a process begins
One of the first posts at this blog invited readers to donate white 8.5 x 11 inch, not-previously-folded paper that had been printed on one side but was clean on the other . . . to AeroKnow Museum. The first and so far only person to respond was Chuck Martin who operates Parkway Printers on north Dirksen Parkway in Springfield. In this post we will see what became of his kindness. . .
Pictured at the top of the view above are two stacks of #10 envelopes full of pictures cut in a hurry from hundreds of magazines donated by David Harris in early 2010. Many of the mags remain intact in this collection but the rest were taken apart. Articles of one or more pages were culled from them and set aside for filing in the Research Room (RR). Many pages had pictures and pics with captions or short articles that were too important to add to the local landfill. Over the years, thousands of small clippings have been filed . . . . at a price. The “price” is that they are squashed when full pages are added to the file folders and become hard to read and reproduce as copies for researchers. Starting with Dave Harris’ excellent donation, I determined the best way to accommodate the small stuff was to scissor-trim it to fit #10 envelopes. Anything that could not fit into the envelope after folding only once would remain part of the entire page.
as first cut from the donated magazine
Then I realized that files of small envelopes among the files was less than the perfect solution. The presence of overstuffed envelopes in the same files as the rest was inefficient use of the space. Opening up the envelopes and looking over hundreds of small clips was also time-wasting and a process that risked accidental loss of saved material.
getting it all together
The obvious solution is to tape closely trimmed clips to the clean side of once-used paper. It had to be white paper to make it easier to read, and each clip would be marked with an abbreviation indicating the magazine and date on the cover when known. The reason for trimming close is to leave more “white space” for the tape to adhere to the paper.
three in the space of one
It’s all come together nicely despite an unanticipated problem. So far, I am the only local supporter of AeroKnow Museum with the knowledge requisite to processing clippings this way. It’s time-consuming, and it takes as much brain power as basket weaving, but it’s a task that will benefit visitors to AKM “in search of. . . .” On the positive side, after doing this for three or four hours at a time without interruption by visiting supporters, one earns a sense of significant accomplishment.
That’s not the final step of course. The pages of combined clips are then distributed among the appropriate files in the RR.
- visiting Hornet and Hornetmaster
I’m including the picture above to show the AeroKnow Museum is not all about clippings, scissors and tape. I’ll tell you more about distinguished visitors in the future here at Abe Lincoln’s Air Force.
In the meantime, you should know that I’ve launched a Facebook page “AeroKnow Museum” and it’s limited to members of Abe Lincoln’s Air Force” who are my Fb friends. Join the discussion groups, post pictures of airplanes, see other aircraft visiting the airport and more. If you have not become a member of Abe Lincoln’s Air Force, the support adjunct of AeroKnow Museum, please do by sending your check for $15 (US) $20 (foreign), payable to AeroKnow, and email address to AeroKnow Museum, 900 Airport Drive, Springfield, IL 62707. You will be sent your membership card and certificate, suitable for framing via First Class mail.
CAVU and soft landings!
Abe Lincoln's Air Force 