Advertise in Connections the AIRS newsletter for the I&R community

Connections is the voice of I&R, helping over 5000 AIRS members in 1100 I&R organizations across North America stay informed. Distributed online, it is read by I&R directors, managers, supervisors, IT staff and frontline workers interested in your products and services.

Contact Charlene Kloos, AIRS Communications Coordinator, at [email protected] for more information and to book your ALLIANCE OF INFORMATION & REFERRAL SYSTEMS 2016 advertising. CONNECTIONS APRIL 2012 ! President’s Message AIRS 2012 Points to ponder from Conference Learn to Speak Community 5th Graders Have you registered NOLA Volume 27 #4 Living Pre-Conference Page yet? Info & links. Part 2 in New s 1 - 2 NASUAD tells us Intensives Friends of AIRS Page 3 Orleans language about the ACL 3 fantastic in-depth Silent Auction & Policy: Older Page 4 Scholarships need Americans Act New Members Page 5 sessions being offered Current & future This month AIRS Certifications - Page 5 your support •Connections is distributed via bulk emailer to our members, posted on Networker (our member-only social implications welcomes 4 new New Specialists & I&R in the News Page 6 Test Dates Highlighting I&Rs NASUAD Award Page 7 members in the media Apply for Excellence Page 7 in Volunteer Service Pages 8 - 9 Inside this Page award PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE s 10 - 11 networking site) and promoted to a wider, public audience via Facebook and Twitter. Page 11 issue Does it matter where the call is answered? I recently had the opportunity to talk about I&R and N11 numbers. What was different about this presentation was the audience, twenty-five fresh faced 5th graders at the local elementary school. My first thought was “what do 5th graders know (or care to know) about I&R and N11 numbers?” As it turns out, •Nine Issues a Year (with July/August and November/December being combined). quite a lot.

Most of us in the field of I&R know that an N11 code or number is a special three digit number within the North American Numbering Plan, which allows access to special services such as 9-1-1, 5-1-1 and 2-1-1. After the presentation one student asked “Does it matter where the call is answered?” I was caught off guard by the question. I asked for clarification. •6 & 9 Month ad packages. “Well if I call 9-1-1 or 2-1-1, where is the call answered? Is it answered locally? Does it matter?” I was awestruck that this question would come from a 5th grader. Great question Justin.

Everybody probably has an opinion on this subject. My evasive response was that it probably depends who you ask. If your house is on fire and you call 9-1-1, the last thing on your mind is where the call is physically being answered. What you care about is an instant response and the immediate dispatch of firefighting personnel. Incoming 911 calls are handled at a Public Safety Answering Point usually located in the county or city that they serve. This makes sense. I don’t want the 9-1-1 dispatcher to be answering the call remotely, from home or the local Wal-Mart. It is reassuring to know that they are close by.

Many of us probably care very little where the 4-1-1 call is answered. I challenge anybody to even find where 4-1-1 is physically located. My research attempts were unsuccessful. I even called 4-1-1 to ask where they were located and was told in no uncertain terms that the information is confidential. That was a waste of $2.00.

If I need to call the Alamo Area Agency on Aging (AAAA) to inquire about care coordination, I would expect that my call would be answered in San Antonio or at least in one of the 11 rural counties it serves. I am a firm believer that community information is best answered by I&R Specialists living in, and knowledgeable about that community.

What about 2-1-1? Some 2-1-1’s and other I&R services have their staff telecommuting including their I&R Specialists. Others may call forward their calls after hours to another 2-1-1 or a crisis service. From an organizational and system perspective, this may be 2016 AIRS Advertising Rates a sensible option. It provides for continuity of service, flexibility for staff and may reduce costs. April 2012

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