Katina Strauch, College of Charleston Katina Strauch began the Charleston Conference back in 1980 and The Conference has grown to be an international meeting attended by hundreds of librarians, publishers, vendors, and aggregators. She talked about why and how this happened (she thinks) and how, in 1989 (just prior to Hurricane Hugo) she decided to begin publication of Against the Grain, linking publishers, vendors,and librarians. Katina is Assistant Dean for Technical Services and Collection Development at the College of Charleston Libraries. The Charleston Conference and Against the Grain are private independently-operated entities.

1. Katina Strauch Assistant Dean for Technical Services and Collection Development Addlestone Library, College of Charleston From an Unentrepreneur

2. Should you be an entrepreneur? Test courtesy of Daniel Isenberg and the Harvard Business Review

3. I don’t like being told what to do by people who are less capable than I am. I like challenging myself. I like to win. I like being my own boss. I always look for new and better ways to do things. I like to question conventional wisdom. Answer Yes or No

5. People get excited by my ideas.

6. I am rarely satisfied or complacent.

7. I can’t sit still.

8. I can usually work my way out of a difficult situation.

9. I would rather fail at my own thing than succeed at someone else’s.Answer Yes or No

11. I think that old dogs can learn – even invent – new tricks.

12. Members of my family run their own businesses.

13. I have friends who run their own businesses.

14. I worked after school and during vacations when I was growing up.Answer Yes or No

16. I am exhilarated by achieving results.

17. I could have written a better test than Isenberg and here is what I would change.There are 20 questions. If you say Yes to 17 or more, it’s time for some soul searching! http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/should_you_be_an_entrepreneur.html Answer Yes or No

20. Third Stage: Concept People helped – Bill Schenck, Tom Leonhardt, John Ryland, Mike Markwith, etc., etc. Names Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition (main theme) New Subtheme every year for book and serials crowd You can see changes in the profession by looking at the conference themes. 1980 – no theme Stages of Entrepreneurship

22. 1982 – baby born, no conference

23. 80s – old problems, new solutions; external influences on collection development; questioning assumptions; learning more than you ever wanted to know about finance

24. 90s – is the medium the message; money talks; savage marketplace; learning from our mistakes

26. 2011 – Something’s Gotta Give!Concepts (8) One: No exhibits. Talk about ISSUES not PRODUCTS. Two: No concurrent sessions. Three: Vendors, publishers and librarians together as equals and colleagues. No hierarchies. Four: Be open to all even the little guys and girls. http://www.katina.info/conference/archives

28. Six: Listen to all attendees and encourage them to implement their ideas.

29. Sidebar – The Charleston Conference is a Conference of other people’s ideas!Some of them: (in random order) Michael Poupore(Hotel and local arrangements) Concepts continued

31. Regina Semko (registrar and local arrangements)

32. Judy Webster, RosannBazirjian, BethBernhardt (directors of the program committee)

33. The Conference Program committee

34. Dorinda Harmon, Gayle Karolczyk, StephenParker, et al (hotel and other local arrangements)

35. Chet Willis and John Williams (computers, media, extra effects)Concepts/People

37. Mike Markwith(attendee at very first conference and many others) (helped select and give out gifts at early conferences)

38. Sandy Paul (talked and danced and generally had fun even if it was about standards

39. Lyman Newlin(the conscience of the Conference)Concepts/People

41. Outcry from conference attendees (Saturday sessions)

42. Leah Hinds (Fast Tech Talks)

43. Outcry from Conference attendees (Beastly breakfasts)

44. Pam Cenzerand Susan Campbell (Mentors)

45. Dorinda Harmon (Lively Lunches)

46. Audrey Powers (DineArounds)Concepts/People

47. Concepts contd Seven: Develop a Conference Personality Be Quirky, have a sense of humor, be flexible, mix things up, be unpredictable, be cutting edge, let people dress the way they feel most comfortable, never use the word NO!, adapt, change, keep moving, add last minute hot topics/ideas even if you drive the Conference program director crazy (this is especially important), beware of fads

48. Against the Grain, linking publishers, vendors, and librarians – keep people in touch throughout the year. Build momentum. Begun 1989 (lucky year) Hurricane Hugo! Wanted it to be ten pages, mimeographed No advertisements First layouts done by Steve Johnson (Clemson) Concept Eight

51. Hope to keep up for a long time.

53. Closing the men’s bathrooms for women!

54. Fighting with onsite partners.

55. Fighting with hotels.Stages of Entrepreneurship

56. Turning down $60 a night rooms at Charleston Place! Cutting off speakers who talked too long. Begging same speakers for their papers for the Proceedings. Not keeping enough of an archive! Beth? Mistakes to Avoid

58. Threw Charleston Chews to the publishers in the audience.

59. Mary Fugleannouced that Jolanda van Hagen wanted to speak at the Conference

60. Colletts told Against the Grain that they would come to the conference and straighten out arguments with customers but they didn’t! Random Memories

62. Speakers insisting on taking the red eye and arriving at the last minute.

63. Keynote speaker who only praised his/her company

64. Becky Lenzini fell off the stage at the Dock Street Theater but didn’t skip a beat!Random Memories contd

65. Random Memories -First year of the Conference when I was trying to get at least 20 attendees was devastated to have someone cancel because he had mistakenly thought the meeting was in West Virginia! -Hurricane Hugo -- 1989 – Charleston was devastated. Walked down to the Mills House Hotel (which was hosting the Conference) because I couldn’t drive there. Charleston was horrible. Ground zero. Didn’t know if Conference would happen or not.

67. 2005 – Theme “Things are Seldom What They Seem” 2 hotels 88 Presentations 2010 – “Anything Goes” 3 hotels and Addlestone Library 157 Presentations Changes in the past 5 years

68. Topics from 2005 vs 2010

70. Assistant Dean for Technical Services and Collection Development

72. www.against-the-grain.com/

73. Founder, Charleston Conference

74. www.katina.info/conferenceThank you!