great resources for folks in small and rural libraries. You can learn not only about the organization and our popular annual conference, but also access news about our featured member libraries. Right now, the North Liberty Iowa Library is featured. You may also come here to print or order our brochure or search our newest feature, which is a listing of library jobs in small and rural communities. Our board meetings are open to our members and we encourage participation by the membership. The board meets every other month and the various board committees meet in the off months. Members will be sent an invitation to participate in the board meetings via our listserv. It is important to remember that we are a working board and our members spend a number of hours, that is, the board members, spend a number of hours of their own time working hard to make ARSL the best it can be. The ARSL board is made up of practicing librarians from small libraries or those who serve small libraries. Every board member is a volunteer who puts in countless hours on behalf of the association. The picture here shows our board working at our conference last year, where we plan for the future. We all meet face to face once every year at the annual conference. Probably the thing we hear most when we ask people what they like best about ARSL is the warm welcoming nature of our members. This is a group of people who are all about doing what it takes to serve their communities, no matter the obstacles. Relevant ideas are shared and lasting friendships are formed, not only at our annual conference, but also on our listserv. One of the best ways you can find out what ARSL is all about is to join us and become a volunteer. Volunteers help in a number of ways, including participating in committee work, representing ARSL at local and state gatherings, and being a part of the conference. Our website has information on volunteering, but you have to be a member to join the fun. You won't find a better deal anywhere for your membership dollars. We understand small budgets, and we've chosen our fees to fit in your budget. Our rates start at just $9 per year. Our highest amount is only $49. Some of the benefits that you receive for that is an online newsletter, access to our listserv, and a discount for the annual conference. And one of the major benefits of membership is the opportunity to get involved. As an entirely volunteer-led organization, we need committed individuals, both on our working board and as volunteers. Our committee structure allows opportunities for folks to utilize their skills to help ARSL with PR needs, program development, conference planning, and much more. Some examples of volunteer help we have used include people who work the ARSL table display at local, state, national conferences, and meetings. People who act as key contacts and help us pass along useful ARSL information on trainings and conferences. Those who work on the website make promotional materials, write our newsletter, and the individuals who pass along those best practices they find across the country so we can share them with you. We pride ourselves in our commitment to providing a conference that is 100% applicable to those in small and rural libraries. Our sessions are selected specifically to be hands-on, practical learning opportunities that can be readily applied back home. Much like big talk from small libraries, we are focused on the needs of small and rural communities. In 2007, after many years of hosting the annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, the board made the decision to move the conference around the country. The California State Library offered to host in Sacramento in 2008, and they were really great hosts. The conference was well attended, and this just confirmed our decision to try locations all around the country. This map shows our past locations as well as our plans for the future. And this is how excited we are to be hosting the conference in our part of the country this year. We hope truly that you will join us in Omaha, September 25th through 28th for a conference experience you won't soon forget. Our affordable pricing includes all but two meals, and rates are posted on our website. News about confirmed keynote speakers and other exciting events will be shared soon in our March newsletter, and you can always watch for emails and view our website as details unfold. We found a great venue at the Double Tree by Hilton in downtown Omaha for this year, and there's lots to see and do and great places to eat nearby. I'm going to kind of let the cat out of the bag a little bit on some of the confirmed keynotes that we have. Our conference scores have really enjoyed hearing from the past winners of the Best Small Library in America, and this year, Marybeth Stenger will talk to us about winning this prestigious award. You'll also hear from Sally Gardner-Reed from United for Libraries and Lee Rainey from the Pew Research Center. Each year, ARSL awards three conference scholarships to those who want to come to the conference for the first time. This program has allowed individuals interested in ARSL to learn more about us without having to make the financial commitment, and it has resulted in some truly enthusiastic ARSL members. Librarians are creative people, and those from small communities are wizards when it comes to finding the most cost-effective way to get things done. Whether you carpool, organize a bus, share a room, or whatever, we truly hope to see you in Omaha this September. And that concludes our presentation. We are happy to take questions, visit with you about membership, conference participation, or whatever. Here are our beautiful faces and our email addresses, and make sure you stop at the website, arsl.info. Alright, thank you ladies very much for that. That was wonderful. I think it gave a really good overview of the organization. Did anybody time it to make sure it was six minutes, whatever? In 40 seconds? I didn't set a stopwatch, but from the looks of it, it was pretty darn close.