[SJAAboard] loaner scope program - goals

[Gary Mitchell]

Akkana Peck wrote:

> And as long as I'm posting, my own interest in loaner telescopes
> has been mostly "try before you buy": not by brand and model but by
> type.

That's an important distinction, in my view.


Look, folks...  If the majority wants it to be a "try before
you buy" program, fine.  Personally I don't think that should
be its goal, but OK, the majority will have its way.

I'd like to point out that the fact that we have any loaner
scopes at all, let alone having a couple of dozen, is very
noteworthy.

I've always seen the program as something to help the new
scopeless member get started in astronomy without having to
spend hundreds first.  We only need a few basic scopes for
that.  And its secondary goal is to have a small variety of
scopes so the rest of the membership can try different ones
without having to buy them first.

Do we want it to be much more than that?  A try before you
buy program?  Or something that provides nearly any type of
scope the membership might want to use?

We need to be clear and specific about its goals, whatever
they may be.

Gary