BCinDC & the 2011 Convention

The idea behind a reverse scavenger hunt is to leave a book at each of the locations on the list during the convention. In honor of it being the 10th anniversary of BookCrossing, there are 10 items on the Reverse Scavenger Hunt this year for the 2011 BookCrossing Convention in Washington, D.C:

1. Somewhere “American”
2. In front of a museum
3. By cherry blossoms
4. On a statue
5. Somewhere funny OR a funny release
6. Somewhere yellow
7. In a tree/bush
8. Within sight of a monument
9. At an OBCZ other than the Sheraton*
10. Somewhere that has to do with “ten” or “celebration” or “birthday”

*This one might be changed in the final version, depending upon how many OBCZs we are able to set up in the area.

The form is available here in pdf if you would like to download or print it in advance:

You can find info about the reverse scavenger hunt on its own page under the Convention->Schedule section of this website.

This post is part 17 of our Wednesday Adventure Series. Each week we will highlight something different in the Washington, D.C., Metro Area, many of which will be options for part of your own BookCrossing Journey. With so many things to see and do, how will you choose?
SPECIAL NOTICE: Don’t forget that we have some special deals for registered attendees!

The National Archives houses and preserves the original copies of many of the most important historical documents for the United States. Some of the documents on display in the National Archives’ main chamber, called the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, include: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Other documents on display include the Louisiana Purchase, and the Emancipation Proclamation. The Archives has a copy of the Magna Carta from 1297, however it is going off display in March 2011 for a year of restoration.

Another exhibit in the National Archives is the Public Vaults. Here, you can experience what it’s like to go behind the scenes at the archives in an interactive way. You will gain access to more than a thousand pieces such as the 1823 Copper Plate of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s handwritten letters, Abraham Lincoln’s telegrams to generals, audio recordings from the Oval Office. The Public Vaults consist of five different vaults, named after portions of the preamble to the Constitution:
*We the People- a collection of records about American citizens including immigration records, naturalization papers, draft cards, census records, and more.
*To Form a More Perfect Union- a collection of records concerning U.S. democracy, liberty, and law including congressional debates on Prohibition, discussion of UFOs, the Kennedy assassination, and the Watergate scandal.
*Promote the General Welfare- a collection of records about the U.S. frontiers including an exhibit about the moon landing and original patent drawings for famous objects such as the typewriter, pencil, and phonograph.
*Provide for the Common Defense- a collection of documents about wars and diplomacy including records from wars from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War, recordings from the Cuban Missile Crisis, and stories of heroism, inspiration, and sacrifice.
*To Ourselves and Our Posterity- a collection about the National Archives itself.

In the lower level of the archives, there is a café and the William G. McGowan Theater, which houses lectures or shows documentaries on a wide variety of subjects. The April 2011 schedule of events is not yet online.

The Boeing Learning Center allows you an even closer look at the documents, with copies, electronic resources, and educational workshops or presentations.

One special exhibit on display at the National Archives is called “Discovering the Civil War.” The “Consequences” portion of the exhibit will be on display at the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in the National Archives Building through the Sunday of our convention (after which time the exhibit will move around the country). The exhibit features milestones and lesser-known documents about the Civil War including photos, an un-ratified version of the 13th amendment, and the Constitution of the Confederacy.

It wasn’t until 1934 that Congress decided to establish a national archive for documents. Until that time, each branch and department in the government was responsible for maintaining its own collections and records, resulting in the loss or destruction of many valuable documents. The National Archives now houses both classified and public domain documents created by the U.S. federal government, as well as materials from other sources or governments. There is currently a project with Google in place to digitize many of the public domain documents.

The National Archives and Records Administration maintains twenty-one facilities in different regions as well as the Presidential Library system, of which there are thirteen across the country. Another interesting function of the Archives is to declare new amendments to the U.S. Constitution. A proposed amendment needs three-fourths of the states to ratify it. The National Archives and Records Administration is in charge of keeping track of this.

A visit to the National Archives is one of the Friday morning Early Bird choices for the 2011 BookCrossing Convention. Though it does not take too long to look at the documents in the rotunda, the National Archives recommends planning on a visit of at least 90 minutes because of all the other exhibits and the interactive learning center. Because of the sensitive condition of many of the documents on display, photography and videotaping is not allowed inside the National Archives.

You may have noticed a brand new meter on the left-hand side of the BCinDC webpage, showing the percentage of funds we have for the 2011 Convention. The goal amount is how much we need to raise (in registrations, extras, and donations) in order to “break even” and meet our financial obligation to the venue. As you can see, we’re in quite a lot of debt.

There are many things you can do to help us right now. And very soon we’ll be posting more information and benefits.
1. Register for the convention & bring a friend (or two)! – registering is one of the best ways you can support and enjoy the convention
2. Enter the raffle for an amazing Bally Blanket! – ANYONE can purchase raffle tickets now (not just conference attendees) and this one-of-a-kind blanket will be shipped to the winner
3. Purchase official 2011 Convention merchandise or tickets! – we have a wide selection of great things you can purchase
4. Become a Convention sponsor! – We’re calling our individual sponsors Bookworms. Bookworms will earn some special goodies (to be revealed soon) and be listed (if desired) on the convention sponsors thank you page.

Check out the How to Help page for full details.

This post is part 16 of our Wednesday Adventure Series. Each week we will highlight something different in the Washington, D.C., Metro Area, many of which will be options for part of your own BookCrossing Journey. With so many things to see and do, how will you choose?

Have you ever stopped to read a historical marker, or wanted to know more about an interesting old building? If so, the Markeroni site is for you.

Markeroni is a friendly, informal and light-hearted online community where history fans, treasure hunters, and travelers log their visits to historical markers and historic landmarks. All you technically need is yourself and access to the internet, but most members also bring a camera and notebook to document their visit. GPS coordinates for many markers are also available on the site. Currently the Markeroni database only covers the USA, Canada, British Isles, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. A worldwide database is in progress.

Markeroni was founded on August 13th, 2003 by BookCrosser WhiteRaven13, who says the idea of Markeroni began as a month-long solo motorcycle tour of historical markers in California. The trip was canceled due to mechanical problems, but she decided to share her interest with the world, providing a site to help others find historical markers, “which seemed to move around at night.” Her travel memoir, A Little Twist of Texas, documents her adventures traveling to the 2005 BookCrossing Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, combining her loves of Markeroni, motorcycles, and BookCrossing. She even has Markeroni-themed BookCrossing Labels and hosts an annual history release challenge.

Some examples of books released at snarfs (click for the journal entries & larger photos):

Like many hobbies, Markeroni comes with a lingo all its own. Snarf is a slightly complicated term, referring to both the actual visit to a historical landmark, and the act of hunting for them. (If you aren’t fond of the term “snarf”, it’s perfectly okay to call it “landmark hunting”.) A snarfari is any excursion made for the specific purpose of snarfing. Members of Markeroni are called Markeroons. Many Markeroons bring a mascot, often a plush toy, to “pose” with the markers in snarf photographs. Kudos are colored stars next to a member’s name to indicate how many landmarks they’ve logged. In short, if you’re going on snarfari with your fellow Markeroons to increase your kudos, don’t forget your mascot!

In order for a landmark to count as a snarf on Markeroni, it must fall into one of the following categories:

* Any signs, plaques or markers that give information about history (or, sometimes, natural history)
* Monuments and statues so long as they depict a figure in history (i.e., not art and not religious icons)
* Memorial plaques so long as they give more information about the person than just their name and dates
* Landmarks that have been designated (given some kind of legal protection) at the national, regional or town level
* War memorials
* Museums–but you have to actually go inside and visit the museum before you can log it!

Participation in the site is completely free, but you can gain additional features with a premium membership, including the ability to “direct log” a marker not already in the system (as opposed to requesting it, waiting for it to be added, then logging your visit). After covering about half its operating costs, 10% of Markeroni’s proceeds go toward historical preservation.

A downtown Washington snarfari is one of your activity options for Friday morning (early bird) and Saturday afternoon. For those who don’t wish to snarf, the activity is doubling as a release walk. This short journey is being led by active Markeroon and BookCrosser melydia, who is attempting to bribe people into signing up by giving everyone who joins the snarfari a free mascot. (But we’ll let you in on a little secret: she’s such a softie she’ll probably give you one even if you choose a different activity for Saturday.) We’ll also have a Markeroni starter package as one of the raffle prizes you can enter to win at the convention, which will give you a great start in this hobby.

Last August, ResQgeek‘s daughter Becky (aka N-R-Jyzer) was struck and killed while riding her bicycle. We at BCinDC are organizing a memorial release on what would have been her 10th birthday: February 14, 2011. Always giving of love and hugs, Becky is remembered as embodying the true spirit of Valentine’s Day. The theme of our release in her honor is hugs, hearts, and Valentine’s day. Becky loved Winnie-the-Pooh, so we will be releasing those and other children’s books as well.

Date: February 14, 2011
Theme: Hugs, hearts, Valentine’s Day, Winnie-the-Pooh, children’s books
Release notes: Please include a link to the Becky’s Hugs facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beckys-Hugs/147053868666518) in the JE for the release.

If you are in the area, BCinDC is holding a release walk in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, at 7:00pm that evening. We will meet at La Madeleine at 500 King St. (at the corner of King and Pitt), then walk down King Street and up N. Union St. to end at Becky’s tree in Founder’s Park. Please let us know if you will be joining us so we know to wait for you.

Memorial labels are available at the supply store.

We hope you will join us in remembering Becky.