The other day I posted this to the CE3K/AE Face Book page:
"Trying to make my files easier to get at and not bulky -the US needs at least two large folders and France and Spain require one each.
32 CE3K/AE files and starting next January I want to clean up some of the reports by getting more details. However, about 75% of cases from W Europe and the USA were never investigated and, sadly, we have lost those (though re-opening some as cold case files might save some)."
I continued the tidying up and adding sources/reports to the files and had to split up the United States files making three new file folders so now 35 in total covering the reports from around the world.
Neither the Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) noir the Archive For the Unexplained (AFU in Sweden) has as complete an archive of these reports and, of course, I get asked (often in a roundabout way as no one likes to ask outright) what happens to coming up to 50 years of records and work?
Well, my four books cover aspects of the work but most of it has never been published and I did have an idea for a fifth book on the subject but no one appears interested in the subject. I do not intend to go anywhere just yet but the UK needs a UFO archive even if it's doubtful anyone is really going to be visiting one unless its to swipe information for books -research is a dirty word in the UK. I had thought CUFOS at first but they are low on staff and funds to ship a cupboard full of files do not exist. The AFU travel to the UK to collect archives but I do have concerns.
The Great British UFO Archive opens up in early 2023 so it is an option so long as its continuation and future is guaranteed.
The original idea was to ensure that CUFOS and AFU got records and somewhere in the UK got all the paperwork! The Bristol Central Library and Records Office were initially interested but as a lot gets dumped when "budget is low" by Bristol City Council I had to re-think.
Someone I am acquainted with has seen the files and is aware of the contents. He is also an accountant and studied maths at university. I told him of my plans and he told me to do nothing yet but hold on and he would look into things. He did -and quickly, too!
He is aware that the files contain "thousands" of pages and that I am continuing the updating every month (I spend more than a couple hundred £/$ a year on ink cartridges and document wallets!). Each one of those pages would need, after updating to be scanned and placed on to a mass storage device -USB sticks with very high gig counts. The scanning would take, with only one man doing the work, an estimated three years at 8+/- hours per day and that time, etc needs paying for. His estimate is that the work would need funding to the tune of £30k/$30k.
That does not shock me as the wildlife work I have done since 1976 runs into the many thousands and the same can be said for the CE3K/AE work to date. The likelihood of getting such funding is zero (underlined about ten times). I know what you are thinking "Start scanning now" and I would but I don't even have a scanner that works but I do have a very -very- old PC that is cranky. New PC and new scanner costs money and I barely survive day to day so getting new ones is a fantasy.
The idea of CUFOS, the AFU and the Great British UFO Archive each having a full set of CE3K/AE storage devices sounds good but at the moment it is very unlikely. Until either the books start to sell or some rich UFO enthusiast decides to invest £30k.... I plod on.
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