Dear XX,

The Fifth Library and Information Services in Astronomy conference (LISA
V) will be held at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in June 2006, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Libraries. Very successful and productive LISA
conferences have been held previously in 1988, 1995, 1998, and 2002.

The Friends of LISA Committee hopes to assist astronomy librarians in
resource-poor countries to attend this conference by collecting sufficient
funds to cover their housing, a small per diem, and, in some cases, travel
expenses.

The publishing and distribution of books and journals and the disseminating
of research data and results continue to change dramatically and to evolve
at dizzying speed.  Libraries and library services in astronomy must keep
pace.  Traditional collections and services are constantly supplemented,
modified, and even eclipsed by a variety of electronic materials and their
corresponding services and platforms.  Astronomy librarians constantly try
to keep up with these and other changes, and they work hard to learn the new
skills and techniques needed for new models of service.  LISA meetings
assist librarians and data providers in their efforts,

We need help in bringing attendees from resource-poor areas, and are asking
<<XXX>> to make a donation to Friends of LISA V.  By helping our colleagues
to keep pace with the latest trends, we will enable them to return as
leaders and experts to their institutions and to their local and national library
communities.   Donations will benefit both the librarians who would not otherwise
be able to attend without this financial
assistance and the other attendees who will reap the rewards of a richer and
more diverse conference.

The generous contribution<<s>> of <<XXX>> and others to Friends of LISA
<<II,III, and IV>> [modify the LISA numbers depending on the donor's prior
contributions] helped sponsor dozens of librarians at previous LISA
meetings.  Those librarians thus assisted were both grateful and enriched by
the conference experience and upon their return home were able to share
their newly acquired knowledge with other colleagues.  We look forward to
receiving your assistance for the 2006 meeting.

Thank you in advance for your contribution. As a donor, <<XXX's>> name will of course
appear in conference materials and on the Friends of LISA section of the meeting Web page.
If you wish to discuss this further please call me at <your phone number> or email me at
<your email address>.

Please make checks payable to Friends of LISA and mail to Ellen N. Bouton, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville VA 22903-2475 USA.

      Sincerely,



      <your name>
      for the Friends of LISA V Committee


Ellen Bouton
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Elizabeth Bryson
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corp.

Brenda Corbin
U.S. Naval Observatory

Jessica Moy
National Optical Astronomy Observatory