The first meeting devoted to cold neutron sources was held at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico, USA) from March 5–8, 1990. The meeting (cosponsored by Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories) was organized as an International Workshop on Cold Neutron Sources, and brought together experts in the fields of reactor and spallation cold-neutron-source design. Eighty-four people from seven countries attended. Because the meeting was the first of its kind in over forty years, much time was spent acquainting participants with past and planned future activities at reactor and spallation facilities worldwide. As a result, the meeting had more of a conference flavor than a workshop; nevertheless, it was deemed successful by all involved. A follow-up meeting was proposed with the date and location to be decided.