Re: Anyone need supplies?
(no name) ((no email))
Fri, 12 Feb 1999 02:59:55 -0600
Tom Petric <EC92@AOL.COM> wrote:
>a) all buyers and just about everyone else working supply are now
>in Charlotte. So those complaints to the national office will just
>be bundled together and forwarded. More later.
The move was supposed to be done back in December, Tom; from what
I've heard, not everyone has moved to Charlotte and the new
operations won't be up and running until sometime later in this
spring. As far as the complaints, I would still send them to the
National Office because of two things; one, is because not all
supply complaint ARE supply complaints. If you have problems
finding a particular patch, for instance, it could be because the
patch isn't a BSA patch (Uniform and Insignia) or because it's a
restricted issued patch (program or support division). By sending
your letter to the National Office, the mail handlers there can
quickly look at your letter and decide if it's a Supply Division
request or issue or if it's a program or program support issue.
>3. They want to hear your problems and complaints. About any gear.
>So feel free to let them know, but tell them in Charlotte. More
>later.
Whether in Charlotte or in Irving, PLEASE DO LET THEM KNOW what you
think or don't about the BSA's materials, tools and gear. That's
important, because otherwise they will all assume that things are
going well and that "the field really likes them."
>5. So all you have are complaints? About cost, design, or
>something? Write:
>Steve Ericksen
>Assistant Division Director, Sales/Operations
>Supply Division
>2109 Westinghouse Blvd.
>Box 7143
>Charlotte, NC 28241-7143
>
>or call:
>800-323-0732
I'm reposting this because some may not have got the address the
first go-around.
>(Could someone convince them to put everything on CD for both
>platforms, or would that be expecting too much?)
It's being considered, Tom. That's all I can even speculate on.
This has been a "tug-of-war" going on within the BSA's
Administrative and Council Support Group and the Program Group for
the last couple of years. I was expecting to hear that they've
agreed as to what items would go into a CD but even that has been
see-sawing back and forth.
There's also some valid concerns about the value of such items for
us out in "the field." While it would be nice for a DE somewhere
to be able to "copy and paste" material, what would be the benefit
of a Scoutmaster having the material on CD other than to look at
it? The paper catalogs, booklets and materials have the "universal
appeal" of being portable without electronics nor electricity; it
also has the appeal of being able to be incorporated easily into
binders, notebooks and handouts easily. On the other hand, I too
agree with you and others that we're wasting too much paper when an
electronic solution can make things easier, less costly and if
someone does need that "paper copy" they can print that single page
instead of having to carry around bound books of paper.
What I would love to see is a CD which contains the BSA's Library
of Literature, and key manauls for Council/District operation. The
unit stuff needs to remain in paper format, but the supporting
stuff -- the stuff that people need to refer to but many times
don't have access to it -- that stuff should be in a format (*.pdf)
that any machine can read and print and should be available on a CD
which any person (Scouter or not) can purchase directly from the
BSA.
A separate CD could be made available for our professional cadre
and the contents of that CD would be restricted to council
operations types and to DEs; it would contain the same volunteer
library along with the Scout Executive's Manual and other items
which professionals use (or should be using) in their daily
workings.
Ideas...right??
Thanks for Steve's address and for the valuable information from
his presentation!!
Settummanque!
(c) 1999 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") blkeagle@mninter.net
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle Burnsville, MN 55306-7130 (612) 435-3068
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@server.kaiserslautern.army.mil
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