To Do list

• To: ian.cr***; andrew.en*******; christopher.ho**; david_wal***; john.bl*******; lesley@cu*********; ian@cu**********; j.tay***; alan@as****; gareth; bob.el****;
  
  
• On: 30 November 2009
  
  

• * Staff *
  Could you pl. check your printed listing
  of the 25 year celebration staff photograph
  against what Alwyn sent me 3 years ago
  and which is at when-we-were-very-young
  (It may well be that Alwyn  just copied out the same text.
  When he sent it to me I thought that he must have done it all from memory...)
  
  Then I think we need some way of linking in more recent generations of staff. 
  Monks Wood have a huge A-Z listing to do this.
  There may be other  ways.
  Ideas needed.
  
  
• * What are you doing now? *
  I've made a start by adding links to the staff names on when-we-were-very-young
  More such links much appreciated.
  And also opinions - is this the best way of doing  * What are you doing now? *?
  What about those not in the picture?
  
  
• * History of the station* and * Photos*
  This is the real meat of the thing - we need pictures, links, text on the history of the station and the farm.
  I've put what I've got so far into a 'home page'
  
  As more stuff comes in, I think we will need to scrap these two,
  and make the whole into something more coherent.
  [This may be where we hit the limitations of Google Groups.
  I'm not sure how to get several pictures on one page...] [ Done! See this page]
  Anyway, please send anything and everything that you think would be appropriate for * History of the station*
  
  
• * Reflections*
  I have put some reflections on the fourth page
  I think someone with historical bent should pore over the archives,
  and tell us where everything went wrong.
  What lessons can be drawn?
  Is it simply Min of Ag looking after their own, and letting (deleted) scoop the pool?
  
  
• *Management*
  Lastly, there is a plan, more a twinkle in Alan S*'s eye,
  that the next/first committee and contributors meeting
  will be in the back room of the Boars Head.
  Date to be announced
  
  
• The email header reads:
   To ian.cr***; andrew.en*******; christopher.ho**; david_wal***; john.bl*******; lesley@cu*********; ian@cu**********; j.tay***; alan@as****; gareth; bob.el****;
   On 30 November 2009
  We are now open for business,
  with 4 little pages on Google Groups.
  Not as pretty as the Monks Wood site, but its quick and easy to manage.
  
  It could be even easier - it would be possible to change the settings so that
  everyone could edit pages and upload their pictures.
  However, from what I've seen on G'G', the first result of open access
  would be that pornographers and spam merchants would set up shop on our site.
  
  But I do think that we need more than just me to run the thing.
  I'M HOPING THAT SOMEONE IN CC. WILL VOLUNTEER.
  
  Meanwhile I think what we need immediately is as follows
  (following the structure worked out by the Monks Wood people)
  the rest of the email is as above
  
  Draft agenda for first meeting
  
  
  The agenda of the first meeting needs to cover +/- all the stuff listed on this page,
  plus:
  

  • - How to get all the Annual Reports on line?
  • - Is it a good idea turn these web pages into a book ??
    
  • - If so, how ???
    

  I must have forgotten lots. Please send your suggestions to Richard H
  
  1. Suggestion from Lesley Currah
  Start a new photo album page, 'personalities of the 1980s' was my suggestion - why not?
  
  2. Reply from Alan Scaife  :-
  It seems to me that the most practical way of writing up NVRS history
  would be for each of us who is still kicking and willing to write about one sheet of A4
  on which he/she summarises
    a.. his own scientific work at HRI, citing up to a dozen main papers.
    b.. sabbaticals and overseas visits and contacts.
    c.. contributions to the social/sporting life.
    d.. medals etc
  Those near the top of the tree could concentrate on the administrative problems and history.
  
  It would off course be nice if close colleagues could do one for those who have passed on.
  
  Failing that, I hope you will manage to get the annual reports scanned and onto the internet.
  
  3. In conversation with Hilary Fraser
  Re Annual Reports
  I still think optimum solution would be to get Google to scan the lot, beginning to end
  See
      http://books.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=43741
  And
      http://books.google.com/support/partner/bin/answer.py?answer=106169
  But this needs a copyright waiver from someone.
  
  A fall back could be to get volunteers to scan just the pages of staff lists
  in each Ann report
  Then I could make something like the Monks Wood Staff page
  This was a nice A-Z list of everyone who had ever worked at M'W'
  
  I see that they have now changed the format from comprehensive list of everyone
  to a smaller number of mini-autobiographies + photos
  Rather nice, but of course limited to the living and the responders
     http://www.monks-wood.org.uk/5.html
  Perhaps we could do both ...
  
  Richard H
  
  
  
  
  

  To Do list January 2010 
  
  
  With thanks to Duncan G and Andrew E.
  
  
• I wonder whether it might be worth considering how the NVRS was set up (D.G.)
       Grower initiative? Government pressure?
  
  
• What were the terms of reference? (D.G.)
       Who was responsible MAFF or AfRC.
  
  
•  How was the site elected? (D.G.)
  
  
•  Alphabetic list of everyone who ever figured on a staff list
        ( A.E. : "Add dates and possibly positions")
  
  
•  Analysis of the economic value of the research done; to GB, the world?
        (A.E. - "Probably not (impossible to quantify)
         Better a brush stroke review of research findings  (not 'break throughs')
  
  
•  Something on the change in staff management in the mid 70s (A.E.) 
         specifically  breaking down the barrier between research leaders and experimental  officers.
  
  
•  A graph of the changes in ratios of gender x staff  position x  seniority (A.E.)
         (A.E. -   "I suspect that the early days NVRS were male dominated -  interesting to learn what others think.")
  
  
•  Not forgetting - Photos of the staff pantomime
• 
  

Previous : T TIMELINE

Up : HOME

Next : W WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG