ISLE has to be genuinely useful to be worth supporting. This website is likely to be its most important element (at least between conferences), and we hope that it will become a resource that you want to contribute to, make frequent use of, and tell others about. The Research Network allows members to signal - in as much or as little detail as they wish - their current or future research plans, especially before completion and publication: anything from a conference paper to a dissertation to a major funded project, whether with a formal title or just an indication of the general area. Think of it as (among other things) a matchmaking service to put like-minded scholars in contact. Other self-explanatory pages such as Conference announcements and other Links should also grow increasingly useful as they become more comprehensive. Our aim is to keep the information reliable, up-to-date and in tune with members' interests. Please join in, and encourage your associates as well.
Let us know if you have practical suggestions for other activities that ISLE might engage in. If for the website, get in touch with the Vice-President for the Profession, Bas Aarts, otherwise please mail me or another appropriate committee member. The resources of ISLE are modest, so be patient: we will have to be selective. We hope you like the start we've made.
David Denison (President 2008-2011)
February 2009.