Hello, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Trevor Vadeboncoeur. I am the nephew of the late Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr. (a.k.a. JVJ (|:{> ).
As I'm sure most here are aware, many of the Digital Comic Museum's scans came from my Uncle Jim's personal collection. In addition to the books Jim submitted for scanning, Jim appended his comic submissions with meticulous notes in the form of index cards that furnished insights about the identities of various artists whose works he was submitting to be scanned. Those index cards represent decades of research and accrued knowledge. Currently, Jim's longtime friend, Publisher John Fleskes (Flesk Publications), is the custodian of those cards. Earlier this week, I was contacted by John on account he is in the processes of moving to Southern California, and like most folks who relocate, he's reassessing his material possessions and probably asking himself that all important question, "Do I really want to take all of this with me?" John concluded that these cards would be far better served at a location where they could be put to good use. To be clear, John has reassured me that if a home can't be found for Jim's Index cards, he will pack them up and take them with him to his new home. Ideally, we'd like Jim's index cards to end up where the notes and the years of accrued knowledge they contain are both preserved, yet also be accessible. John has been in contact with Columbia University's Curator for Comics and Cartoons, Karen Green, but for Columbia to accept any personal collection, there's quite a bit of paperwork involving proposals and other legal documents that would need to be drawn up and neither John nor I are presently able to devote that level of time investment. That's not to say Columbia University is off the table, as that strikes me as an ideal home, if it wasn't for the fact that the approval process is likely going to be more involved than either of us are currently able to commit to. I suggested to John that perhaps reaching out the Digital Comic Museum for advice might be avenue we should explore, as so much of Jim's notes are already preserved here, and he concurred. What are your thoughts? What should be done with Jim's index cards? Is there anyone here who would be seriously interested in preserving Jim's repository of knowledge? Feedback is appreciated.
Thanks.
