AFU Annual Report - 2014

Magazine Overview

This document is the Annual Report for 2014 from the Archives for UFO Research (AFU), also known as Archives for the Unexplained. It details the organization's activities, achievements, challenges, and financial status throughout the year.

AFU's Mission and Identity

The AFU positions itself as a "world memory" for paranormal research, preserving international social traditions and published data related to UFOs and paranormal fields. It distinguishes itself by having UFOs as its core subject, with other paranormal subjects like parapsychology, theosophy, science fiction, and even extreme cultist movements and skepticism grouped around it. This comprehensive approach sets it apart from other archives that may only marginally focus on UFOs.

Name Change and Legal Issues

In April 2013, the AFU board voted to change the name to "Archives for the Unexplained" (AFU) and applied for authorization. However, due to Swedish law, which requires foundations to be officially registered and under annual government control by the end of 2016, and the strict ban against making even slight changes to original statutes, AFU was forced to re-adopt its original statutes from 1980. This means the acronym AFU temporarily reverts to "Archives for UFO Research." To make further changes, AFU needs to pay approximately 8,500 SEK (over USD 1,000) for a permutation with the Kammarkollegiet government authority.

Economy and Funding

AFU's operations are largely dependent on subsidies from Arbetsförmedlingen (AF), the Swedish Government's Employment Office. In 2014, AFU secured an expanded contract with AF to employ twelve people through "phase three" work training schemes, receiving a daily subsidy for each unemployed person taken on. This scheme is described as beneficial for idealistic groups but has been subject to misuse by opportunistic entrepreneurs. The income generated helps maintain facilities, purchase equipment, and hire fully salaried staff. The report notes that the new left-wing government elected in September 2014 plans to decrease subsidies and abandon "phase three" schemes by 2018, posing future financial uncertainty.

Seeking safer and more permanent financing is a major task for the AFU board. They are looking for ideas to secure the future of their collections and find better physical facilities. In 2014, AFU managed to set aside 40,000 SEK (USD 5,000) for future long-term needs, invested in share and interest funds.

Sponsorships

AFU relies on a pool of approximately 25 sponsors to help pay for the basement facilities housing its collections. The report appeals for more sponsors, suggesting monthly contributions of USD 5-10 or annual donations of USD 60-100.

Monetary donations received in 2014 are listed, with sums in SEK, including significant contributions from Anders Liljegren (7,800 SEK), Göran Norlén (4,800 SEK), and Clas Svahn (8,550 SEK). Carl-Anton Mattsson made a special donation of 8,200 SEK for a new photo scanner.

Work Training Projects

AFU collaborates with the Aktema group to activate incapacitated individuals through part-time jobs. They also hosted a visit from a society for people with Asperger's syndrome, aiming to be a potential workplace for individuals with this diagnosis. The report mourns the passing of Sandra Aronsson, a dedicated co-worker since 1993 who contributed significantly to the database of Swedish clippings. AFU also maintained cooperation with coaches and therapists, accepting several individuals for work training, including Robert, Anita, Gabrielle, Håkan A, Emil, Kim, Magnus J, and Fredrik.

Facilities and Equipment

In September, AFU began co-renting an old facility next door to its premises, providing an additional room for sorting and another for meetings. The organization is actively seeking new, larger, and more practical facilities, having visited the 'culture centre' Hallarna. The need for a single headquarters is emphasized due to the impracticality of managing collections across eleven different facilities.

In the autumn, AFU purchased a Synology DS 2413+ NAS unit, providing approximately 40 Tb of net capacity for digitized materials. Access to the NAS is restricted due to copyright laws and personal integrity issues. Limited contents will be made available to serious researchers after review.

Other equipment acquired includes a fourth A3 scanner, a photo scanner for a new picture library project (funded by a donation from the Community's foundation "The best for Norrköping" and Carl-Anton Mattsson), and a new index sign system for its PhenCode classification, costing 27,000 SEK.

AFU also invested in four new work chairs, a sorting stacker system, and archival boxes.

The AFU Shop

The AFU Shop, operating at afushop.hemsida24.se, had its first order in December 2013. In its first year, it processed over one hundred orders, generating a net sum of approximately 55,000 SEK, which helped cover costs for acquiring and shipping new collections. The shop serves a worldwide clientele, selling surplus books and magazines. It now offers over 5,000 items online, using US funds and PayPal. The shop uses a Swedish e-commerce platform. Katarina Hampusson manages the shop. AFU also handles the distribution and administration of UFO-Sweden's book sales and retrospective magazine copies.

Acquisition Trips and Donations

Clas Svahn has led small teams of Swedish ufologists on acquisition trips to the UK for over a decade, persuading researchers and collectors to donate parts of their collections. This year's trip in September included Clas, his son Niklas, and Carl-Anton Mattsson. The trip resulted in significant acquisitions from individuals like Lionel Beer, Bob Rickard, Omar Fowler, Busty Taylor, Bill Foley, Peter Rogerson, Edwin Joyce, and Bob Digby. The book library collections from Bob Rickard, the Lord Clancarty Library, and Peter Rogerson were particularly impressive. Over 260 boxes of materials were shipped from London to Norrköping.

Clas Svahn also visited Belgium in October, meeting with Belgian ufologists and researchers, and acquired archive materials from Marc Hallet. Special collections were also acquired from Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos in Barcelona, Spain.

Book Libraries

The AFU book library catalogued 4,324 new media titles or editions in 2014. Cataloguing was performed by Ingrid Collberg, Katarina Hampusson, Kim Högberg, and Helena Hakkarainen. The largest contributions came from Bob Rickard (1,610 editions), Hilary Evans (1,397), and Centro de Estudios Interplanetarios (CEI) (388). Approximately 20 other individuals and organizations donated books.

To address space shortages, AFU purchased 24 top shelves for the Evans library and three second-hand shelves for the UFO/fortean library, increasing shelf capacity by about 18 and 10 meters respectively. However, parts of the libraries remain overloaded.

Newsclipping Files

AFU discontinued its costly coverage of newly published articles in the Swedish press media in 2013. Since then, Anders Liljegren monitors recent newspaper and magazine clippings monthly via the www.mediearkivet.se database, saving approximately 30,000 SEK annually. The scanning of old clipping collections has focused on editorial folders from Fortean Times, creating about 150,000 digital files, and most Swedish UFO-related clippings (27,000). AFU also acquired a significant clipping collection from Rymdbolaget concerning early space research and Swedish involvement.

The FSR Archives

In the summer of 2014, Anders Liljegren began structuring the extensive Flying Saucer Review editorial archives, inherited from Gordon Creighton. These files occupy five full shelf sections and will require continuous work over the coming years.

Audio Tapes

AFU digitized a box full of French interview cassettes, which were then returned to its French archive partner SCEAU with the digitized files on a USB stick.

Ghost Rocket Documents Site

Anders Liljegren and Clas Svahn met with a developer in Stockholm to discuss a proposed website for structuring and exploring digitized 1946 Swedish ghost rocket documents from the Stockholm National Archives.

Guests at the Archives

Approximately 35 people signed the guestbook, with numerous unrecorded visits. Visitors included members of esoteric societies, university students, sponsors, researchers, and a Stockholm TV crew filming for a documentary. Professor Greg Eghigian from Penn State University visited to collect material for a study on the media's portrayal of UFOs. Tuli Shivute from Namibia visited, promising to be a future contact. Bob Rickard, a major donor and founder of Fortean Times, visited and focused on ordering files on historical weather phenomena. Malin Axelsson and her theatre team visited to research for a play, which evolved to focus on archive work and the lives of unemployed individuals.

News Stories about AFU

Maria Äxter and Malou Thorman from Ascala magazine published an article featuring AFU in their November 2014 issue. Jonas Carlsson and Anders Törnström from Motala-Vadstena Tidning also visited and published a two-page article in late November. Clas Svahn frequently spoke about AFU's work in media interviews and public talks.

Regional Archives' Co-op

AFU is a member of national and regional archives unions. Anders Liljegren attended a meeting demonstrating archive computer software, highlighting AFU's need for a more complete system.

Staff's Social Get-togethers

The annual miniature golf tournament was held in September, won by Peter Malmkvist. A Christmas dinner was also held for staff and board members.

Annual Board Meeting

The regular annual board meeting on February 25 focused on legal issues related to the name change and on current and future donations.

UFO-Sweden

UFO-Sweden held one of its board meetings at AFU premises on November 15. Another meeting on August 9-10 planned a field investigation week in the Kolmården area.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The report consistently emphasizes AFU's dedication to preserving paranormal and UFO-related research materials, its reliance on external funding and volunteer efforts, and its ongoing challenges related to space, funding, and legal compliance. The editorial stance is one of diligent archival work, commitment to the field, and a proactive approach to securing the future of its extensive collections, despite bureaucratic hurdles and financial uncertainties.