[Sigiii-l] ASIST SIG III International Paper Contest Fundraising Update

[Yin Zhang]

(Apologies for cross-posting)

Elsevier, SIGs, Chapters, LIS Schools, and Individuals have contributed over 
$9,000 to the ASIST SIG III International Paper Contest

SIG III would like to thank the generous donors for their support for the 
International Paper
Contest, who have helped raise $9,100 since mid-March. The SIG III 
fundraising campaign is ongoing
and we welcome contributions to keep the program going. Here is the list of 
donors that have
received as of August 25, 2005:

Donors    Amount
-------------------------------------------------
Elsevier                           $2,000
ASIST SIG IFP                      $500
University of North Texas SLIS     $500
Kent State University SLIS         $500
University of Pittsburgh SIS       $500
University of Tennessee SIS        $500
Drexel University College of IST   $500
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GSLIS  $500
ASIST Los Angeles Chapter          $375
ASIST Chicago Chapter              $300
ASIST Florida Chapter              $300
Florida State University SIS  $300
ASIST Potomac Valley Chapter       $250
Simmons College SLIS               $200
ASIST Central Ohio Chapter        $100
Basch Subscriptions                $100
University of Texas SI            $100
ASIST New Jersey Chapter  $100
Information International Association  $50

Individual donors:             $1,425
Linda Smith, Marianne Afifi,
Joseph Busch, Anthony Debons,
Thomas Fowler, Thomas Froehlich,
D. Rojabooshanam,
Nancy Blasé, Charles Goldstein,
Jean Piety, Yukiko Sakai,
Diane Hopkins, Javed Mostafa,
Yin Zhang, Bahaa El-Hadidy,
Sue O. Johnson, Ben-Ami Lipetz,
Julia Blixrud, Lawrence Buckland,
Natsuo Onodera,Noriko Kando,
Roberta Horowitz, Anonymous


This year marks the sixth anniversary for the ASIST SIG III International 
Paper Contest on
International Digital Libraries and Information Science & Technology 
Advances in Developing
Countries. The International Paper Contest is one of the most successful 
programs SIG III runs each
year.  The papers submitted represent important developments in information 
science, and they serve
to advance the information profession worldwide. We have attracted over 283 
information
professionals from over 50 countries to participate in the International 
Paper Contest.  More than
230 papers have been received for this contest. Many of the papers have been 
published in library
and information literature, including the International Information and 
Library Review and the
Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.  In 
addition, contest
winners often see advances in their professional careers.  Their stories are 
posted on the ASIST
SIG III website at http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/. This valuable 
opportunity would not be
available without the financial support provided by all of our generous 
donors.

The raised funds will support two-year ASIST memberships for six to eight of 
the paper contest
winners each year and cover expenses of the top winner(s) to travel from his 
or her home country to
the ASIST Annual Meeting.  Since the first paper contest in 2000, through 
this program, SIG III has
sponsored 32 two-year ASIST memberships to contest winners from 15 different 
countries, and has
supported 15 winners to attend the ASIST Annual Meeting.

SIG III is currently reaping the benefits of our International Paper Contest 
fundraising campaign,
which is bringing in donations from all over the world.  Just last year, SIG 
III was privileged
enough to receive donations from the Los Angeles Chapter and the Potomac 
Valley Chapter of ASIST.
Both of these chapters have contributed greatly to our fundraising effort 
throughout the past
several years; the LA Chapter donates on a regular basis, and the Potomac 
Valley Chapter has held
several sales and fundraisers to raise money for the contest.  Elsevier has 
also been a constant
help, donating $3000 last year and $2000 this year for the International 
Paper Contest alone, as
well as contributing money to the International Reception.

We would like to thank all of these donors for their ongoing support, as it 
means a great deal to
us. We are also extremely grateful for the help of these donors. Without 
their contributions, we
would not be able to run the International Paper Contest, which benefits so 
many scholars and
information professionals around the world.  Additionally, we would like to 
thank all the
individual donors who have contributed in the past and will contribute again 
in the future.
Finally, we would like to thank the Executive Director Richard Hill and 
Director of Finance Janice
Hatzakos at ASIS&T headquarters for their help in processing the donations 
and making them
available for our digital scholar funds.

The officers and members of SIG III are always working diligently to make 
this SIG the best it can
be.  Between this effort and all the support received this year, it is 
certain that this year's
International Paper Contest will be just as successful as it has been in the 
past years.  Again,
thanks for the continued support.

For more information about the International Paper Contest, please visit the 
SIG III website at:
http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/

----------
We would greatly appreciate more donations to keep this paper competition 
running. If this is
possible, please send a check, made payable to ASIST for the "Digital 
Scholars Fund," to
Richard Hill
Executive Director
ASIST
1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510
Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.

We thank you for your generosity in contributing to this International Paper 
Contest that has
benefited so many people!


Yin Zhang
SIG III 2004-2005 Chair
Associate Professor
School of Library and Information Science
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242 USA
email: yinzhang at slis.kent.edu