[ANSTHRLD] From Star: March 2010 AG Letter

[Star Principal Herald]

(In the interests of making sure as many of you read this as possible,
I'm repeating my letter from the March Ansteorran Gazette below.)


Greetings!

Firstly, a few notes about upcoming open offices:

Sable Crane Pursuivant is the office in charge of heraldic
achievements. Applications are due by March 31, to myself with copies
to the current Sable Crane and to Zodiacus Herald.

Orbis Herald is the southern regional herald. Applications are due by
April 30, to myself with a copy to the current Orbis Herald.

Secondly, if you are going to Gulf Wars, please try to spend at least
one day at the consultation table at Herald’s Point. It’s a spiffy way
to get volunteer points, and the help can always be used!  Not only
book heralds can find work, but drawing skills are much desired, and
there’s generally always room for at least one or two good organizers
just to help keep things flowing well. Voice heralds can also find
plenty of work at the War; even if you’re inexperienced, stick your
hand in the air!

And lastly, the bulk of this letter:

The first issue of the Ansteorran Gazette débuted in January 1990. Its
stated purpose then (if I may quote from then-Star Tadhg Liath of
Duncairn) was in consolidating “three standard things going out each
month (Internal Letter of Intent, Internal Letter of Acceptances and
Returns, and External Letter of Acceptances and Returns)” into one
physical mailing, as well as being “a forum for communicating with the
Officers of Arms in Ansteorra concerning topics that didn’t
comfortably fit in one of the above three standard categories.”  The
“three standard things” haven’t changed at all in the intervening
years, although we now include the internal commentary along with the
internal decisions as the AICC.

Now, twenty years later, the College has moved away from a purely
physical mailing method of exchanging information and to the largely
(if not purely) electronic. The ILoI and AICC are available on our
website, the full LoAR is available on the SCA’s website, and we make
available our LoI as well. Submissions tracking, the OP, report forms
of all kinds, the administrative handbook at Kingdom as well as
Society level, articles and documents and tidbits of useful
information – all are available online. We even have a well-used
mailing list for informal discussion.

Which brings us to questions about the fate of the Ansteorran Gazette
itself.  I would like to hear everyone’s opinion on the following, and
will be sending a copy of this letter to the heralds mailing list
soon. Opinions can be done as public replies there, or private email
or letters, or even (gasp) a phone call. My contact information is in
the Black Star, and I do not want to disenfranchise anyone that may
only be getting their news from the AG as opposed to the mailing list.

Is the Ansteorran Gazette in its current form still needed?  How many
people still receive and prefer the printed version?  Could it be
replaced by a monthly “official” email, direct or to a mailing list?
If so, would such a mail simply be a collection of links and a few
notes, or a full set of documents?  Should we have an official
“announcements” mailing list, in addition to the informal discussion
mailing list?

I look forward to all of your thoughts and opinions regarding this issue.

In service,
Emma de Fetherstan
Star Principal Herald