2018 Scholarship Documents/Logistics emails

2018 Scholarship Committee Documents

Logistics Email 1

Dear Code4Lib 2018 Scholarship Awardees,

We’re excited to have you attend the Code4Lib 2018 Conference as a scholarship awardee. This email covers two things: website bios/social media handles and travel logistics.

Website Bios/Social Media Handles

We will be putting the list of awardees on the Code4Lib 2018 website. If you would like, please feel free to submit a short, 2-sentence bio (your background, why you are interested in Code4Lib…) and/or your Twitter Handle to be included on the website. Both are optional! Also, if you are a member of Slack and would like to interact with the Code4Lib community there, please feel free to send us your Slack handle to be added to the group.

Travel Logistics

To facilitate your attendance, the Scholarship Committee is available to help with any travel logistics. Please let us know if you have any questions as you plan your travel. If you have expressed interest in a 1-1 meeting, members of the scholarship committee will be contacting you individually to schedule one.

Getting to Washington, D.C.

If you will be flying to Washington, D.C., we recommend flying into DCA (Reagan National) or BWI (Baltimore-Washington) as these airports have rail or subway connections to the District. If you are on the East Coast, you may find travel via Amtrak to Union Station easier. Greyhound, Megabus, and Bolt Bus also have stops in or near Union Station.

Getting around

There are numerous ways to get around DC and the surrounding metro area, including mass transit, commuter rail, taxis, Uber/Lyft, and bikeshare. Some resources you may want to refer to are:

Mass Transit

  • The Omni Shoreham is a block away from the Woodley Park Metro station, on the Red Line. From here, visitors can access Dupont Circle, Gallery Place/Chinatown, Union Station, and other neighborhoods without a transfer. Transfer points at Metro Center and Gallery Place provide access to all other metro lines.
  • To purchase a fare card in advance: https://www.wmata.com/fares/smartrip/. A first time purchases of a SmarTrip card costs $10, and comes pre-loaded with $8. Paper fare cards are not accepted on Metro. Unlike some metro systems, WMATA prices are based on distance traveled. Rail fares also depend on the time of day with higher pricing during commuter hours. Bus fare is $2 for regular buses and $4.25 for express, using a SmarTrip card. Contact Kathleen Bell with any questions or to have a SmarTrip card purchased for you.
  • Trip planning, Metro and bus route information can be found at https://www.wmata.com/.
  • Some additional resources for trip planning and real-time updates on delays or arrivals are https://dcmetrohero.com/, [1], and [2].
  • Two regional trains service Union Station and other points. MARC (https://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train) serves Maryland locations, including BWI and Baltimore. VRE (https://www.vre.org/) connects northern Virginia locations, including Manassas and Fredericksburg.

Walking, Cycling, and Multimodal Transportation

  • DC is a pedestrian-friendly city, and the hotel is centrally located near nightlife, sightseeing attractions, museums, etc.
  • Capital Bikeshare (https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/) is DC’s primary bikeshare system (visitors can buy a daily membership for unlimited 30 minute rentals). A bikeshare station is located within a block of the conference venue.
  • District Mobility (https://districtmobility.org/) is another resource with data about how DC residents get from point to point.

Conference logistics

The Code4Lib 2018 schedule is now live: https://2018.code4lib.org/schedule/. The main conference takes place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel February 14-16. Breakfast and snack breaks are provided for all conference days, and lunch will be provided on Days 1 & 2. A reception is scheduled to follow Day 2. Information about these venues is available here: https://2018.code4lib.org/general-info/venues/

Preconference workshops (https://2018.code4lib.org/workshops/) take place February 13 at the Omni Shoreham and venues across the city.

Childcare and accessibility accommodations (http://2018.code4lib.org/general-info/venues/#accommodations) are available for all four days of the conference. The registration form asks for information about attendees’ needs in these areas, but please feel free to follow up anytime with changes or additional requests. More information will become available on the conference website closer to the event dates.

Finally, we invite you to look over the conference page on resources for conduct and safety: https://2018.code4lib.org/conduct/. These include: CodeOfConduct4Lib, emergency resources, information about duty officers, and the conference photography policy.

Let us know if you have any questions, we know this is a lot of information to digest!

Congratulations!

Logistics Email 2

Dear Code4Lib 2018 Scholarship Awardees,

The conference is just two weeks away! We're following up with some information about reimbursement, as well as attending and navigating the conference.

Reimbursements

Jenn Cummings and Kathy Azevedo are your primary contacts for logistics and reimbursements. You can reach them by email at (email), and find them at the conference at the registration table. As a reminder, here's some information about reimbursements from their initial email in December:

Original receipts are required for reimbursement, which will be handled on site during the conference. Please bring (or email this address) a copy of the attached form, completed, as well as those original receipts for things such a transportation, lodging and meals not provided by the conference to the event and you will be given a reimbursement check on-site.
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Scholarship Committee contact information

If you have any questions for the Scholarship Committee while getting to or at the conference, you're welcome to contact Todd Stoffer (phone, email) and Amy Wickner (phone, email). We'll be at the conference most days and are happy to help with anything that comes up.

Code4Lib First-Timer's Guide

Lastly, we've pooled our collective experience to put together a conference guide for first-time attendees. We hope it'll make your Code4Lib 2018 experience a welcoming and interesting one.

As always, please get in touch with any questions or concerns. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to meeting you next month!