[Lnc-business] Discussion on LP records archives

Caryn Ann Harlos carynannharlos at gmail.com
Sat Mar 11 12:37:23 EST 2017


None yet.  We needed to get the committee together and we are budgeting
now.  We want to spend wisely and that requires knowing what we have and
not just scanning Willy Nilly.  Once reason Jackie is going to HQ on Monday
- we will start making spending decisions after that.



On Sat, Mar 11, 2017 at 10:17 AM Joshua Katz <planning4liberty at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Of the initial $5k budget, how much has been spent?
>
> Joshua A. Katz
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 11, 2017 at 11:03 AM, Caryn Ann Harlos <
> carynannharlos at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This is a discussion preliminary to a motion on the records of the LP
> after extensive discussion with Wes and Wes running the thoughts by Nick
> Sarwark
>
> Here is the state of things.  On the Historical Committee end, we have a
> pretty talented group that was chosen, including the original creator of
> the LP.org website Joe Dehn and the LPedia curator for the past ten years
> James Gholston.  LPedia has been cleaned up (gigs and gigs of spam removed)
> and moved to the new server.  We are kicking the tires to make sure it is
> ready to fling back open for new account creation - this is remarkable in
> itself, new account creation has been disabled for years (five years I
> think).  Joe Buchman has been scanning using a professional scanner - but
> that is slow going as it is on off hours he gets to use as a volunteer, but
> we have some high quality scans to start.  And once LPedia gets going
> fundraising for the initial budget will ramp up.  I have already raised the
> first 20% but it is hard to ask for support without some "product" to show.
>
> A problem is that is it very difficult to get started on bulk scanning as
> we don't know what we have in Virginia, compounded by the fact that some of
> it is in an offsite storage facility that is not organized (it is safe and
> boxed well to preserve but no one has put in the very hard time of getting
> those files into shape - there have been more pressing matters - the fact
> that they are safe and stored is due to heroic efforts by Wes as far as I
> am concerned - the legend was that much more was destroyed in the Watergate
> flood than actually was).    None of committee members live in Virginia
> (one lives several hours a year but is fairly new to Party involvement
> though he has made sysadmin skills), and the guiding visionary of the whole
> thing - me - lives in Colorado.  We can ask volunteers to start (and I have
> one dedicated volunteer going down Monday to begin- Jackie Mason) but in
> general that can be a spotty method as can using interns, but without a
> very systematic organization the effectiveness of the records preservation
> will be less than ideal.
>
> So with this, I would to share  some of Wes' thoughts (to which I concur)
> which were shared with Nick for the Committee's consideration with some
> additional thoughts of mine at the end.  These summary thoughts from Wes
> was after an extensive phone conference with me:
>
> ====
>
> I'd like Caryn Ann and the Historical committee to have access to
> documents. But, coordinating and managing interns, shipping items, etc., is
> going to cause a substantial  amount of interruption here at LPHQ.
> Piece-by-piece, and box-by-box, training one volunteer after another how to
> ship, scan, etc. Negotiating pay-rates for interns, etc. Answering hundreds
> of questions.  It adds up quickly.
>
> I'd like to send Nick Dunbar with a 20' U-Haul filled with the historical
> documents that are in our storage unit and basement. We'll include the
> shelves from the storage unit as well, and will shut down our storage unit.
>
> I'd like to deliver it all to Caryn Ann's neighborhood so she can manage
> the project directly, rather than trying to coach an intern or handful of
> semi-reliable volunteers from afar, with us at LPHQ having to support the
> volunteers and interns, explain parking, arrange keys, etc.
>
> The 20 foot Uhaul will cost about $1700 plus $700 gas. All will easily fit
> in that, and won't get nearly as damaged as if we shipped via carrier, plus
> it will require less TLC preparing the stuff to ship. We'll have to spend
> on some boxes and tape. Motels and expenses for Nick along the way plus a
> flight home. Overall, I'd estimate a roughly $5,000 expense.
>
> I moved the entire contents from one storage unit to another a year ago to
> go from a rate of approximately $400/month to $228/month. I know what I'm
> getting into. I used movers that cost about $400 to to unload from one
> unit, and upload to another unit in around 4 hours.
>
> If Caryn Ann fails to make things happen, we'll know the address of the
> storage unit and can always go through the process of moving things back.
> The LNC will pay for and be in control of the storage unit, just like we
> are in control of the one here. They're about to raise our rent from
> $228/month to $248/month and we'll just shut it down after we empty it and
> send things to Colorado.
>
> I've had access to all this stuff for years, and it never reaches high
> enough priority for LPHQ staff to deal with.  It's worth giving Caryn Ann
> and her volunteers and committee a shot at taking the stuff, organizing it,
> and scanning and preserving and posting it online.
>
> ======
>
> This would require approval of an additional $5000 in expenses.  I was
> already thinking I would have to fly out to Virginia over the summer and
> spend a weekend in that storage unit - this would save me that trip so I
> would commit to a donation for this cause, in fact I have been considering
> a life membership, so if this passes I would sign up for that at the
> monthly rate to have a life membership at the end of one year and while in
> CO, Nick can stay in our guest room.  Wes is confident he could fundraise
> the majority of this money as well through several membership emails.
>
> When the LP gets the records back they will be organized and inventoried
> to be of use for years to come.  And I will be able to make meaningful
> recommendations to the LNC as to culling.  And if the LNC in the future
> ever wants to make records retention decisions they will actually know what
> they have.
>
> I can also get the state party here behind setting up a committee of
> volunteers as a Historical Committee Support group to arrange organization
> weekends in which I can spend weekends down with volunteers getting this
> stuff into shape, and I will be able to directly supervise any bulk
> scanning company we use.  And will be able to make sure we are not paying
> to have 50 copies of one thing scanned because I will be able to curate the
> items before they get sent out.
>
> I think also if we video-documented this, it would be an interest piece
> for next convention.   Also, though I haven't priced this out, I think the
> storage costs would be less in CO. The facility doesn't have to be in
> Castle Rock, we are spread out and more towards Denver in a less pricier
> region would be more convenient for more volunteers here.
>
> I am soliciting thoughts preliminary to making a motion.  I also ask Wes
> to weigh in as he is closest to the issue.
>
> --
> *In Liberty,*
> *Caryn Ann Harlos*
> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona,
> Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann.
> Harlos at LP.org <Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org>
> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
> <http://www.lpcolorado.org>
> Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
> <http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org>
> Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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