<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000EE" vlink="#551A8B" alink="#FF0000">   "Richard O. Snelson" wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>As one of the newbe's on the street, I felt a good library and PTG membership was one of the most valuable assets I could have. I now have a "nearly" complete set of the journals and a large collections of books. I've spent well over $1,000 for the books and journals and use them daily in my new piano business. I'm missing a few journals and hope to get some help filling those back years. (I'll send a list of the missing.) I do have some doubles and would gladly help others out by trading. In the last 6 months I've been to the PA. and Salt Lake conventions, spend several day with the great Jim Coleman in Tempe and will be in KC and then on to Minn with Randy Potter for a week. I've completely remodeled a 1200 sq foot metal building to have a show room and piano repair shop. I've filled it with 7 pianos that I have purchase so I can learn on my turf.  Now its read it, do it..read it again to be sure and continue.. I'm lucky because I'm doing this while still working full time as an electrical engineer. This paid the startup cost. My wife is a little sore because I've used up all my vacation with Guild functions. Here's my point,  there are new folks willing to take the steps necessary to learn this business the correct way. I pushed to join PTG as quickly as a chapter would let me. They were very cautious about new members?  For me the most valuable tool in my new business world is PTG and its members.. Thanks to those that are helping.. Jim Coleman,  John Baird, John Dewey and others. I do have a full set of the reprint books that I would sell at a bargin price. Since I now have the journals I won't need the books. Richard Oliver Snelson Associate Member PTG Oliver Piano Services Clinton, IL  </blockquote> My response is simply that you are a classic example of what the Guild should encourage. And I am sure they do. Not everyone has the financial situation that allows them to plunge quite so deeply in so quickly tho. Be that as it may, anyone who takes such serious steps is quite likely to succeed. Those who dont probably will sooner or later fall by the wayside. Those who dont have the bucks have a tougher time of it, but perserverence and a love of the work will prevail. My earlier point is simply that I dont believe anyone who is not willing to make the kind of commitment you obviously are willing to make, are not really any threat to professionals' incomes. If they want to buy this material, only to let it end up in some cupboard eventually, then by all means sell it to them. Its just money in the cash box for the guild. Those who use this information to become good piano techs should be welcomed to the ranks, and encouraged to join. There will always be a significant amount of folks who dont want to pay dues. Nothing will ever change that. But the most effective way of dealing with it is a positive, active and encourageing approach that makes one want to join. Call me an idealist, but my own experience in the buisness tells me this is true. Richard Brekne "A cat in a bottle is worth ten mice in a box" Arthur Wussmaker 1843         </body> </html>