See Current Project List for a list of any fan history project we've heard about.
updated January 1996
I'm working on a history of Irish fandom, as well as a Who's Who in Irish Fandom, for publication in some form at the European SF Convention which is being held in Dublin in 1997. Until I finish my college course this summer I can't do very much work on either, but I am getting some material together. Irish fandom has risen from virtually nothing in the early 1970's to a resonably active fan base now, with about 300 names in my Who's Who currently, from a con going population of perhaps 1000 (maybe as much as 2000 if you include Trek conventions). At the moment it looks like active fandom is taking a bit of a rest, as there are even more grumbles than usual about running the national SF association and convention. Trek (and Babylon 5) fandom on the other hand is still pretty active. The above is just a brief update on the current Irish sf scene!
updated Feb 96
The saga of the BCSFA archives continues. I am now the acting archivist. The archives in their entirety (21 boxes) now fill my bach pad. Having collated in my personal BCSFAzine collection, the archive possesses two near-complete sets. Cataloguing them is my first priority.
My third priority is fanzines. There's about 1,000. The bulk of them are from the Susan Wood estate donation (1980), and from my years as 'God-Ed'. As a result, the collection is curiously lopsided: an excellent sampling of zines circa 1975 to 1980, and the same from 1990 to present, with only a few from the '80s.
As soon as I have these sorted out and squared away, Fran Skene will donate a further ten boxes of zines. More collating. What fun!
A preliminary sort indicates the presence of varying-length runs of the following zines (and this is only a partial list):
From Canada: Genre Plat, Amor,Torus,Potboiler,SFA Digest,Luna And Beyond, Neology, Xenofile, Fantarama, The Zine That Has No Name, The Monthly Monthly, DNQ, Zosma, Simulacrum, Requiem, Kratophany, Novoid, The Maple Leaf Rag....
From the UK: Egoboo, Speculation,Scottishe,The Beanie,Wallbanger,Maya, Fanzine Fanatique,Vector,Les Spinge,Nabu,Triode....
From Australia & New Zealand: Wahf-Full, Weber Woman's Wrevenge,Giant Wombo, Q36, Sikander, Forerunner, SF Commentary, Epsilon Eridani Express, The Zine Fan, Revolting Tales Of Sex & Super-Science, Osiris, Noumenon, Tucker Bag, The Mad Dan Review, Ariel, Gegenschein, Genuine Victorian Wicker Dunkle, Fanew Sletter, Chunder....
From the US: Anvil, Ashwing, File 770, Pyrotechnics, Viper, Pegasus, The Twilight Zine, The Periodical Lungfish, Don-O-Saur, Groggy (Magnificent covers!), Yandro, Wild Fennel, Zymurgy, Masiform, Kteic, Rune, Stupifying Stories, Mainstream, Outworlds, Lan's Lantern, Karass, Fantasaie, Voice Of The Lobster, Janus, Seldon's Plan, The Spang Blah, Random, Undulant Fever, Unicorn, Tangent, Starfire, The Invisible Fan, Sfinctor, Scientifriction....
Once every zine is catalogued I hope to use selected zines for displays at V-Cons & club functions, to use them for research to write articles for BCSFAzine and Fhapa (has the first issue come out? I haven't received it as yet), and to mine for info pertaining to BCSFA which I can use in my "Weirds Did It!" history project. But mainly, MAINLY, to enjoy the primary perk available to an archivist, to read each and every zine at my leisure!
I've typed this into the computer twice now, I've got money from MinnStf for publication, and Jeff Schalles is interested/willing to put it out as a Rune double issue. (This issue would be one, the rest of Rune the second.)
I've got money from LACon 3 to do a display about the fan funds. All fan funds. What I'd like to do is a single 11x17 or 8.5x11 on each race of the major funds (TAFF/DUFF) with photos of the people running at that time, and short biography of them, with a note on the winner. To go with this would be accessible (I hope plastic pages with sheets inside) of all the reports for people to read/look through. And a fanzine with a short article on each fund. What I have found out are there are more funds than I know: CUFF (Canada) the Flying Filk Fund, others. I could use some help in compiling what funds, as I'm sure I'm missing them. There would also be discussion of the 'one off's like the Tucker Transfer, Coulsons to Newcastle, etc. Dave's listing of the TAFF people above is really great in this regard. (This has begun, but needs much work. I've got plans!)
It's long past time I told you about The Science Fiction Museum. To quote the "5 second con spiel:"
The Science Fiction Museum is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that is run by volunteers and supported by donations. We need only the building - and we're working on that.
We have received donation of various items including fanzines. (don't know which ones yet - they are boxed up in storage) It would be great if we could act as a repository for fan history - it has always been in our plans to include fanzines in our library - we just don't have space right now. Our funding level is to small to rent a storage facility. But if we can find the needed funding x? I have access to a computer (Mac) and a scanner but not storage space. Programs include Wordperfect, Word and and OCR reader for the scanner and fax (haven't tested that one yet) Some of the other directors also have computers. The board has authorized the rental of a small storage space. We can act as a repository based on available space. I guess the short of it is: