AFU Annual Report - 2016

Magazine Overview

This document is the Annual Report for 2016 from the Archives for UFO Research (AFU), also known as Archives for the Unexplained. The report details the organization's activities, challenges, and achievements during the year, focusing on its mission to preserve UFO-related memories and phenomena.

Key Challenges

1st Problem: Financing

The AFU foundation's board has made creating a sustainable future a primary focus. The organization faces significant financial challenges, stemming from the need to find new and creative space-saving solutions for its ever-growing collection within its existing 500 square meters. Rearranging collections and transporting them between its thirteen different facilities has become a daily routine. Compounding this is the growing problem of hiring new spaces nearby and the inability to fit increased costs into an already under-financed budget. The report emphasizes that the preservation of UFO and phenomena-related memories is not a task typically supported by the public sector, thus AFU relies heavily on private initiatives. Despite efforts, only about forty regular monetary sponsors exist, primarily Swedish citizens connected to UFO research. The report calls for more direct monetary donations, wills, and bequests for the future, stating that the preservation of important collections is everyone's responsibility.

2nd Problem: Logistics

The financial constraints directly impact the physical environment in which AFU operates. Most facilities are in basements, which are cheaper but carry a high risk of flooding. The dispersed nature of the thirteen facilities, each with different keys, makes daily operations and key management complex and time-consuming. Managing the archives requires significant effort in handling keys and transporting heavy loads, often dependent on good weather. The report notes that storing items in thirteen different places is a logistical challenge for the human brain. The daily problem of forgetting necessary keys or tools at facilities is common. The organization has started discarding "doubles-by-the-multitude" to clear space for new collections, a task that began in 2016.

3rd Problem: Human Resources

For the past six years, AFU has benefited from a Swedish government program designed to keep unemployed individuals engaged through work. This program has provided a significant workforce, including for scanning operations, and has generated substantial finances for the foundation through government subsidies. Since 2009, direct government support has amounted to 3.5 million SEK (USD 435,000), supplemented by another 2.8 million SEK (USD 350,000) from other unemployment programs. These funds have been used for salaries, rent, and acquiring collections. However, the job market in Sweden is changing, with rising employment rates, potentially impacting the availability of this workforce. The report notes that keeping unskilled individuals motivated in jobs can be challenging, and that putting qualified files into the hands of untrained individuals could lead to disaster. AFU requires at least one full-time "academic" archivist to properly organize and research the stored materials.

Economy

In 2016, Larry Frascella from Pennsylvania, USA, donated an additional 30,000 USD (237,015 SEK) for the archives, and also covered shipping costs for the BSR collection (2,000 USD / 16,080 SEK). The organization had 202,000 SEK invested in equities and bonds at the start of the year and continued to invest another 210,000 SEK in Nordea equity and bond funds. The strategy is to save for the future and avoid risky investments. Clas Svahn actively organized fundraising, generating 11,000 SEK, and also donated royalties from his book. Board member Carl-Anton Mattsson donated an extra 45,000 SEK. Instead of investing in new equipment like a book scanner or cataloguing system, AFU is prioritizing saving "survival money" due to economic uncertainty.

Sponsorships

AFU depends on approximately 40 regular private sponsors to cover rent and electricity. In 2016, direct donations exceeding 500 SEK were received from numerous individuals, including Clas Svahn (10,750 SEK), Sven Olov Svensson (7,200 SEK), and UFO-Sweden (2,000 SEK). Fifty other people contributed between 25 and 499 SEK. Clas Svahn also donated 2,000 SEK from a lecture fee, and Valentine Ward donated royalties from her father's books. The total sponsorships from board members were 87,423 SEK, and from outside parties, 297,168 SEK.

New Funding

To maintain its current level of activity, or even reduce it, AFU needs to find new funding sources. A program to actively seek new funding was initiated in 2016, with a more detailed report expected in future annual reports.

Investments during the year

2016 marked the likely end of regular income from unemployment programs, which had funded equipment purchases such as IKEA shelves, a new scanner, desktop computers, a work table, and archival boxes and folders.

Collections

Acquired & donated collections

Approximately 25 persons and organizations donated collections or parts of collections. AFU spent 86,483 SEK (roughly USD 10,000) on acquiring new collections and transporting them to Sweden. Since 1973, AFU has received donations from over 300 individuals and organizations. Notable collections received include those from Hilary Evans, Luis Schönherr, Bob Rickard, Marc Hallet, Gordon Creighton, Peter Rogerson, and the BSRA group. AFU has saved these collections, often still in boxes, preserving them in relatively safe environments.

Borderland Sciences Research Associates/Foundation (BSRA/BSRF) Collection

In the summer, AFU received three full pallets containing 75 boxes from Eureka, California. This collection is unique to ufology, the paranormal, and studies of new energies. The files originated from Meade Layne's "The Round Robin" publication, later known as "Journal of Borderland Research". The transatlantic shipment was sponsored by Larry Frascella and organized by his sister Annine.

Eugen Semitjov Collection

AFU continued to acquire parts of the collection of deceased Swedish author-journalist Eugen Semitjov (1923-1987), including interview tapes and clippings.

Wendelle Stevens Collection

AFU also began acquiring parts of the collection of deceased US ufologist Wendelle Stevens (1923-2010) from US citizen Joe Fex, obtaining rare materials related to contactees like Georg Adamski and Billy Meier.

UFO-Sweden Local Member Groups

With the gradual disappearance of UFO-Sweden's local member groups, AFU has received numerous files. A significant donation came from Roland Östlund, former chairman of Gävleborgs UFO-förening, whose group's files were collected by AFU in October.

AFU Collection Tours

Two tours to the British Isles were conducted. The first, in May, involved packing files from Bob Rickard's London home. The second, in September, ended prematurely due to Clas Svahn's car breaking down in the UK. During these tours, AFU met with various researchers and collected materials.

Digitizing Projects

During 2016, AFU digitized an estimated 50,000 new clippings from the Fortean Times editorial files, bringing the total to over 300,000. A project organized by Isaac Koi involved digitizing 500 magazine issues, with the aim of making them available for public download pending copyright releases. Approximately 300 magnetic audio tapes were also digitized, adding to over 5,000 tapes digitized over the years.

Researchers and Visitors

AFU hosted approximately 50 visitors in 2016, including individuals from the USA, UK, Denmark, and Finland. The policy is to accept visitors but limit groups to ten or twelve people. Visitors included Marianne Söderholm, Julia Falk, Toke Haunstrup (who manages the Danish SUFOI report alarm phone), Kim Nilsson and members of the music group Den Svenska Björnstammen, representatives of the Swedish Parapsychological Society (SPF), Emelie Rosenqvist (Swedish Radio producer), a group from Jönköping Archives of People's movements, Danish radio students, Mathias Rosberg (film & TV producer), and Karl-Arne Blom.

Facilities and Libraries

AFU rented a new storage facility in April to house surplus collections due to lack of display space. Studies for a new library facility were conducted but deemed too costly. AFU requires more concentrated and larger areas for its 2.5 kilometers of shelves. The acquisition of a new cataloguing system was postponed due to cost, with AFU continuing to use Microsoft Access databases. A new magazine catalogue was produced and posted online. The book library contains about 29,500 catalogued books distributed across three facilities. To save space, third archival copies of certain titles were temporarily stored in boxes in a new rented storage facility, the 13th in total. Peter Rogerson was the largest book donor, followed by Bob Rickard & CFI. The picture library project remained at a standstill due to the lack of permanent staff for digitization.

Info requests and book loans

About 80 book titles were borrowed from the reference library, primarily by local people. Postal loans have ceased due to high shipping costs. AFU receives one to two information requests per week globally. While archives cannot be loaned, they can be copied or scanned. AFU also assists in finding accurate references for information, often correcting misquoted sources found online. For in-depth searches, researchers are advised to visit AFU in person.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The report consistently highlights the financial and logistical struggles of AFU, emphasizing its reliance on private donations and volunteer efforts. There is a strong undercurrent of dedication to preserving UFO-related history despite these challenges. The organization actively seeks collaborations and donations, and engages with researchers and the public through visits and information requests. The editorial stance is one of earnest commitment to its mission, acknowledging the difficulties but maintaining a proactive approach to collection management, digitization, and outreach.

This issue of UFO-Sweden, dated August 22, 2017, focuses on the operations and future aspirations of the Archives for the Unexplained (AFU). It details the past year's activities, including board meetings, staff employment, financial challenges, and ongoing projects, while also outlining a strategic vision for the archives up to 2022.

UFO-Sweden at AFU

UFO-Sweden, the national UFO group, held two board meetings at AFU headquarters in April and November. The organization's operations are intertwined with the AFU, which serves as its headquarters and archive.

Employees & Apprentices

The eight-year period of government-paid work forces at AFU was nearing its end in 2017. On May 25, Anders and Katarina participated in the final "provider" exhibition at the local unemployment office. Five persons were employed with full salaries during the year.

Leif, the digitizing wizard, returned on March 1 after an eight-month absence. However, his "new start" job placement was terminated on June 30, 2015, after the unemployment office refused continued subsidies, citing a new rule that individuals connected to the board of their employer could not receive such subsidies. AFU protested this decision and initiated a court case, which they won in April. The court sent the case back to the AF office for a new decision. Despite this, the national AF office appealed to a higher court, with a decision expected in spring 2017. Leif was later offered another type of subsidized job and returned to AFU on March 1.

Irene, also from the digitizing department, was employed throughout the year, with her subsidies prolonged until January 31, 2017. Katarina, working in the AFU shop, also had her "new start" job subsidy contract prolonged. Kerstin, who works with the libraries, had her subsidized work place extended until June 2017.

Johan completed his one-year project period on June 30 and had it extended by three months. AFU funded his salary, as he primarily worked for the UFO-Sweden report centre and other board projects. After September 30, Johan continued as a daily volunteer at the archives.

Financial Challenges and Sponsorship

In November, a new budget for 2017 indicated that AFU could not sustain paying salaries after April 30 of the following year without significant monthly losses. Consequently, three employees were warned about potential job loss. In response, several old sponsors stepped in to improve the economic situation. New private sponsors were recruited, including a donation of 100,000 SEK, which provided a short-term respite and ensured continuity.

Ghost Rockets Project

Continuous efforts were made to improve the www.ghostrockets.se website, including new translations of Swedish military documents from the archives. Fredrik Aldhagen (Aktema team) and Thomas Michanek (UFO-Sweden) provided significant assistance. The website was tailor-made by programmers connected to a Danish IT group, funded by the Ghost Rocket documentary film team. Due to copyright restrictions, the program code cannot be migrated to another server. The possibility of migrating translations into a simpler Wiki-like database is being considered to preserve the work, though map presentations of sightings might be lost. The project's ambition was deemed too high relative to available resources, leading to reliability issues such as suddenly disappearing translations.

Media & Public Appearances

Approximately 15 articles appeared in the Swedish press mentioning the archives, primarily in interviews with UFO-Sweden's chairman, Clas Svahn. International presentations of the archives' work were also made, including features in the British Fortean Times and the American Libraries magazine.

Co-operation

Aktema, a community project supporting young people with disabilities, involves AFU as a workplace provider. AFU participated in Aktema's annual lunch and award ceremony. Anders, Katarina, and Kerstin also attended a meeting organized by ÖLFA, an association of local archives, where they visited Museiservice and a community history center in Gryt.

Staff's Social Get-togethers

The annual mini golf tournament was held on August 16, and a Christmas lunch celebration took place on December 16, with around twenty co-workers attending.

The AFU Shop

The AFU Shop, established in early 2014, experienced its third year of operation with slightly increased revenue, totaling 70,528 SEK (approximately 9,000 USD). With increased PR and publicity, the shop's potential revenue was estimated to be around 100,000 SEK per year. The exchange rate for the US dollar against the Swedish SEK also influenced sales.

Katarina Hampusson manages the AFU Shop, which had approximately 130 customers worldwide. During the year, she handled about 175 orders, including those for the AFU Shop and UFO-Sweden's online sales. The shop offered 7,299 variants of items, including books, magazines, and the Ghost Rockets DVD, and had an acute need for more space.

Our Visions for the Future

AFU's visions for 2022 include:

1. Securing permanent financing: This involves attracting private benefactors, increasing European and international sponsors, learning to apply for grants, and gaining experience with crowd-funding projects. Developing the AFU shop with promotional goods is also part of this vision.
2. Centralizing collections: The goal is to have all collections in one building, efficiently managed, stored in suitable environments, and meeting the needs of personnel and visiting researchers.
3. Establishing a permanent, skilled staff: A team of at least 4-5 individuals is envisioned to maintain historical knowledge, specialize in archival functions (cataloguing, digitization, sales), and organize work-training for people with disabilities.

The issue concludes with a dated statement from Clas Svahn, Anders Liljegren, Hakan Blomqvist, and Carl-Anton Mattsson, dated August 22, 2017, likely representing the AFU board.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the operational challenges and financial sustainability of the AFU archives, the importance of volunteer work and subsidized employment, the ongoing efforts in documenting and preserving UFO-related information (Ghost Rockets project), and a forward-looking perspective on the archives' development and goals for the future. The editorial stance appears to be one of resilience, proactive problem-solving, and a clear vision for growth and stability, emphasizing the value of their work and the need for continued support.