KW Scroll Tally Project
One of the most expansive projects that I am part of is to get an idea of how many scrolls go out in the SCA. We know that the parameters for this will vary from Kingdom to Kingdom, based on how their court and scroll systems work, such as if everyone (or no one) gets a scrolls with each award (thus meaning closer work with the heraldic office) vs backlog system (which can be more of a mix or entirely through the scribal office). It can also be affected by Kingdoms that use all-originals vs pre-prints/charters vs a combination of the methods.

The goal of the A&S office has always been to ensure proper reporting to the Board of Directors of all Arts and Sciences, but found that many of our scribal efforts were not being forwarded to our directors, often because of this mix of where scribal culture exists in each kingdom. As the SCA is all about re-creating the arts and sciences of the pre-17th century world, our scribal artists play a very important role in our organization and deserve their efforts to be seen and heard at all levels.

So, this is sort of the over-arching goal: How many scrolls are given out in the SCA? Be it all originals, pre-print/charters, "stuff" scrolls (like a knighting scroll painted on a shield), and even court vs tourney scrolls. We track it all. We don't have a complete picture of what's going on by any stretch. Basically I take all data I can get, past data, current, what have you. But a lot of it relies on me parsing what each Kingdom does and then work within that framework to get numbers without imposing on folks. For Meridies and East Kingdom for instance, it's as simple as counting up awarded scrolls in the OP and subtracting whatever awards don't get scrolls (which I only know by talking to folks to figure out the local culture). For Atlantia, I ping either their Signet or their Backlog deputy once every 3 months, and they toss me numbers of court scrolls awarded vs backlog scrolls given out for my reporting period.

To make it easier for people to report, I've included a self-reporting form below. Please make sure that any scrolls you report are not also included in the numbers generated by your kingdom (please feel free to contact me if you would like more information). Self Reporting Form for Scroll Production

Links to Kingdom Galleries
I'm trying to collect links to the different kingdoms' scroll galleries. If you have a link that I'm missing, please contact me! (I know I have more links somewhere, but I need to track them down!!)
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An Tir
Ansteorra (Library for Example Painted Charters)
Ansteorra (Original Works Gallery)
Caid
Lochac (flickr site)
Lochac (sca.org site)
Meridies
Northshield
Trimaris
West (enter at least one search term for gallery view)
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Links to Scribal Workshops, Classes, etc.
If you have anything to add to this list, please fill out the Add Scribal Workshop, Class, etc form (or contact me via email).

The current list of workshops/classes that have been submitted can be found here: Scribal Workshop, Class, etc (Responses).

Scribal Skills Matchmaker
There has been a request to find a way to match up scribal skills for broader, inter-Kingdom cooperation. Are you a calligrapher in a Kingdom that doesn't do much calligraphy beyond filling in names/dates, and you'd like to be put in contact with someone who might need your skills in another Kingdom? Are you a Baronial scroll maker in desperate need of someone to help with whitework? Do you just want to do linework and need help finding someone to pass scrolls off to for completion? This is my attempt to play scribal skill matchmaker. Let me know what you want to do, and I'll try to connect you with someone who can use your skills. I know my wording is a little funny, so if you have suggestions, I'm all ears! Here's the form for the Scribal Skills Matchmaker.

Money/Time Scribe Investment Data
A while ago, I did some very preliminary data collection on what scribes contribute in terms of money & time to scroll production. This is supposed to represent what each scribe considers a "typical" scroll, though we all know how varied that can be, even for a personal definition. Again, preliminary data. Scribes were asked the following questions:

1) Approximately how much money, on average, would you say you spend on each scroll you produce? This takes into consideration all the material costs you typically contribute to the making of a scroll (even if the labor is split up, consider if you usually provide the paper, plus your ink/paint/etc contributions, etc). Subtract any subsidized money or materials you may get from others, such as with commission payment, or Guild or Kingdom support.

2) Approximately how much time, on average, would you say you spend on each scroll you produce? Even if the labor is split, consider your contributions to each scroll. (Of course we always have those Big Projects, but just estimate based on your average experience.)

The numbers for money were adjusted to USD. If a range was given, an average was taken. If a more vague answer was given, the best estimation from the information was taken. If there was no way to estimate based on the numbers given, this piece of data was left blank.

The numbers for time were adjusted to hours. If a range of time was given, an average was taken. If a more vague answer was given, the best estimation from the information given was taken. If there was no way to estimate based on the numbers given, this piece of data was left blank.

If the data for money was usable, but the data for time was not, the money was put into the Adj Money column, while the Adj Time column was left blank. In this case, the data for the money is only incorporated into the Avg Money (and derivatives) for the overall summary, and not for any of the primary derivative columns.

If the data for time was usable, but the data for money was not, the time was put into the Adj Time column, while the Adj Money column was left blank. In this case, the data for the time is only incorporated into the Avg Time (and derivatives) for the overall summary, and not for any of the primary derivative columns.

If neither the data for the money, nor the data for time, were usable, then the survey entry was stricken.

There were 90 answers to the survey put out, and participants belonged to 19 Kingdoms (Æthelmearc 12, An Tir 8, Ansteorra 2, Artemisia 4, Atenveldt 3, Atlantia 11, Caid 1, Calontir 1, Drachenwald 1, Ealdormere 2, East 6, Gleann Abhann 2, Lochac 1, Meridies 10, Middle 7, Northshield 6, Outlands 4, Trimaris 2, West 2, multiple listed 2, unlisted 2, stricken data 1).

The average purely monetary investment by scribes per "typical" scroll is $20.64 (range $0 to $100). The average time investment by scribes per "typical" scroll is 23.62 hours (range 1.6 to 120 hours).

If you look at "time as money" based solely on the US minimum wage of $7.25, the time a scribe spends on a "typical" scroll is worth $171.23. If you use a $50/hr commission rate, the time is worth $1,180.90. Using a $100/hr commission rate, time is worth $2,361.80. And using a $200/hr commission rate, the time a scribe spends on a "typical" scrolls is worth $4,723.60. Depending on the metric you use, this means the "time as money" metric for scribes' work ranges from $10.88 (1.5hrs at $7.25/hr minimum wage) to $24,000 (120hrs at $200/hr commission).

This is a huge range, and not very useful, I'm sure. However, one thing it has shown us is that the scroll on your wall is ~$20 in supplies alone, and that the time scribes put into their work is vastly undervalued.

I would like to repeat this process on a broader scale, and using much more specific metrics. This would be a longer survey and will take time to properly word & construct.