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(Continued from Page 2)
Welcome to all
The new year brought a flurry of membership activity, and has kept treasurer Mike Anderson busy at the bank. At the February general meeting, please welcome the following new astronomers: Hugh Bartlett, the Caswell Family, Nancy Freitas, William Heiling, Stephanie Lowrie, the Layton Family, Christopher Martinez, the Unwin Family, and the Wieland Family.
We also thank Fred Urrutia for increasing his commitment to the club by becoming a Patron member.
If you have not yet renewed your dues for 2000, please consider doing to immediately. Mike will also be available at the February general meeting for those who prefer to handle the details in person.
Observatory updates
As noted on page 2, observatory director Chuck Grant is researching the best way to structure a comprehensive change of the gate lock and key distribution system. Please stay tuned for updates.
At the January board meeting, Patron member Bill Faatz suggested that the directors undertake a long-term investigation of additional or alternate dark sky sites. He noted that during the past ten years the quality of seeing at Hidden Hill has degraded significantly due to the increased light pollution spreading from the south.
Bill spoke at some length about the importance of preserving dedicated dark sky sites for club members and other amateur astronomers. He is personally "test observing" different locations throughout the Bay Area and middle California.
The board is very interested in hearing club-wide opinions on this vital topic. Members are always invited to planning meetings, and the directors regularly attend monthly general meetings.
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Interest in library selections has been strong at the past few meetings, and we thank a number of members for their donations. Now is the time to catch-up on your favorite astronomy topics, while you wait for the cloudy nights to clear.
Library activity summary
Seventeen items (books, tapes, CD-ROMs, etc.) are currently in circulation, and 75% of those are more than six months overdue. If you have an overdue item, please arrange to return it at the next meeting. The checkout period is from general meeting to general meeting, and renewals are granted unless another member requests the item.
From October through January, the library received about 20 new items. We thank the following members for their generous donations.
Cambridge Deep Sky Album and two other items.
Steve M. Anderson - Magnificent Universe (autographed by Ken Croswell).
Chuck Grant - Atlas of the Moon.
Gert Gottschalk - Three CD-ROM selections, including Astronomy 2000.
Maggie Halberg - Atlas of Deep Sky Splendors and four other items.
Ken Sperber - Atlas of the Solar System and one other item (if my records are correct).
Chuck Vaughn - Six items including Sky Atlas 2000 (Deluxe) and Space Places.
A special thanks goes to Steve Anderson for donating his signed copy of Magnificent Universe. Flip through it at the February meeting, when it will be featured as a Double Star Selection and available for checkout.
If you have a special request, I can contact our network of members. I would like to add the Cosmos videotape series and recent back issues of S&T and Astronomy, particularly copies in good condition. These are some good basic resources for the newest members and new astronomers. What would you like?
Laptop system status
The laptop is back in service and still running. The LCD screen is working. I see no signs of impending
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