SFMS Newsletter

****** The Current Issue of the SFMS Newsletter ******

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Subscription rate is $10.00 per year for 10 issues. (Not published in June or August)
Make your check payable to Southeast Federation
Mail to: SFMS Editor: Carl Talbott, 216 Spring View Drive, Murphy, NC 28906

Lodestar Subscription Form

Now the Lodestar Subscription form

can not only be filled in on your computer; the completed document can then be saved and printed on your local printer. Adobe Reader Version 8.0+ REQUIRED

Lodestar Subscription Form (MS/Word)

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Article Submission Guidelines

Articles are due by the 25th of the month preceding the month you want your article to appear. (firm deadline). Time critical and SFMS/Board articles have priority! Particularly encouraged are articles that SFMS society/club editors think are of interest to other societies in the Federation as well as original articles never before published.

If possible, articles should be in MS Word file format and submitted via e-mail as an attachment (to dtalbott@bellsouth.net). Please use “Lodestar Submittal” in the e-mail’s subject line.”Typed or handwritten articles (with author’s name & phone number included) are also acceptable and should be mailed or FAXed to:

Carl Talbott
216 Spring View Drive
Murphy, NC 28906
or
FAX 828.494.2218

Society/club presidents, program chairs, and editors/secretaries of all member SFMS societies/clubs are eligible to receive the "Lodestar" free of charge (3 copies per society/club). Member society/club officers may also choose to receive the electronic version of the "Lodestar" via e-mail, thereby saving SFMS printing and postage costs. The electronic “Lodestar” contains color photos & graphics whereas the paper version is printed in black ink only.

[January 2010]

In the months ahead, I hope you will notice an increase in SFMS committee communications. I think the Lodestar is a proper media for SFMS leadership to inform you, our individual club and society members, of current Federation-specific activities. Our purpose, after all, is to add some value to your gem, mineral, and lapidary experiences.
Most important, in this day of electronic communication, I want to increase the size of Lodestar’s free e-mail distribution list and thereby offer you color content (such as shown on page 4). Printing the Lodestar in color is four times as expensive as in black & white, so mailed paper editions, in recent history, have been devoid of color ink. Furthermore, bulk, nonprofit, postage rates for paper editions are at 17.2¢ per piece (subject to a minimum 200 pieces) and rising along with other postal service prices.
Of course, some of our membership are not connected to the internet, and if they are SFMS club/society officers or paid subscribers, we intend to continue providing appropriate distribution of the paper edition. However, we suspect most members would prefer the electronic version and anticipate the size of our paper edition distribution list can be reduced to well below 100 copies.
In addition to more committee information, look for articles on mineral identification (see page 4 again), rockhounding regulation and legislation, and lapidary craft talk. This is your SFMS newsletter, and I welcome your critical comments, constructive recommendations, and (most of all) coherent articles.
May this new year be rewarding for us in many ways.

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