Thanks to BIG Bill (A *TREMENDOUS!* thanks) the Fellow Ferret Geeks
reference list is about to become operational. It would have been by now,
but I was hampered by a thumb injury AND having to write two paper outlines
in a week AND having to get a paper together so I can present it at the
Plains Conference in South Dakota at the end of October AND having to get a
carload of references together for a paper I will be presenting at the SAA
meeting in Philadelphia next April. In other words, I have been slightly
busy, so even though BIG has set me up, I *STILL* haven't had time to plug
everyone in. But I will by this weekend. Really.
As some of you can remember, the Fellow Ferret Geeks is a cooperative group
of people who will pool their vast knowledge of ferret related references
to gether to form a single bibliographic list, updated regularly, so people
with specific needs can browse the references to find things they can use.
Major headings will be veterinary medicine, natural history, nutrition, pet
care, animal bites, etc. Since I have literally thousands of these
references already in hand, I've decided to turn it into a central ferret
archive (That's what it is being used for anyway). People can ask me for a
specific reference and I will either fax it or scan it as a jpg. I will
also list specific needs from time to time, and people can help find them
and provide me with copies for the archive. Of specific need will be video
and newspaper clips, newsletters, and strange items of ferret interest.
Included with the references will be annotations of the articles. For
example, I might find a reference which might be useful in proving ferrets
are not as dangerous as dogs, so I write a short 2 or 3 sentence
description of the paper's value. Anyone else can read the same paper, and
do the same thing. When the bibliography is put together, the annotations
go with the reference, so when others are looking for good sources, they
can use the annotations to pick and choose the valuable ones. We can also
review specific papers and books, which are like annotations but much
longer and are more in depth. Abstracts, when available, will be included
within the reference. Finally, discussion of various references will be
encouraged. See why I call it the Fellow Ferret Geeks?
Unlike the FML, Fellow Ferret Geeks is not a general purpose ferret
mailing list. I doubt if a mailing will occur more than every few days
at best. It is primarily designed to fill in the hole regarding specific
information, especially information to increase awareness of ferret issues,
as well as to help support people struggling in their fight against
anti-ferret forces.
Finally, as stated, this is a cooperative. I provide help to meet other
people's needs, and they, in turn, help to provide mine. Contributions
to the central archive will *NOT* be mandatory, but some kind of helpful
cooperation will be expected from time to time. Some people will no doubt
send in newspaper clipings, others might send in video-taped newsclips.
Some might copy something from a journal or book when requested. And
others might help put together a webpage, or help format and classify
references. In other words, the only real requirement of membership will
be a willingness to help out, when needed, in the same degree you expect
to be helped, when needed. As my dad used to say, "Each ant only moves a
grain of sand, but together they can build a mountain."
How would it work? Someone might need a paper on the transmission of
rabies in ferrets. They could check the bibliography, look at the
abstracts and annotations, and pick a couple of good papers. They could
ask the membership what they think are good references on the subject. If
the person cannot get those references locally, they could ask if they
could get them from the archive (They would know I have it because the
reference would say so). I would scan them in as jpgs/word document and
email them, OR fax them. If I don't have the article, we (the membership)
can all work together to find a copy, and then provide it for the person in
need. A photocopy of the paper can be snail-mailed to the central archives
so future requests can be met without substantial wait.
Because of copyright regulations, I have to consider myself a "Central
Archive" so I can provide myself with legal protection against copyright
infrigment. So, I will NOT be able to copy entire books nor provide more
than a few papers at a time. Members will still be expected to use their
own library resources for locally available materials. The strength of the
list will be in the knowledge base created by the catagorized references,
as well in the availability of papers at the central archive. It will not
be a place for someone to download thousands of references for their
personal collection. It will be a place to find out what is available,
what is good, and where you can find it. If unavailable in your area, we
can get a copy for you. It is a cooperative; we all work together for a
common goal: making life better for ferrets.
Members will be allowed to download the compelete reference list, which
will be updated quarterly or biannually. The references will be available
in three formats: as a "Text-Only" file, in one of several word-formats,
and in "Endnote" (which I HIGHLY recommend! Point your browser at
"www.niles.com" for a free trial copy, available for both Mac and PC). I
recommend people use Endnote, because it is cross-platform compatable and
lowly PC users can access the info with their own version of the program.
Non-member requests will be honored with specific references (we are here
to help the ferrets), but their access to the complete bibliography will
be denied and their access to the central archive will be restricted to
limited emergency use. Hey, its a cooperative, remember?
Already, more than 40 people have emailed me their desire to join. If you
want to join, let me know. Just send me an email with "FELLOW FERRET GEEK"
in the subject line.
Bob C and 18 Mo' Fellow Bob Geeks
[Posted in FML issue 2818]
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