Help Preserve and Share Baba’s Life and Legacy · MEHER ARCHIVE COLLECTIVE WHO: PO Box 18908...

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MEHER ARCHIVE COLLECTIVE WHO: PO Box 18908 Asheville, NC 28814 meherarchive.org To collect, preserve, and share Meher Baba’s Divine legacy of materials, artifacts, and words with integrity, love, and transparency for the benefit of humanity. Surveying Work with Baba archives and individuals to find out what is out there and who needs help. Planning / Assessments How much Baba material does a person have and what resources do they need to archive? Rehousing Placing physical documents and objects in protective containers in an organized way. Conservation Long term care and storage in a safe, climate- controlled facility. Digitization Scanning paper, transferring old audio / video to digital. Digital Archive / Database Organization and processing of digital files searchable by date and subject; protecting the files with redundancy, duplication; staying ahead of technological changes Sharing / Dissemination Ongoing searchable website hub, connecting all Baba archives. Keeping copies of “complete” database in strategic places around the world with a 700 year preservation plan. Meher Archive Asheville Office Help Preserve and Share Baba’s Life and Legacy e great work of saving the stories, letters, films, photos, and precious relics from this avataric advent has been underway, but now you too can help. Never before has technology made physical and digital preservation and sharing so easy nor allowed access to so many to learn more of Meher Baba. Study of the Revealed Truths e discourses of living Perfect Masters or the writings of the Perfect Masters of the past are a suitable object for this mode of general meditation, because the assimilation of Divine Truths, revealed through them, enables the aspirant to bring his life into line with God’s purpose in the universe. - Discourses of Meher Baba Cropped Baba photo from Adele Wolkin collection MAC spontaneously emerged from the simultaneous needs and desires of the Asheville Baba community and the world at large. We are now a 501(c)3 non-profit and have begun actively archiving several concurrent projects. SERVICES: MISSION: v 1.62 1

Transcript of Help Preserve and Share Baba’s Life and Legacy · MEHER ARCHIVE COLLECTIVE WHO: PO Box 18908...

Page 1: Help Preserve and Share Baba’s Life and Legacy · MEHER ARCHIVE COLLECTIVE WHO: PO Box 18908 Asheville, NC 28814 meherarchive.org To collect, preserve, and share Meher Baba’s

MEHER ARCHIVE COLLECTIVE

WHO:

PO Box 18908Asheville, NC 28814

meherarchive.org

To collect, preserve, and share Meher Baba’s Divine legacy of materials, artifacts, and words with integrity, love, and transparency for the benefit of humanity.

• SurveyingWork with Baba archives and individuals to find out what is out there and who needs help.

• Planning / AssessmentsHow much Baba material does a person have and what resources do they need to archive?

• RehousingPlacing physical documents and objects in protective containers in an organized way.

• ConservationLong term care and storage in a safe, climate-controlled facility.

• DigitizationScanning paper, transferring old audio / video to digital.

• Digital Archive / Database Organization and processing of digital files searchable by date and subject; protecting the files with redundancy, duplication; staying ahead of technological changes

• Sharing / DisseminationOngoing searchable website hub, connecting all Baba archives. Keeping copies of “complete” database in strategic places around the world with a 700 year preservation plan.

Meher Archive Asheville Office

Help Preserve and Share Baba’s Life and Legacy

The great work of saving the stories, letters, films, photos, and precious relics from this avataric advent has been underway, but now you too can help. Never before has technology made physical and digital preservation and sharing so easy nor allowed access to so many to learn more of Meher Baba.

Study of the Revealed Truths

The discourses of living Perfect Masters or the writings of the Perfect Masters of the past are a suitable object for this mode of general meditation, because the assimilation of Divine Truths, revealed through them, enables the aspirant to bring his life into line with God’s purpose in the universe.

- Discourses of Meher Baba

Cropped Baba photo from Adele Wolkin collection

MAC spontaneously emerged from the simultaneous needs and desires of the Asheville Baba community and the world at large. We are now a 501(c)3 non-profit and have begun actively archiving several concurrent projects.

SERVICES:

MISSION:

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Why Asheville?Asheville and the surrounding area is home to more than 200 Baba Lovers and growing. There are currently several members of the community who are willing and eager to help with this project. Asheville is located in the mountains of North Carolina and has a moderate climate, which is a positive when building a long-lasting facility. Asheville will still be above sea level in the years to come and there are thousands of locations with high elevations to avoid storm floods. Home to the annual Music Sahavas, Asheville regularly hosts Baba followers from all over the world for events and visits.

Reason For Physical ArchiveMeher Archive Collective seeks to create a safe space to preserve and share knowledge and objects associated with Meher Baba’s advent. Technology changes quickly, and we intend to stay on top of the changes, causing us to adapt and convert old stored media into new formats.

Primary Goals: 1. Find, Gather, and Prevent loss of any unique Baba treasures (physical and informational).2. Organize materials so they can be available for researchers, centers, and future generations.3. Share as much as possible with the public as is appropriate so that all of Baba’s words, ways, original edits of

publications, and His messages are accessible to everyone.4. Cooperate with other Baba archives for the mutual benefit of His lovers and humanity as a whole. Insofar

as our resources allow, trained volunteers can organize work trips to help with on-location projects (scanning,rehousing etc.), as well as perform database work from home.

5. Gather a “complete” digital Universal Library of all published and unpublished records relating to MeherBaba’s life, stories, and legacy. Store these Meher Arks in strategic locations around the world to safeguard againstany one regional calamity (fire, war, or natural disaster) from wiping out a whole collection over the next 700-1400 years.

Location and Goals

How You Can HelpWill you join us in donating time or financial resources to make this vision a reality?Please make a financial contribution to our annual operating budget. (see attached) While one time donations are very welcome, our target goal is an average of $20 per month from 200 people from around the world.

Please visit www.meherarchive.org/donations.html

For general information, visit www.meherarchive.org or email [email protected]

Meher Archive Collective

BoardRenee Bussanich

Hugh HuntingtonKen Blackman

Jean Brunet LudwigScott Tower

Executive DirectorEruch Adams

AdvisorsSevn McAuley

Elaine Cox

Current projects: • Don Stevens Archive - digital database in cooperation with Beads on One String Foundation.• Jean Adrial Photo Collection - scanning, archiving, and sharing.• Jessawala Photo Collection - recieved copy of this from the Jessawala family to share publicly.

(originals are held by the Trust Archives in India)• Fred and Ella Winterfeldt Archive – rehousing, scanning, photo restoration,

database, sharing.• Contact with several other archives - projects are currently being assessed.• Educating community members in taking care of the artifacts and letters they

may currently have in their possession to prevent deterioration.

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Meher Archive Collective 3-5 Year Plan

PHASE ONEMAC is currently near the end of phase one, which has involved envisioning, getting set up, finding a team that could work together, identifying different types of archive projects, and testing out the best methodology to see if we could make improvements in method or training.

Completed to date:1. Registered as a North Carolina 501(c)3 non profit religious organization.2. Created a Board of Directors, growing advisory board, and wrote By-Laws.3. Small, temporary office set up to have meetings and begin protected storage

and archiving projects.4. We have contracted with Eruch Adams to take on roles that we otherwise

have to hire outside help for a limited 10 hrs / week. Duties include designand make operational a Web site, computer and tech management for MAC,head archivist, photo scanning and restoration, and general coordinating.

5. Development of short and long range plans and budgets to match.6. Started on the initial work of digital cataloguing Don E Stevens archive with

Sevn McAuley and the Beads on One String Foundation, to enhance trainingand systems for global digital archive standards.

7. Presented MAC overview and rare photo presentation at 2017 Amartithi inAsheville and the South East Gathering.

8. Begun survey of the larger Baba community in attempt to assess the relativesize and content of private archives in order to estimate the real space neededand level of interest in a new Archive in Asheville.

9. We have prepared one-year and five-year budgets based on assessedlocal, national, and global needs.

10. Initiate fund drive for Phase Two Operating Budget. (See attached budget)

PHASE TWOExpanding the work, allowing more people to participate, sharing at a higher quality and rate.

1. Move into larger archive facility to expand volunteer participation from 4 to12 concurrent workers and manage more archival material. (Significantdonations are already coming in).

2. Expand training of local and global volunteers with archiving manuals andtraining videos.

3. Work with Sevn, the Trust, and other archives to improve the databasesystem Sevn designed for the Trust six years ago, and make the finaldatabase system even more user friendly and available to all Baba archivesfor free.

4. Launch MAC online database after Don Stevens database completion.5. Make various photo collections accessible; gather known info on dates,

persons, and sources.6. Digitize growing audiotape collection.

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7. Coordinate new projects with other Baba archives (rare films, bringing letterstogether with replies, technical expert support where needed).

8. Launch Capital fundraising campaign for Phase Three

PHASE THREEPhase three of the plan is the identification of a permanent facility befitting a major archive/work groups/learning center that befits the Avatar of the age. This may be the purchase of an existing structure or the acquisition of land and the construction of a building. The research for this phase will begin in Phase 2. It is our anticipation that within 12 to 36 months we will have a permanent space for the Archive. The below list may happen in smaller phases or all at once, depending on the funds raised.

A PERMANENT FACILITY ALLOWS: 1. Expanded space to accommodate larger volunteer groups2. Ramping up of our efforts to serve the needs of other archives3. Offering of database software, training, and other resources to other Baba

archives4. Research Library for historians and authors to study unpublished material

and rare books.5. Ability to publish new and out-of-print Baba books.6. Expand photo restoration to include archival prints and framing.7. Museum or display space for Baba treasures artwork, garments and other

artifacts8. A community meeting space9. High quality film projection10. Tightly controlled temperature and humidity for proper storage of artifacts11. Teaching space12. Higher security level for crime, fire and weather related issues13. Backup power source to assure temperature and humidity control14. Potentially distribute key Baba books and materials

BUDGETS

• During phase 2, a Capital Budget for a permanent space will be developed.• Operating Budget includes cost of moving into a larger temporary building

and ramping up activities. Budget years one through five are attached.

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Meher Archive Collective 8/31/17Opperating Budget - 2017 - 2022

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022Number of Monthly Contributors to Operations 100 200 250 300 300 300Revenue from monthly contributions (avg. $20/mo per contributor) 8,000 48,000 60,000 72,000 72,000 72,000 Other contributions from the general public 15,000 25,900 32,000 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000 carry over (for 2016 -> 2017) 1,100 Total Revenue 15,000 35,000$ 80,000$ 95,000$ 107,000$ 107,000$ 107,000$

Office Supplies 3,000 2,000 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 Liability Insurance for the Board of Directors/annual 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 Desks and Chairs 1,000 1,000 1,000 Equipment 8,900 4,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 Office rental and expenses Beginning Sept 2017 5,009 19,200 19,200 19,200 19,200 19,200 Travel - 300 1,000 1,200 1,200 1,500 1,500

- - - - - Office Supplies 2,700 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 Postage 450 600 600 600 600 600 Wages - Executive Director 16,900 36,000 36,000 36,000 36,000 36,000 Wages Assistant to Director 10,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 Payroll Tax 936 2,500 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 Monthly Phone 400 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 Total Expense 13,900$ 34,695$ 82,300$ 92,000$ 92,000$ 92,300$ 92,300$ Surplus for Capital Fund (Permanent Archive Building) 305 (2,300) 3,000 15,000 14,700 14,700

Assumptions include:

45,405$ Total reserve for Capital Fund