well, I don’t know about the bylaws and what not - but I’m the ViceChairman of the GC.
The way the GC usually works is we’re a sounding board for the plans the AHA is making. For instance, the annual plan is passed by us to get a looksee and sniff. We’re also a dedicated volunteer crew that gives extra hands for things like survey analysis, etc.
In the case of the HBC name, that got passed by us as “we’re thinking about a name change. What do you think?”
Now, efforts do get introduced by the GC - the insurance program is a great example of that - that’s was Crispy and his work to keep driving. For ythe journal idea, it could be introduced by a GC member, but it would be ultimately up to the AHA to figure out how to budget and implement it if it fits into their annual plan. (We would have to convince them that it would be worth the effort)
Thanks Drew for taking time to respond. Indeed it makes sense that for new ideas, the board can only make recommendations and then the AHA will need to allocate resources, human and monetary, to implement them.
At least for what I suggested, Denny is over estimating what it can take. It is just a phone call to the right person at the journal. You are offering them an additional revenue stream at zero cost to them and a few of us who are interested gain access at the student rate (a clear win-win). The only concern for the journal would be pro-brewer push back but it is not likely.
I can do the phone calls on behalf of the AHA if the AHA gives me permission.
This is a great idea to a geek like me, but I’m not sure that a majority of the general membership would find it valuable. When I was completing my second Masters degree a few years ago, I loved my access to various journals through the University’s library. If AHA could get similar access, I would love it. If you have insight as to how libraries and allied organizations get access, your Governing Committee would like to hear it. However, the bottom line is that is limited funding available to things that might have limited appeal to the membership as a whole.
I bet there are more geeks than we know about that are either current members or could be swayed into becoming a member with this. Also betting the AHA could survey this and other initiatives among current members, maybe through the Brew Guru, an email link and/or their website.
I am sorry I was not more clear Martin.
There are two things the AHA can do in this regard.
Negotiate student subscription rates with journals and associations. For example, student membership to the MBAA is $42 for students vs $142 for pro brewers. This subscription comes with access to their journal and other benefits. Brauwelt international costs Euro 89 for students, and 169 for pros.
The cost to the AHA for this, is practically zero: A couple of phone calls one time. Indeed, not many homebrewers would use the benefit but some will, and will benefit greatly from these subscriptions.
Interlibrary loan and copy services. I completely understand that this is not a realistic expectation as it would require a budget and as Martin and others mentioned, not benefit most of dues-paying AHA members.
So, again, new and upcoming AHA members, can you please discuss it and if you agree, assign a staff member to get the negotiation done.
Cheers,
Electronic subscriptions are one of the largest expenses for university libraries. The subscriptions aren’t cheap and likely would not be for AHA especially when you consider you are buying access for 46,000 members.
I personally would vote against this if it took money from other programs I value more (AHA home brewing rights work, this forum, out reach, NHC, Homebrewcon).
To answer how universities get access: Universities and other organizations often band together in consortia that then subscribe to packages of journals from the various large publishers.
Most college and university libraries buy subscriptions to journal aggregators/databases, like JSTOR or ProQuest. This is how the majority of academic researchers access journal articles.
My wife works for a professional association that provides library services for its members, including Interlibrary Loan and journal access. Their dues are about 18 times higher than AHA dues are and they have 4 times as many members…
I should also note that most scholarly journals are a bit more technical than some of the publications mentioned above, which are really more like trade publications or newsletters in terms of their tone, content, and review process. For example, Brauwelt International recently published a piece called “Israel Microbrewery received s***storm for selling beer from West Bank.” Not the sort of thing you’d find in Nature or The Lancet.
My wish list for the new governing committee members is that they find someone who can Make Homebrewing Great Again…and can see past the FAKE HOMEBREWING NEWS like oxygen is bad for wort. Sad.
I do not disagree but there is still quite a bit of original research. Dissertations and thesis from Europe brewing schools are mostly published in Brauwelt. MBAA also has interesting studies. The treasure is the access to old numbers electronically.
I don’t know if a survey would accurately capture interest. I’m not implying that many members are dumb, but these articles are very technical. A sample article would be needed so respondents can make an informed choice. If no sample is given the question might as well be “do you want more brewing related article?”
As a draft
Would you value the possibility of having a discounted / student membership to the Master Brewers Association $42 annually (vs $142 for pro brewers). See www.mbaa.com for benefits.
I agree, Stevie. On this forum, I think interest will be inflated. Statistics the AHA has make me question how many members would really be interested in this. Now, I know people here are gonna say “lots of people would be interested” but that’s a reflection of the bias of this forum. In general, more and more homebrewers are interested in keeping it simple.
I might speak for a majority of homebrewers (not in this forum but in real life) when I say:
I’d be interested in hearing a summary of multiple independent studies on method(s) or change(s) in process(es) that would be virtually guaranteed to improve the quality of my homebrews that would be so easy that a caveman could do it and that the cost for me to implement would be less than $40. If anyone can put all that together, I’ll listen. Otherwise, I won’t take much time reading detailed scientific studies that may or may not benefit me as a homebrewer.
With handfuls of exceptions, I do believe the average Joe Homebrewer would agree most with something like the above.