A few questions about LCS

Candace and I are moving to Ajijic Wednesday, a couple of blocks from the Lake Chapala Society's campus. So as I spent the last 20 years of my career working for a nonprofit and understanding LCS has needs in that area I stopped by and had a favorable chat with a couple of folks in the know.

With that in mind I'd appreciate a minute of your time to answer the following questions I have.

Do you know of the services, seminars and clinics LCS provides?
Do you know of the programs, outreach and services offered to the Mexican population?
If you are a member but seldom visit, why?
If you are not a member, why not?

Thanks for your input, it is appreciated.

Terry Vidal, the Administrator, knows the whole scoop. Howard Feldstein in the President.
As far as outreach is concerned, they do have language classes at the Wilkes center off campus, and on campus, there is the Children's Art Program primarily directed toward Mexican kids.
I am a member and use the grounds as a shortcut to the lake. Okay, lol. Yes, I do use the library. My husband uses the hearing aid man who works out of an office several days a week. The food concession; meh.
We use the services of the IMSS ladies who come several mornings a week.

I think he was asking if we know... that is, has the LCS made us aware of their services.

My two cents:

We're currently members and have been for about 3 years total. We're well-acquainted with the services and programs LCS offers.

About the only times we visit LCS are to check listings on the bulletin board or a few times a year when there's an Open Circle speaker of interest. We pay our dues almost entirely out of respect for the organization's outreach to the Mexican community and past (rather than current) value to expat residents.

In my opinion LCS needs to look at doing fewer things much better and focus in particular on the needs of the expat community that pays its bills. Both the book and DVD libraries are pretty much useless to anyone with access to a Kindle or the bootleg DVDs for sale everywhere on an $8 a month Netflix subscription respectively. As the recent LCS survey and announcement make clear, the place is fallling apart physically and would be prohibitively expensive to repair, so selling the current property and moving somewhere with parking and easier access would also seem to be key. Just one person's opinion.

As a member of the LCS they send me an email about once per month with much of the above information. Do I normally read much of the email? No. But I enjoy going to the LCS. But I know about (I hope) much of everything mentioned above.

When I was new to the community, 1997-8, I went there several times per week, mostly for social reasons and as a membership volunteer. Today, I go there at least once per week to attend two computer clubs, one for MSFT users and the other for "i" users (iPhone, iPad, etc).

It must be kept in mind that this property was originally donated by Neill James (in exchange for her care at the time), and I believe that the main purpose of helping Mexican kids in art and schooling, while bringing the expat and Mexican community together, deserves to be maintained. Moving from that site, which I don't think is necessary, would change the whole relationship. Of course, in the last few years, I haven't seen a whole lot of community mingling.

Yes, things have changed a wee bit since the days of Neill James. Don't get me wrong, I very much admire all of the volunteering to help the Mexican community that goes on, but I think LCS, with finite resources and a very different expat community than in James' time, needs to do about half as many things more than twice as well.

Taking a page from San Miguel's successful Biblioteca, if LCS were in an accessible place with parking (much of the Laguna Mall should surely be available at a deep discount by the time they're ready to move ) with an updated library, e-book access, an auditorium that could seat, say, 100 people with a regular program of movies, speakers, music, etc., an updated DVD library, a mail and package service similar to SMA's wildly successful La Conexion, a really good profesionally-run coffeehouse/restaurant, etc. I can see the place being quite successful.

We went over the repair/replace issue a few months ago with reasonable arguments on both sides.

Without reviving the whole thing.......it's a great, well located piece of property.
Labor is very inexpensive in Mexico compared to NOB, and a vast amount of rebuilding can be done by a decent contractor without tearing down and starting over. I should know. (Chuckle). My house is probably older than the buildings at LCS and over the last few years has been restored to a very livable condition; doesn't leak, wiring and plumbing working, plus prettification.
I'd like to see Neill James dream continue, right there, especially the Childrens Art Program. That brings outreach to their parents, too.

What can be done about the library and video rental situation depends largely on what CAN be done in this age of Kindles and workaround Netflix. US libraries have worked this out and I'm sure someone has been exploring the possibilities.

Thank youuuuu all! Your responses are exactly what I'm looking for. Please do continue, it's our community and up to us to make it the best it can be for everyone.

coffeeguy wrote:Yes, things have changed a wee bit since the days of Neill James. Don't get me wrong, I very much admire all of the volunteering to help the Mexican community that goes on, but I think LCS, with finite resources and a very different expat community than in James' time, needs to do about half as many things more than twice as well.

Taking a page from San Miguel's successful Biblioteca, if LCS were in an accessible place with parking (much of the Laguna Mall should surely be available at a deep discount by the time they're ready to move ) with an updated library, e-book access, an auditorium that could seat, say, 100 people with a regular program of movies, speakers, music, etc., an updated DVD library, a mail and package service similar to SMA's wildly successful La Conexion, a really good profesionally-run coffeehouse/restaurant, etc. I can see the place being quite successful.

I second the motion.

Talosian wrote:Taking a page from San Miguel's successful Biblioteca, if LCS were in an accessible place with parking (much of the Laguna Mall should surely be available at a deep discount by the time they're ready to move ) with an updated library, e-book access, an auditorium that could seat, say, 100 people with a regular program of movies, speakers, music, etc., an updated DVD library, a mail and package service similar to SMA's wildly successful La Conexion, a really good profesionally-run coffeehouse/restaurant, etc. I can see the place being quite successful.

Some good ideas there.

Coffeeguy always has good ideas and not to sidetrack this thread but maybe he will start a thread on everything you ever wanted to know about coffee. I think he wrote the book (really).

Now back to LCS. Anyone up for a focus group/think tank type thing? Oh, and while I'm at it, thanks for all the PM's folks, it's all good.

Talosian wrote:

coffeeguy wrote:Yes, things have changed a wee bit since the days of Neill James. Don't get me wrong, I very much admire all of the volunteering to help the Mexican community that goes on, but I think LCS, with finite resources and a very different expat community than in James' time, needs to do about half as many things more than twice as well.

Taking a page from San Miguel's successful Biblioteca, if LCS were in an accessible place with parking (much of the Laguna Mall should surely be available at a deep discount by the time they're ready to move ) with an updated library, e-book access, an auditorium that could seat, say, 100 people with a regular program of movies, speakers, music, etc., an updated DVD library, a mail and package service similar to SMA's wildly successful La Conexion, a really good profesionally-run coffeehouse/restaurant, etc. I can see the place being quite successful.

I second the motion.

IF, there was a move to the Laguna Mall, the auditorium may not be necessary. I see a need for it but the movie theatre could be (rented) used for that purpose couldn't it? Just a thought.
I love the location of the LCS...quiet and serene. Atmosphere versus practicality. It's a conundrum.

I vote for atmosphere and tradition - do not move it's location. Please.

When I think of LCS at Laguna Centro I think the expats have succeeded in making Mexico more like NOB.

Aside from the activities, programs and outreach, the current LCS site captures the beauty and serenity of what is behind the walls in Mexico. I cannot imagine moving it from its current location.

Repair it over time.

Agreed. That's what they did with the Biblioteca in San Miguel...and there is even less parking available there but there are always a pile of taxis going by the front door.

I was a member last year and found that I barely made use of anything available there. Originally I thought that the library alone would be worth the price of admission but with the availability of ebooks, that did not turn out to be the case. I didn't renew my membership this year and doubt that I would in the future.

We are not members there and probably don't know about everything they have to offer. We visited once about 5 years ago and didn't feel welcome. I think they need a "welcome wagon" type service where they find out who is new in town, contact them and offer to give them the royal tour of the facility and all it's programs.

They make a ton of money selling advertising for the Directory, but I never see them advertising themselves. They get free play in Jeannie's column in the paper when they have an affair, and that's it. It behooves any outfit to advertise their offerings on a regular basis.

Yes. I was a member the first and maybe the second year here but after my mom died (she used the Talking Books and it was invaluable to her) I never used it.

I find the LCS irrelevant for my needs and probably wouldn't ever belong again. I do like to take newcomers and visitors there to show off the grounds and tell them the story of Neil James and the old days. If the place was moved to a mall, I would never ever go there again - there would be no reason to.

I do think it's a good place for new people to start out and can be very helpful to them. For me, it's just kind of an old white men's club. . .kinda Republican even. . . lololol JUST KIDDING!

I sure wouldn't want to see LCS relocated to the Laguna Mall. Yuck. We've been members since we first arrived eight years ago but didn't renew this year. Maybe next year. We've kept supporting it because of the educational grants given to Mexican youth. Also, we enjoy the excellent Thursday films put on by Marshall.

Being that we live right beside it, the only reason I would like to see it move is to get rid of the traffic and parking problems off the street. Now if they could somehow make a parking lot down on the lakeshore, beside Ive's, then that would make a world of difference. They could make the entrance at the far back corner, closest to the Lakeshore.

Parking has been a problem there, but then, there are many places where parking is a problem......like the entire Centro area. It is downright ridiculous when you consider that one block away, there's nearly always parking on the side street preceding the turn onto 16 Septiembre. Too many NOB folks seem to consider walking more than 20 ft. as a terrible inconvenience. Such a problem for some that they just double park in the middle of the street there, run in to return a book or a movie and pick up another one.......and just don't giveadamn about the line of cars waiting on them. Pet peeve of mine.
BTW, there is a back gate on Ramon Carona. We use it when we go to Yves.

Moving to Laguna Mall? Adios, LCS.

San Miguel Biblioteca? La Conexion? There is no connection between the two.
There is also no parking near either. Just as there is no comparison between the two cities.......whole different vibe. The last thing I'd want to see is Lakeside becoming more like SMA. I wouldn't be able to afford doing lunch, for one thing. LOL.

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When we first moved to lakeside (10 yrs ago), we joined LCS, during that year here was a fund raiser for new tile in the church, LCS put on a Mexican fiesta c/w Mariachi, folklorico and Mexican food. Everyone had a great time. The next day I was at LCS, in the coffee area and overheard a bunch of the oldtimers complaining about how there Sat. was ruined by the bunch of GD Mexicans that had taken over the place. We never went back.

I can't get too excited about people who don't get that the country they moved to was (gasp) full of Mexicans. That's just blind and stupid.

However, I can get negative about what seems to be a new trend: their latest "Fiesta" this year with a $450peso ticket price. Each. That was up front exclusionary for anyone who can't quite punch a $900 peso afternoon into their retirement budget. No discrimination though: the ticket price was the same for everybody. Equal opportunity.

It makes me wonder what the objective is: Increased dues and high priced fundraisers, but the same services.
Since membership dues are probably the largest source of funds and people are failing to renew or join in the first place, it is becoming obvious what the end result will be. They can always retreat to the Wilkes Center, I 'spose.