Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!MDC.JANICE%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA From: MDC.JANICE%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: SF clubs Message-ID: <14193@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 30-Nov-83 23:22:46 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.14193 Posted: Wed Nov 30 23:22:46 1983 Date-Received: Sun, 4-Dec-83 03:39:36 EST Lines: 43 From: Janice Don, I'm presently Vice (not Vice President, just Vice) of the oldest college science fiction club in existence, the MIT Science Fiction Society (MITSFS -- pronounced Mitts-fiss, *not* Misfits), founded 1949. We don't have too many activities. We did, in the dim and distant past, have a project to microfilm Astounding, but that died. We used to run movies as a fund raiser, but had to give it up when another group got a monopoly on showing movies on campus for which admission was charged. Our main activity now is running our Library, of which we are justifiably proud -- it contains over 30,000 items, including the complete works of everybody, almost every sf and fantasy magazine ever published in the English language, and lots of miscellaneous stuff, including a small sf porn collection. We have over 450 members (making us the largest student organization on campus), but most of those just read our books. Only about 30-40 are in any way active. We run the Library with volunteers, who get a key in exchange for keeping the Library open at least 2 hours/week and doing various duties necessary to maintain the collection. We avoid power struggles basically by not taking ourselves too seriously. Besides, officers don't have much power -- just a lot of responsibilities. We do have meetings every Friday, but they are just our chance to get together and be silly for an hour; we don't conduct any serious business. We do have two other activities -- publishing our fanzine, Twilight Zine, and holding our Roast Beef Rally (i.e. picnic) every spring. We're always happy to hear from other people and to show visitors around. I don't know how good we'd be at giving advice to a fledgling sf club, but we'd try. If anybody wants to know anything more, he/she should contact me directly -- I don't want to flame about this on the net any more than I have to. Janice -------