Literature Breakout - Regional Service Conference

Using "service" rather than "jobs."
- There was no comment on this section
Replacing with "The chart below offers possibilities for service at the group level."
- I believe a chart should be able to stand alone and be clear and easy to read. This chart takes a lot of studying to figure out. I think the design of the chart needs to be reviewed.
- I think charts are pretty dangerous when used in our Areas. We had discussion on changing self-support proportions to keep them the same as the chart depicted in the "Self-Support" pamphlet.
Addition of "Some groups have positions that...."
- There was no comment on this section.
Deletion of the reference to "Archives Representative."
- There was no comment on this section.
Other comments on changes:
- How many times have we re-written the group pamphlet? What are we trying to do? Fine tune things to get people to carry the message? It's like the multiple singleness of purpose statements referenced yesterday.
- I agree. I am personally highly offended there is not a pamphlet out there for short, fat, Norwegians that came in at age 23. I think we lose sight of the fact that we are trying to best serve the still suffering alcoholic. I think one of the ways we can be inclusive is by keeping it just about alcoholism; and I think we need to remember that with pamphlets we can go on and on ad infinitum changing them.

Topic 2 -- Proposed update to pose Alice as a single mom with DUI is offensive and stereotyping.

Even though I know they want to use a specific situation to connect with the reader, but I am opposed to what that specific situation pulls out.
Part of the purpose for making this change was to bring literature like this to reach new prospects that may have difficulty with reading some of out literature.
These two pieces of literature (Alice and Joe) are two of the most read pieces of literature produced by AAWS. The purpose of these updates is to bring the illustrations into the 21st century.
What we are doing with Joe is just making his clothes updated.
I work with women from many facilities near my home that have lost their children from child protection. I thin it's great if we can target what these women are going through and make it easy to read.
Is the reading level of the potential readers considered when producing AA literature.

It's the responsibility of our District Literature Chair to provide literature to the meetings within our District. The District Literature Chair gets the literature from GSO, but they make it clear there is no intention to discourage groups to go directly to GSO. The District absorbs the cost of shipping.
Our Area did supply the meetings in the area with literature, but we did charge the Groups and Districts to defray the cost of shipping the Area pays. There are many groups in our Area (mid-Nebraska) that don't have the convenience of central offices with literature supplies.
Our Area is buying at bulk rate from GSO, and then charging a single book price. Buying from Intergroups, which is outside the service structure, gets complicated. Area 36 is not there to make money on the sale of literature. The literature that is not used can be returned, and there is less damage to the literature.
What is the purpose of the Literature Chair? There are guidelines for the committee, and it lays out the opportunities for sharing what literature is offered.
Tradition Four states, "each group is autonimous." If I had the opportunity to travel throughout Northern Minnesota on a weekly basis and take orders and deliver them personally, I would. I the new Literature Chair, do not travel the region for my job, so I encourage people to order directly from GSO.

(It was the sense of the meeting to move this item to the topics of the Grapevine sharing session this afternoon.)

I was at a workshop last week, and they said the BB is already on the web, but GSO wants to get it solely under their name.
I have been hearing there is an addition of the BB on the web already; and I have heard people could change it and make different versions. Is he message being tainted by someone other than GSO putting this out on the web?
Pro's and Con's from our Regional Literature Committee Representative, Area 36 Delegate: This has already been discussed for several years by staff and trustees at GSO. If it would go to the web, it would be for viewing only in ".pdf" file.

Pro's: There was a letter sent out to 500 Central Intergroup Offices two years ago, asking them to let them know if they thought it would damage their sales. Of the 37 responses received, the bulk of the responses were in favor of placing the BB on the web. All international offices, with the exception of one, were in favor of placing it on the web.
Con's: There are some questions on copyright issues. It is my understanding there will be no problems with the copyright issues in the US and Canada, however she is seeking clarification on the impact to copyrights internationally.

I don't think that from a money aspect that will decrease GSO's literature revenue. Because the BB is something that is a text to be studied, that would not be likely to happen off the website. People will continue to buy the BB to use it for study.
Hazeldon has found that when a book is posted on the website for their organization, it usually increases the sales by 10%.
The remark in the background materials that posting the BB on the web would instantly make the BB available to 150 million more people. If Bill Wilson were here and asked if he would favor reaching 150 million people (which otherwise would not be reached) with the message by doing this, I believe he would be doing 'back flips' he would be so happy.
A man I met in St. Cloud has been reading it on the web for several years already. People can already read it out there. I'd like to see it go through AAWS.
We have a disease of isolation, and if I can access the BB from my place of isolation, it may get me to get to a meeting. Also, I have AA Guidelines for the Literature Chair.

Topic 6 -- Confusion of Terminology: ie.. I discovered last night that all materials are not Literature. For instance; I saw in the order form they are "Corrections."

It's all literature. We can't just make the assumption that just because it deals with literature that belongs to the Literature Committee. The Literature Committee tends to focus on the general pamphlets, and Corrections focuses on corrections. That is how it should be because the experiences with Corrections list in the Corrections Committee.
The pamphlets are designed to easily designate the purposes of the pamphlet of "Recovery, Unity, Service, and Professionals."
The Literature Chair should be aware of the literature out there. If literature comes out under other committees, I think they should be telling the Literature Chairs so they can communicate it out to the District Chairs.
I understand that Corrections uses their own literature and responsibility for the maintenance of that material switches over to Literature once it has been produced.
You don't have to buy a CPC workbook to get the pamphlets in a workbook. What's in the order form is the breakdown for all sections on the order form to help you easily locate the literature when ordering for specific purposes, like correction.
I find it interesting that almost every District has a Literature Chair, but within the home groups we don't have a Literature Chair. We're robbing a newcomer or a member of a service opportunity at the home group. I don't think it matters how you order it, but focus on making sure the Literature Chair position is carried out in the home group.
I would think that as Literature Chair if someone comes to me I am responsible to know the literature.
The comment on the Corrections material that came out several years ago was developed out of the Trustees' Corrections Committee. The reason it was produced by AAWS was because AAWS could put it out more cheaply than the Grapevine (which has historically produced pieces like this corrections piece). I think the question she raised was really about communication, and it is the responsibility of the Delegate to get the flow of communication across committees out there.