Our Foundation is a non-profit organization created to preserve the knowledge of mankind. It originated in the year 02007 and has as it's purpose the preservation of books that would allow the continuation - or rebuilding - of civilization.
It was inspired by the late Dr. Isaac Asimov, author of the Hugo Award winning “Foundation Trilogy”, a series of books about how a group of scientists attempted to preserve the collected knowledge of mankind. They did this to insure that if any disaster or collapse took place, that the time needed for rebuilding would be that much shorter, because we would not have to start over in learning everything.
As Dr. Asimov once observed, “It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”
We at The Encyclopedia Foundation believe those words, and by our actions are working to realize the dream of preserving the knowledge and literature of all mankind for thousands of years to come. We believe that in the very concept of the Library of Alexandria, one can see that this is an age old dream.
Then, as now, people were trying to preserve the incredibly hard won knowledge of the ages, so that human progress could be one of ever greater growth, and not an endless re-discovering of the same things each century or millenium. This was the dream during the era of the Library of Alexandria, this was the dream of Dr. Asimov in far flung future speculations, and this is the dream that we are making a reality - today!
Our Mission:
The mission of The Encyclopedia Foundation is as stated in our By Laws, and is an un-amendable absolute:
The paramount goal of the corporation is to preserve the knowledge of mankind in any mediums that shall last at least 10,000 years, or as long as is practically possible within the limits of current technology and Foundation resources.
To this end, the corporation shall solicit donations, acquire land and structures, erect and maintain structures, storehouse books in any and all fields in the most secure and durable vault, facility and/or location available, transcribe books into a more durable medium, preserve same, acquire and maintain various machines and artifacts that tend to preserve knowledge by example and/or by use, and make plans for the assistance of anyone who finds themselves in a position where ordinary education is difficult or impossible.
In practical terms, we have deliberately, and according to our mandated Business Plan, put first things first. We have not as many books as we will have, but we have a fully functioning facility for preserving them. We are now embarking not only on making the facility even more secure, but are seeing about the actual preservation of the books themselves.
In preserving the books, we are not speaking of databases or any electronic device. Such become obsolete with disturbing regularity, and are useless without power in any case. Nor are we relying on books that have a shelf life of little over 500 years in the best of cases.
Rather we are going to use micro-engraving processes on nickel or rhodium discs of metal. Resistant to heat and rust, and unable to decay, the information can be accessed on these with only lenses, not dependent on any power source at all. Their size also enables their rapid and inexpensive transportation in any emergency.
There are companies, on the cutting edge of new micro-engraving technology, that are attempting to do this for archival purposes. They seek to replace microfilm with these metal discs. Computers would be able to read them now, and in a grave emergency, one could read them with special lenses.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
History
Our Foundation got its start as an idea in 01984 when one of the founders had just finished reading the "Foundation Trilogy" by Dr. Isaac Asimov. While in high school, his immediate thought was that such a Foundation as in the series would be good for any civilization to have. Other books read that aided in this dream were "Lest Darkness Fall" by L. Sprague DeCamp, "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter Miller Jr. and "There will be Time" by Poul Anderson.
Later, that would develop into a dream of how average folks could start a project that would preserve the accumulated knowledge of mankind, securing it against any possible disaster. Long years of preparation and thought were needed, to understand what all would be required, and the best ways of going about it. Many areas of knowledge had to be studied, including how a variety of faiths and organizations had lasted and the variety of schools of thoughts on disaster preparedness in general.
The dream became much closer to reality in the year 02007, when The Encyclopedia Foundation was in it's first incorporation, and was able to purchase a small condemned house at 700 E. Stanford Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. An enormous amount of time, money and effort, provided by the Directors themselves, was needed to get the house back in code. A new roof, a completely new electrical and plumbing system, furnace, water heater, all new windows - these were just some of the big items needed.
Since then, we have re-incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois as currently all of our directors live there. And our facility is no longer condemned but is a fully functioning place for all our needs. Everything here is new, and purchased purely for the Foundation. We have also just purchased the house next door, and will be fixing that up, too. We are proud of what we have created so far, and prouder that our Foundation is completely debt free, and owns the facilities outright.
Three people currently make up the board, from various walks of life. The Foundation pays no salaries, wages or bonuses to it's Directors, nor does it maintain a paid staff. Everything is through donations from the Directors themselves - their time, money and labor.
The point of using the Roman Numeral for 10,000 as a symbol is to reflect our goal of preserving such books and knowledge for at least 10,000 years. It also reflects our support of other organizations that think in the long range. Likewise we use the method of refering to years as with five digits instead of four. Thus it is 02011 when this website was created.
Later, that would develop into a dream of how average folks could start a project that would preserve the accumulated knowledge of mankind, securing it against any possible disaster. Long years of preparation and thought were needed, to understand what all would be required, and the best ways of going about it. Many areas of knowledge had to be studied, including how a variety of faiths and organizations had lasted and the variety of schools of thoughts on disaster preparedness in general.
The dream became much closer to reality in the year 02007, when The Encyclopedia Foundation was in it's first incorporation, and was able to purchase a small condemned house at 700 E. Stanford Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. An enormous amount of time, money and effort, provided by the Directors themselves, was needed to get the house back in code. A new roof, a completely new electrical and plumbing system, furnace, water heater, all new windows - these were just some of the big items needed.
Since then, we have re-incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois as currently all of our directors live there. And our facility is no longer condemned but is a fully functioning place for all our needs. Everything here is new, and purchased purely for the Foundation. We have also just purchased the house next door, and will be fixing that up, too. We are proud of what we have created so far, and prouder that our Foundation is completely debt free, and owns the facilities outright.
Three people currently make up the board, from various walks of life. The Foundation pays no salaries, wages or bonuses to it's Directors, nor does it maintain a paid staff. Everything is through donations from the Directors themselves - their time, money and labor.
The point of using the Roman Numeral for 10,000 as a symbol is to reflect our goal of preserving such books and knowledge for at least 10,000 years. It also reflects our support of other organizations that think in the long range. Likewise we use the method of refering to years as with five digits instead of four. Thus it is 02011 when this website was created.
Our Goals
General goals
We will continue to research and acquire such books as will best allow the recreation of a 19th century level of technology - and beyond - through liaisons with experts in the various fields.
We will continue to research the methods needful to make those books available and accessible for the next 10,000 years, notably working out the sociologically best ways for an organization to exist for such an extended period of time.
We will continue to try to grow the Foundation into as self-sufficient entity as possible, with an eye to being able to preserve the books no matter what disaster befalls. Duplicate copies in a variety of locations, spreading the information as to the importance of this so that others can do it, too, are both important things.
It is expected that others will try and do this. We hope that one day such advanced data discs are prevalent. What costs so much now may one day be very affordable, if enough people care. We'd like every home to have them! The important thing is the knowledge surviving, not who ultimately succeeds! However, we know that the mass market product of today is sometimes the rare collectible later. There was a point in our history where "everyone" had an 18th century Bible, but those are rare enough now. Which is why it is important that the Foundation set itself up to be self-sufficient, and last as long as possible. For the "books" to last, the "library" must last!
Immediate Plans
As but a small part of a means to that end, the Foundation has recently bought the house next door to it. It is our hope to renovate it, and have an income property for the Foundation. We also wish to explore more types of charity work, as not only does this give back to the community, but also helps with the long term stability of a Foundation.
Ultimately, in the future when resources permit, we picture a self-sufficient monastery style facility. People, in living and studying there, will support the operational expenses of the facility. We also obviously hope for some kind of donations and bequests at some point, but wish that the Foundation's support will always primarily come from those who themselves are receiving direct value from it.
While in existence for several years, it is only now in 02011 that we are ready - with two properties and some books - to accept donations from the general public. We could have before, but wished to have something real and concrete built for people to donate to, and not just be a random website. We are proud that as we are set up, we can benefit by donations - but do not depend on them.
Donations can therefore be important in helping us grow, but we will grow all the same without spending any percent of our operating costs on advertising. Besides this website, which is paid for out of a Director's pocket, any donation will go 100% to helping preserve books, or such as you earmark it for. There are no salaries, "administrative costs" or advertising to drain the value of the donation.
We also believe that any donation should aid the donor. We wish the donor to get "value received" in return. We do not accept any donations without giving something back to the donor.
See the "Donation" page for how you, your family and your friends can benefit by contributing to this project.
We will continue to research and acquire such books as will best allow the recreation of a 19th century level of technology - and beyond - through liaisons with experts in the various fields.
We will continue to research the methods needful to make those books available and accessible for the next 10,000 years, notably working out the sociologically best ways for an organization to exist for such an extended period of time.
We will continue to try to grow the Foundation into as self-sufficient entity as possible, with an eye to being able to preserve the books no matter what disaster befalls. Duplicate copies in a variety of locations, spreading the information as to the importance of this so that others can do it, too, are both important things.
It is expected that others will try and do this. We hope that one day such advanced data discs are prevalent. What costs so much now may one day be very affordable, if enough people care. We'd like every home to have them! The important thing is the knowledge surviving, not who ultimately succeeds! However, we know that the mass market product of today is sometimes the rare collectible later. There was a point in our history where "everyone" had an 18th century Bible, but those are rare enough now. Which is why it is important that the Foundation set itself up to be self-sufficient, and last as long as possible. For the "books" to last, the "library" must last!
Immediate Plans
As but a small part of a means to that end, the Foundation has recently bought the house next door to it. It is our hope to renovate it, and have an income property for the Foundation. We also wish to explore more types of charity work, as not only does this give back to the community, but also helps with the long term stability of a Foundation.
Ultimately, in the future when resources permit, we picture a self-sufficient monastery style facility. People, in living and studying there, will support the operational expenses of the facility. We also obviously hope for some kind of donations and bequests at some point, but wish that the Foundation's support will always primarily come from those who themselves are receiving direct value from it.
While in existence for several years, it is only now in 02011 that we are ready - with two properties and some books - to accept donations from the general public. We could have before, but wished to have something real and concrete built for people to donate to, and not just be a random website. We are proud that as we are set up, we can benefit by donations - but do not depend on them.
Donations can therefore be important in helping us grow, but we will grow all the same without spending any percent of our operating costs on advertising. Besides this website, which is paid for out of a Director's pocket, any donation will go 100% to helping preserve books, or such as you earmark it for. There are no salaries, "administrative costs" or advertising to drain the value of the donation.
We also believe that any donation should aid the donor. We wish the donor to get "value received" in return. We do not accept any donations without giving something back to the donor.
See the "Donation" page for how you, your family and your friends can benefit by contributing to this project.
Donations
Donations for what?
What do we need donations for? We need them for the cost of the books being on metal plates. We have special requirements for such, and the cost is quite high. One special requirement is that we don't store as much information on the disc as technology allows. While 100,000 pages of data can be stored on a two inch disc, and read by a computer or electron microscope, that does us and future generations no good.
We need a metal disc or page that contains perhaps 10,000 pages of data, such that could be read with nothing but a simple lense or series of lenses that do not require power or computers. Something that could be read by future generations regardless as to their technological prowess.
We are estimating that it would cost around $1,000 for one disc or page that contains the entirety of the 12th Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Harvard Five Foot Shelf of Knowledge Series. Neverminding the several thousand dollars to convert part of a basement into a fairly impregnable vault for it. That first disc would also contain the Complete Works of William Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible. One can see then that as a first start, that would be a valuable disc to have.
The Encyclopedia Britannica of that edition is generally regarded as the finest ever produced, and contains nearly the sum total of knowledge of mankind for it's time. One could have a 19th century level of technology with just that. The Harvard Five Foot Shelf of Knowledge Series is a fifty book set that was commissioned by the President of Harvard University around the same time, the early 20th century. It is said to be the equivalent of a liberal arts education at Harvard as it was then.
With those two sets, and Shakespeare and the Bible as two very popular books, one could confidently assert that they had the vast majority of Western man's intellectual and cultural writings up to the early 20th century. That one disc, in a pinch, could serve well for any future rebuilding.
Privacy
No list of donors will ever be sold, given away, loaned or in any other way disclosed, in part or in whole. No data about such donors will ever be sold, given away, loaned or in any other way disclosed, in part or in whole.
Tax Deductions
While we are a registered non-profit, we are not currently a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Your donations are not tax deductible. We expect that to change by 02012.
What do we need donations for? We need them for the cost of the books being on metal plates. We have special requirements for such, and the cost is quite high. One special requirement is that we don't store as much information on the disc as technology allows. While 100,000 pages of data can be stored on a two inch disc, and read by a computer or electron microscope, that does us and future generations no good.
We need a metal disc or page that contains perhaps 10,000 pages of data, such that could be read with nothing but a simple lense or series of lenses that do not require power or computers. Something that could be read by future generations regardless as to their technological prowess.
We are estimating that it would cost around $1,000 for one disc or page that contains the entirety of the 12th Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Harvard Five Foot Shelf of Knowledge Series. Neverminding the several thousand dollars to convert part of a basement into a fairly impregnable vault for it. That first disc would also contain the Complete Works of William Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible. One can see then that as a first start, that would be a valuable disc to have.
The Encyclopedia Britannica of that edition is generally regarded as the finest ever produced, and contains nearly the sum total of knowledge of mankind for it's time. One could have a 19th century level of technology with just that. The Harvard Five Foot Shelf of Knowledge Series is a fifty book set that was commissioned by the President of Harvard University around the same time, the early 20th century. It is said to be the equivalent of a liberal arts education at Harvard as it was then.
With those two sets, and Shakespeare and the Bible as two very popular books, one could confidently assert that they had the vast majority of Western man's intellectual and cultural writings up to the early 20th century. That one disc, in a pinch, could serve well for any future rebuilding.
Privacy
No list of donors will ever be sold, given away, loaned or in any other way disclosed, in part or in whole. No data about such donors will ever be sold, given away, loaned or in any other way disclosed, in part or in whole.
Tax Deductions
While we are a registered non-profit, we are not currently a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Your donations are not tax deductible. We expect that to change by 02012.
Contact Us
To learn more about our Foundation please contact us at:
www.theencyclopediafoundation.com
Or:
The Encyclopedia Foundation
700 E. Stanford Avenue
Springfield, Illinois
Phone: (217) 652-9950
clemens177@hotmail.com
Visits by appointment only.
www.theencyclopediafoundation.com
Or:
The Encyclopedia Foundation
700 E. Stanford Avenue
Springfield, Illinois
Phone: (217) 652-9950
clemens177@hotmail.com
Visits by appointment only.
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