Donate | Future Projects
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The work of preserving and archiving materials for the brotherhood, creating a website directory, and all that you find on this site started as a side project for me. I soon found that there was far more work to be done and that perhaps needed to be done than could be managed sporadically when I have the free time. These days I am trying to work on the site and content for it much more regularly. That said, I cannot neglect my full-time work with the Church, so I do what I can here. I have several long-term projects for the site which will best be done if I can outsource them and pay to have them completed as they would take me years, perhaps decades, to accomplish alone. In the future, I would love to work on this site more as a sort of part-time job rather than just fitting in work here and there when I can. If you'd like to know more about some of these long-term projects, what I am working on now, or have ideas for the site, please get in touch through the contact page.
If you appreciate the work that goes into this site and want to help support me to continue this work in the future, perhaps even to take on larger projects, please feel free to donate if you wish. I am humbled by any support and appreciation shown to the work done here be it financial or otherwise. I count it a great honor to be able to provide something which I hope is a benefit to Christians in their walk for God and I pray that the work put into these resources may outlast my time to help generations in the future. |
Future Projects
There are things I would like to see done in the future, some of which I have made attempts to do myself, but which seem to be tasks beyond what one man can do when he has the time. I decided some time ago that some of these projects and goals would be best accomplished by outsourcing them to professionals who could get them done quickly, efficiently, and well.
I want to list some of the projects I would like to see done in the future for those who might be interested. These goals are one of the reasons which led to my decision to add this donate page. I have been trying to dedicate more time to the site, it is certainly a project that I am passionate about. I strongly believe any effort to preserve good materials for future generations is a worthwhile endeavor. Sadly, it is not a job that can always be done easily or effectively for free. That being said, here are some of the things I would like to pursue in the future if I had the funding to do so.
I want to list some of the projects I would like to see done in the future for those who might be interested. These goals are one of the reasons which led to my decision to add this donate page. I have been trying to dedicate more time to the site, it is certainly a project that I am passionate about. I strongly believe any effort to preserve good materials for future generations is a worthwhile endeavor. Sadly, it is not a job that can always be done easily or effectively for free. That being said, here are some of the things I would like to pursue in the future if I had the funding to do so.
A comprehensive digital archive of past issues of the Old Paths Advocate
I would like to take the scans of the OPA from 1932-2010 and have them digitally cleaned up and restored (remove all the markings and everything). Then have a thourough bookmark/navigation system integrated into them. Also, I want to make them fully searchable.
Futher, I would like to complete the digital archive of these papers, which I believe there are about 10 years that may not currently be available online. I have physical copies of most of these which I can digitize and have processed along with the rest. I do need to track down the missing issues.
A digital tract library
Similarly, I would like to maintain a free use digital tract library. I have a sizeable collection of physical tracts to digitize as well as a large collection of digital tracts. I have been trying to contact any applicable copyright holders for permission to make them available on the site. I would also like to have many of these tracts professionally processed/restored while also integrating bookmarks/navigation for ease of use.
A digital library of free books and resources
I have collected well over 500 pdfs of commentaries, debates, and other topical religious monographs which would serve as a fantastic starter library for free. However, many of these pdfs are image scans, are not searchable, and are large files. I can process them myself to make them far more usable, however to do so by myself with as many files as I have would probably take a lifetime. (Many of these files are already hosted on the site in their original forms). That being said, I have been slowly doing some of the processing as I have time but it will take several years to complete. (I have been converting them to searchable files, reduced in size so that they open much faster, and have been adding thorough navigational bookmarks). Many of these files would benefit from professional processing and cleanup.
I would like to have the Preachers Study Notes redone in a similar way.
Costs
I so far have recieved on quote on the potential costs associated with such a project. As you can imagine, there aren't really flat rates as it depends on the amount of work necessary in the restoration process. That said, the quote I received was for $85-$185 per hour depending on the expertise level involved/required for OCR (optical character recognition) and Restoration. (Knowing this, I would prioritize having the OPAs and the Preacher Study Notes done which should not cost too much in the end.
I will also say that the new/improved site search which I have integrated into the site currently costs about $100 a month to maintain. This cost could increase depending on how much the feature gets used and how many sites need indexing in the engine. Also there are of course some costs associated with simply running the site, but these have not been a burden so far.
I would like to take the scans of the OPA from 1932-2010 and have them digitally cleaned up and restored (remove all the markings and everything). Then have a thourough bookmark/navigation system integrated into them. Also, I want to make them fully searchable.
Futher, I would like to complete the digital archive of these papers, which I believe there are about 10 years that may not currently be available online. I have physical copies of most of these which I can digitize and have processed along with the rest. I do need to track down the missing issues.
A digital tract library
Similarly, I would like to maintain a free use digital tract library. I have a sizeable collection of physical tracts to digitize as well as a large collection of digital tracts. I have been trying to contact any applicable copyright holders for permission to make them available on the site. I would also like to have many of these tracts professionally processed/restored while also integrating bookmarks/navigation for ease of use.
A digital library of free books and resources
I have collected well over 500 pdfs of commentaries, debates, and other topical religious monographs which would serve as a fantastic starter library for free. However, many of these pdfs are image scans, are not searchable, and are large files. I can process them myself to make them far more usable, however to do so by myself with as many files as I have would probably take a lifetime. (Many of these files are already hosted on the site in their original forms). That being said, I have been slowly doing some of the processing as I have time but it will take several years to complete. (I have been converting them to searchable files, reduced in size so that they open much faster, and have been adding thorough navigational bookmarks). Many of these files would benefit from professional processing and cleanup.
I would like to have the Preachers Study Notes redone in a similar way.
Costs
I so far have recieved on quote on the potential costs associated with such a project. As you can imagine, there aren't really flat rates as it depends on the amount of work necessary in the restoration process. That said, the quote I received was for $85-$185 per hour depending on the expertise level involved/required for OCR (optical character recognition) and Restoration. (Knowing this, I would prioritize having the OPAs and the Preacher Study Notes done which should not cost too much in the end.
I will also say that the new/improved site search which I have integrated into the site currently costs about $100 a month to maintain. This cost could increase depending on how much the feature gets used and how many sites need indexing in the engine. Also there are of course some costs associated with simply running the site, but these have not been a burden so far.
These are not all of the projects I have been considering, but these are ones I have attempted on my own or have been working on for a few years. If you would like to know more about any of these, have any ideas or suggestions for the site, or perhaps would like to help out in some way, feel free to get in touch.
I will update this page with new information as it may come. Thanks to all for their use of the site and your encouragement along the way!
I will update this page with new information as it may come. Thanks to all for their use of the site and your encouragement along the way!