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Welcome! I'm glad you've shown up to check out what a great conference we're going to have this November in Minneapolis. It's our 32nd annual one, and this year our theme is Great Technology for Collections, Confluence and Community. To make this a great conference, we need you to be part of it and, once you've reviewed the program, I think you'll agree that you need to be part of it, too. For those of you who don't know about us already, our conferences have always been the place for "One-Stop Shopping" when it comes to learning about technological tools especially as they are applied to the needs of museums and cultural heritage institutions. MCN is all about bringing museum information professionals together as a network of people. We're people who already do great work, but we also know that, in the world of fast paced technological change, we can never know enough. That's one of the main reasons why we attend MCN conferences·to learn! Our conferences always provide ample opportunity to learn from each other and share our knowledge and our concerns. This year, we'll have many ways to stretch our perspective, learn new tricks of the trade, and participate in some great collaborations. Oh, and by the way, we generally have lots of fun all along the way, too. Here are just a few reasons why you should plan to join us in Minneapolis this year: We're partnering with colleagues from a number of terrific organizations like, the Minnesota Historical Society, MINERVA, Association of Moving Image Archivists, and the Science Center of Minnesota. Our minds will be challenged by what will undoubtedly be a stimulating keynote address by Max Anderson, one of the most highly regarded proponents of the use of high technology in furthering the missions of cultural institutions. We're expecting a large number of vendors who will show a wide variety of software, hardware, and services in our Exhibition Hall. We'll have the opportunity to enroll in some of the best workshops - focused on our specific interests - to be found at any professional conference. Of course, we'll have our usual very full roster of thought-provoking panels and presentations And, for the first time in for quite a while, we'll get a sneak preview of next year's conference venue and theme. Some might consider scheduling an early November conference in Minneapolis to be a risky weather proposition. To be sure, it could be a couple glorious autumn days or, shall we say, somewhat less appealing. On the other hand, what we can guarantee is that there's a 100% certainty that the climate inside the MCN conference will be fantastic and will be the perfect atmosphere to get together with your friends and colleagues. Join us in Minneapolis! Sincerely, Sam Quigley

Rev June 26 2004 dc