The 2011 Annual Spring Meeting was a success, thanks to the preparation of the Program Committee; the hard work of the Local Arrangements Committee; the kind assistance of our donors and sponsors, Hollinger Metal Edge and Arcasearch; the good service of the Boise State University Student Union staff; and the wit and enthusiasm of Barton Barbour (now I must read his book). I wish to extend anew a great round of thanks to all of them. I also extend thanks to the staff at the Idaho State Archives and Boise State University Library’s Special Collections and Archives for their hospitality in giving tours.
Additional thanks go to the staff at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, which hosted our business meeting and reception on Thursday night. We had a fascinating tour of the museum with its handball court and the Jacobs-Uberuaga house and learned more about the Basque people, language and culture. I know that for me personally the opportunity to tour any museum is always a chance to take mental notes on how archives and museums can learn from each other in pursuing the goals and missions that we share. And now I must find some recordings of Basque music with those curious reed instruments.
The meeting was brief but very enjoyable. We had 36 attendees by my count, and the sessions included a range of subjects related to the theme. As always, one of the more valuable experiences was making new acquaintances among our colleagues and renewing old ones. Indeed, I enjoyed this so much that I am sorry to say I held up the start of at least one session! My experience as a musician has made me sensitive of punctuality and I regret such lapses. But there never seems to be quite enough time to visit, does there?
Max Evans and Stephen Sturgeon received the 2011 CIMA Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2011 CIMA Service Award. Max was there to accept his and Steve accepted his via video presentation, despite technical difficulties. The awards were presented in lovely stamped leather folders with original artwork by Michael Frazier.
What a pleasure to be in Boise too. The area had just had unusually heavy rains which made everything green, and lilacs and dogwoods were in bloom. I was able to bike along the greenbelt on my way to BSU campus on Friday morning beside the swollen river, stopping to let geese cross the path. Our opening, closing and lunchtime sessions were held in the student union’s Lookout Room, which gave a beautiful view of the mountains. We also amused ourselves by watching bees swarm around a hive stationed on the roof, and an aspiring beekeeper who seemed to have some supernatural bond with the creatures.
Yes, if you weren’t there you missed out on some good times. But have no fear! For this Annual Spring Meeting we recorded the business meeting, the welcoming remarks and the sessions. While the results of our efforts are not perfect (some got cut off, and sound quality varies), they do give the chance to hear much of the proceedings. We will continue to develop our techniques for recording: in fact, during Session 1A we had some inspiring discussion about possibly setting up videorecording or videoconferencing in the future. For now, you may listen to the sound files of the recordings from the proceedings using the links below.
-Charles Stanford, CIMA President
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