Neil Goldsmith, our Journal Editor writes:
When the 2022 Journal lands on your doormat sometime in February or March, you will notice that it is thin by normal standards. That is simply because I received fewer articles than normal despite several attempts to engender a response from the membership. With one exception, articles are from the usual suspects. There are no women represented and only one author not of a certain age. I am told that Club members are out there doing stuff, but they clearly don’t feel the need to write it down and let the rest of the Club know about it.
When I raised the topic of the future of the Journal in the digital age earlier in the year, I was assured that it was valued, people like to have a book in their hands. To exist it needs contributors. I can only publish what I receive.
It might be that it is simply that I am no longer very active in Club activities and this means that I do not encounter members (particularly younger members) who are doing noteworthy things who I can then badger to produce an article. The fact remains that we need a reasonable number of articles to make publication worthwhile. If the Journal is thin we need to use a more expensive method to bind it rather than the one we use.
The facts are these:
- we need more articles in 2023 or we will have to consider publishing after two years not one;
- I will not continue as editor as beyond the next issue, it needs someone more in tune with what is happening ‘out there’. I am happy to mentor someone who wants to take over, if no one volunteers the Journal will cease after the next issue.
Neil Goldsmith, Journal Editor
Being an old man, I have submitted articles in the past, and I do like having a paper copy.
However my present comment is that the Austrian post office customs department has again sent me a long letter saying that the value of the yearbook is implausible and refusing to deliver it without further proof. These Brexit benefits are wearisome. I have protested. Last year they relented.
Alex
thanks for this and your articles in the past. I’m afraid we all struggle with the postal system with third country (EU and US) arrangements. Our fulfilment agents and JP do try to give as clear a definition as possible about paper Journal and the fact that it has no value- used to be so easy! We can’t mitigate for jobsworths in the receiving postal organisation. Sorry if you don’t get the Journal as easily as in the past. I’m a remainer too.
Neil