Introduction
In October 2000, former AAVSO President and Council Member Thomas R. Williams wrote to Director Janet Mattei proposing an approach towards organizing the AAVSO’s collection of archival records and historical papers (Williams 2000). His proposal was driven by the need to begin his work on the AAVSO centennial history, to be published by 2011. As a start, Thomas R. and Anna Fay Williams offered to provide funding on an annual basis over a period of ten years, contingent upon the AAVSO Council’s willingness to match that amount. At the October 2000 meeting, the AAVSO Council voted to accept this proposal. The AAVSO Archive Project was begun in late October 2000 when Director Mattei asked AAVSO Technical Assistant Michael Saladyga to take charge of all aspects of the work. What follows is a description of the project, including a sketch of its historical origins, the project’s purpose, its plan and methodology, its accomplishments to date, and an outline of future work.
Thanks to Thomas R. and Anna Fay Williams for their generous funding of the AAVSO Archives Project, to the AAVSO Council for their enthusiastic support of the project, and a special acknowledgement of gratitude to the late AAVSO Director Janet Mattei, for whom the AAVSO archive always held a central place in her many-leveled and wide-ranging vision for the AAVSO's future.