<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 12:51 PM, Thomas Dukleth <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kohalist@agogme.com">kohalist@agogme.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
An independent foundation now choice for which the majority voted in the<br>
first poll perhaps without understanding the question or implication well<br>
would delay matters because of all the discussion about bylaws and other<br>
matters needed and which ought to occur before registering. [There were<br>
some problems with the design of the first poll which we should fix in<br>
future by having wide community discussion of the drafting of any poll.]<br>
Registering an independent entity with the government is easy and may take<br>
little more than a couple of weeks. More weeks may be required to obtain<br>
certification of non-profit status. Yet before all that one has to know<br>
all the particulars of the registration and decide in what jurisdiction it<br>
should be registered primarily which may take months to agree.<br>
<br></blockquote><div><br>Agreed. We need to have the long-term goal of our own <your-favorite-organizational-term-goes-here>. But we need to deal with the present emergency *now* if not sooner.<br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I favour HLT because of their greater flexibility and commitment to the<br>
Koha project from its very inception. SPI has much better governance<br>
rules which we could discuss adopting or adapting for ourselves as an<br>
organisation held by another organisation and later as an independent<br>
organisation. HLT's charter grants them perhaps a little too much<br>
flexibility and the Koha community should expect a legal guarantee from<br>
them to take on the full trust of the community. They have demonstrated<br>
over the years their complete willingness to not try to exert any undue<br>
influence on the project for any private interests of their library.<br>
Combining that implicit trust with a guarantee for the Koha community<br>
gives me great confidence.<br>
<br></blockquote><div><br>HLT appears to me to strike the absolute best balance for the immediate crisis. And they have already expressed their willingness to help. Without speaking for them, I would imagine they would be amiable to providing whatever assurances the community might desire as its long-term expectations.<br>
<br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
When we have ourselves properly organised, then we can make requests of<br>
LibLime from a position of strength as a community prepared to offer an<br>
alternative if LibLime is disinclined to cooperate. Presently, with<br>
LibLime in control of the community domain and no official community<br>
alternative to offer any request is made from a position of weakness.<br></blockquote><div><br>Again, agreed. At this point we need to separate the objective issues with LibLime from the more subjective ones and then allow the resulting organization to deal with those from a position of legal strength. It's the old "divided we fall" issue.<br>
<br><br>I think further delay will only bring further chaos and weakness to our position as a community and will undoubtedly strengthen the hand of LibLime when it comes to the objective issues.<br><br>Rather than continuing with discussion ad infinitum and ad nauseum (it's been how many years in discussion now?), we need to put our selection of choices to a vote and move on.<br>
<br>Kind Regards,<br>Chris<br></div></div>