Episode 53: For the Sake of the Trust

The Baker Street Irregulars are widely known as a literary society dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes. Since 1934 the group has been gathering in New York City for its annual dinner and weekend festivities and has embarked on a significant publishing effort centered around its own history, international Sherlockian societies' scholarship, and analysis of extant manuscripts of the Canon.But more than that, the BSI wants to ensure that its own history and that of its members are recorded for posterity and the researchers who may be interested in it sometime in the future. Enter the Baker Street Irregulars Trust.In this episode, Burt and Scott interview Tom Francis, BSI ("The Imperial Opera at Warsaw), who is the Chair of the Trust. Tom helps us understand how and why the Trust was established, what its aims are, and how you can help this august institution. We discuss some of the holdings of the Houghton Library at Harvard University, where the Trust is housed, including the H.W. Bell collection - Bell having been an early Sherlockian scholar and member of The Speckled Band of Boston.The BSI Trust is a nonprofit organization as a subset of the Baker Street Irregulars. Donations are welcome, but original materials are more desirable. Correspondence of Irregulars and their other papers are welcome - but the Trust does is not interested in everything Sherlockian or related to all Sherlockian societies. Books and other items that are not a core part of the Trust typically go up for sale or auction.Tom breaks ground as he utters a phrase never before heard on this program - tune in to find out exactly what that is - and even begins to delve into what the future of the Trust looks like in our digital/electronic times.Links:The BSI TrustThe finding aid for the Houghton Library collectionsHow individuals can make monetary donations or materials donations to the BSIT  "For the Sake of the Trust" - the BSI Trust newsletterPlease subscribe to us on iTunes and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show.Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email, call us at (774) 221-READ (7323). Connect with us on The Sherlock Holmes Community on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.And above all, please let our sponsors know that you heard us rant and rave about their excellence during the programme: Wessex Press and The Baker Street Journal.