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Dear Colleagues: Just wanted to express my excitement about seeing many of you next week, as the Forums are always a good time for re-connecting with old colleagues and meeting new ones. There are many intriguing presentations offered up for this event, and you can have a glimpse of the schedule and program from the Forum page <http://www.diglib.org/forums/spring2009>. Thanks again to everyone that submitted a proposal and the Program Committee for their input. For those that can't make it, DLF will be broadcasting Day 1 online from <http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dlf-spring-forum-2009-day-1>. This is a UStream.tv channel, but as I mentioned before, we'll also try and capture the signal and pipe it into Second Life. We're testing that this week, so the announcement will be at the eleventh hour if we're able to provide that experience. If you've looked at the program, you'll notice we've included a session for lightening talks. In order to sign up to deliver one of these, go to the wiki Jaime set up <http://dlfforum.pbwiki.com/> and add your name and slides to the list. We trust this will be a welcome and exciting addition to the program. Jaime also created a page about Raleigh travel resources, available from <http://diglib.org/forums/spring2009/aboutRaleigh.htm>. There's good information there for folks interested in working through public transportation options for getting from RDU to the hotel, as well as tips for how to go about parking if you're driving in. This page also has resources about restaurants and shopping areas near the hotel, which are also available from the lightening talks wiki. Plan on warm weather in Raleigh. This week the forecast is a range from 83 thorugh 88 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a safe benchmark for next week, and know that afternoon thunderstorms are a likely occurrence for that climate. Finally, as of this writing the CDC has announced 40 reported cases of swine virus (H1N1) in the U.S. <http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/>. We are expecting attendees to travel into Raleigh from regions where some of these were reported. For the safety of yourself and others, please visit the CDC website for recommendations on planning and preparedness. While we want to see everyone at the Forum, your safety and wellness are important to us. Kind regards, Barrie +1-202-436-4749