[ncdnhc-discuss] Aug 6 meeting of American non-commercial groups on ORG

[Milton Mueller]

Note:
This is the unofficial minutes of the Aug 6 meeting from Rick
Weingarten, American Library Assn. --MM

====
Milton and all,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I've been out and I was hoping 
someone else might have taken better notes than I. So, from a very 
idiosyncratic perspective and increasingly failing memory, here's what I 
think happened (and didn't happen, for that matter.) I invite anyone else 
who was there to add or modify this summary.

1. We decided to move ahead with a discussion list. We said ALA 
technology was shaky enough that we didn't feel confident in hosting it. 
CDT offered. 

There was some sense that it would be better if an entity 
in another nation hosted it, but we decided the benefits weighed toward 
get it going immediately. If an appropriate entity from another nation 
offers to host it in the coming months, we can always transfer it.

    Action: CDT would establish the mailing list
    Status: Done 

2. Much of the discussion was about how to internationalize the effort.
This is clearly a very difficult issue, balancing the need for speed with
the need to reach out and coordinate with interested parties around the
world. Based, I am sure, on that difficulty, I heard little consensus on a
long term strategy. I did hear two concrete next steps.

       Action: Each of us would coordinate with our international contacts
to try to expand interest globally.
       Status: I have spoken with the International Federation of Library
Associations (IFLA) Board of Directors. There is interest and concern, if
we give them more specific guidance, they will be with us I am sure. I
don't know what anyone else has done.

       Action: Someone, I forget who, was going to set up a meeting at
Montevideo for NCDNHC plus other groups who might be interested. This 
would address two issues, 1. helping internationalize our effort and 2. 
helping coordinate with NC...
       Status: Haven't a clue. It is now too late for me to be there.
Clearly the world will not spin out of its orbit at my absence, but I hope
some of us will attend and something will be done.

3. We need some statement to rally around:

     Action: I offered to start developing some principles that our group
could rally around and that would be compatable with the NCDNHC 
statement, reflecting a dot-org user perspective.
      Status: I circulated a first draft, and got two comments back. I
don't sense a great groundswell to alter them greatly. We will use
these principles to guide the group's activities.

4. We discussed our relationship with NCDNHC, but I heard little
consensus. There were conflicting and equally important desires. First, not
to be seen as going off on our own without coordinating with them. 
Second, not to be too cozy since it would be seen as a conflict of interest 
were we to bid to run Dot-Org. None of the organiazations at the table 
expressed a desire to bid to run dot-org, so the consensus, as I read it, 
was that we needed to work closely with NCDNHC (For action, see 3 
above).

Respectfully submitted,

Acting Secretary Pro-Tem and Hopefully One Time Only,

Rick