Message from the President August 2010
Council had a good meeting on 29th July, at which we welcomed four new councillors - Professor John Edgington, Ms Miranda Lowe, Dr Isabelle Charmantier and Mr Julian Wilson. In order to obtain a new, and younger, perspective on the business of recruitment and retention of members to the Society, Julian, Isabelle and Miranda were given the task as a small sub-committee, in liaison with Kathie Way (our Council member overseeing membership issues), of reporting to Council how best to take these issues forwards, particularly among younger people. We are aware that, for the most part, young people interact electronically these days and the Society needs to take this into account.
In that connexion, Council is also investigating how best to introduce an electronic submission process for MSS to Archives of natural history (not as a substitute for hard-copy submission but as an alternative option). The Honorary Editor Dr Charles Nelson will be providing details soon.
Members should be alert to the fact that back numbers of the Society’s journals are gradually being up-loaded onto the Edinburgh University Press website (http://www.euppublishing.com/journal/anh). There are a few gaps at present (volumes 6, 7, 8 & 9) where glitches have occurred in processing but we expect these to be available shortly. We would welcome feedback from members who avail themselves of this magnificent resource and we hope to make a different paper available each month to encourage people who are not yet members to join the Society.
Council was also delighted to appoint Dr Margarita Hernández Laille as our new Representative for Spain. Margarita is the author of the book Darwinism and textbooks in Spain and England in the nineteenth century (1870-1902).
Geoff Moore
President
August 2010
Message from the President February 2010
To all those venturing out of hibernation (and what a cold winter it has already been in Britain!), greetings for 2010; the International Year of Biodiversity. As you see, the Society has some delicious fare on offer on our delectable new website, to which we are continually adding a rich, varied and informative menu. I hope to see as many members (and soon-to-be members!) as possible at our Gosse meeting (and SGM/AGM) in Torquay in May. A real benefit of membership is to have the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and get to know new friends in the very informal atmosphere of our meetings.
Council is keen to encourage feedback from members (as my recent article in our Newsletter attests) and we seek continually to extend the reach of the Society.
We received a very welcome unsolicited donation of £2,500 last year and this set us thinking how best we could use and extend the reach of such monies. One thing we'd like to be able to do is extend financial support for invited expert keynote speakers to add new dimensions to our meetings (both at home, and ultimately, abroad; via the good offices of our overseas representatives). We could only do such things if we have a greater resource base than at present. So, surprise, surprise we are in fund-raising mode! We shall soon be launching an appeal for donations which will take a variety of forms.
The year 2011 will mark the 75th anniversary of SHNH and Council is planning an exciting programme to celebrate this landmark. Watch this space and keep supporting your Society, one that itself is a veritable microcosm of Biodiversity!
Geoff Moore
President
February 2010