Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Put up or Shut up


I know you have a few shekels in you pocket - THIS is worth a few of them.
... we’re announcing a donation opportunity for our members and supporters – and we need your help! A collection of rare books on 19th century Afghanistan, primarily written by British military officers, has recently become available on the antiquarian book market. The Navy Department Library is interested in acquiring these volumes, but lacks the funds to do so. The library will digitize the books in HTML (textual) format, prominently post them on the Naval History and Heritage Command’s website, and house the volumes in the Rare Book Room. The library has previously posted similar items from its collection, such as “A Journal of the Disasters in Afghanistan, 1841-2” and “The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80,” and their content has been used in briefings to Navy leadership. The volumes ... cost $9,800, and two generous donors have offered $1500 in seed money to assist in the purchase of this collection. We ask that you consider a tax deductible gift to this worthy project through our online GiveDirect interface, which is linked below. Acknowledgement letters will be sent in time for your 2011 tax preparations!

6 comments:

AW1 Tim said...

Shared on facebook. I'll see about posting to my own site in a bit.

The donation will have to wait until the 1st of the month, but this is a worthy cause, and I suspect that even a few dollars will be put to good use.

AOD said...

What a sad state of affairs when the Navy Department has to ask for donations to do its damn job.  What is next...soliciting donations for the SCN account?  If USNI was doing the purchasing, they would have my $$.  But not the DoN, neigh.  Not while they are wasting hundreds of millions on fruitless, racist Diversity initiatives and other mindless excursions like getting ready to gut our end strength without reducing even ONE Flag Officer.

CDR, I applaud you sticking up for the ProDev of our Sailors.  You have been a tireless advocate of developing the Sailor Scholar.  I would ask that you put it to the USNI board to make this purchase, and then THEY can make the volumes available.

sid said...

And that they be put online like the Gutenberg Project!!!....

If that is promised...then I may pony up.

Cap'n Bill said...

I've never heard about the Naval History Command's website...and most folks believe that  I've been around for far too long.  May I suggest that this gang identify themselves to the common folk who might benefit from a visit to their site. Quite possibly it is an excellent resource that should be made known to the many High Schools and Colleges of the country--not only to nerds and librarians.  It wouldn't hurt to clue the common Sailor in, either.

I second the notion that this should be direted to the Naval Institute.

sid said...

This is the Naval History Foundation...

The Naval history and Heritage Command (emphasis on whats now most important to those folks) isn't getting them as they have to Celebrate Diversity....

(note the Rainbow colors in the library icon)

And the Global Force For Good.

Can't expect thenm to care much about hiistorical precedent for fighting wars when there are so many more important issues to explore do you? 


Jim Dolbow said...

Thanks so much for highlighting this important project!  I donated a gift in memory of my father, Cdr. Jacob F. Dolbow, III, USNR-Ret who inspired me in all things navy history related.