SECTION DIRECTORY
2014 Summary of Activities
Again in 2014, a printed directory of the Santa
Clara Valley Section end-of-year membership was produced from the
Section roster file downloaded from the ACS website in mid-January,
2014. This is the file that represents our membership for 2013.
A Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 4 printer with a "Pro
Collection" font cartridge was used. Programming was done in
PowerBasic 3.20 (available from PowerBASIC, Inc.,
https://www.powerbasic.com) to read information from the roster file,
make necessary file format conversions, select home or work address
and phone number, format the results column by column and page
by page. It also puts page numbers and indication of the
alphabetical range of names on the page in alternating
upper-left and upper-right corners. It then sends them to the
printer. Program listings are available from the Section Secretary
on request.
There were exactly 2746 records in the 2014
database, 217 less than in 2012.
The directory ran to 32 pages for the version
supplied to most Executive Committee members (2 less than last
year); the Chair and Secretary received more detailed ones which ran
to 47 pages (3 less than last year).
When this project was
started in the late 1980's, roster files in electronic form were
issued once per year, in February, on 5-1/4", 360-KB floppy disks.
An annual printed directory was the only practical way to provide
the roster information to the members of the Executive Committee.
Today, Section rosters are updated monthly, and can be downloaded
from the ACS national website. The Executive Committee members have
indicated that making the roster information available to them via a
password-protected area on the Section website would be preferable
to using nearly two reams of paper needed to print 25 copies of the
directory.
However, even though not all Executive
Committee members wanted or needed the information in printed form,
a few (including myself) did, and so the project continues, although
with many fewer printed copies.
--Karl Marhenke
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