But Where Are The Books????

My friend, Ann, recently invited a few friends over to visit with the curator of the Clinton Library. It was fascinating. Here is some of what I learned:

The Clinton Library and all Presidential are run by NARA-The National Archives and Records Administration. It is an independent federal agency that preserves our nation's history and oversees the management of all federal records. So the curator doesn't work for the Clinton's. When folks visit the library and try to engage her in politics she usually just nods and says " Interesting"

For the first 150 years of our history most of the official goverenment records were not stored well. Some WWI records were kept in a White House Garage. In 1935 the National Archives became the permanent home for the records that would be accessible to the government and the public. Most folks think of the Archives Building in D.C. but there are 33 facilities that hold more than 4 billion pieces of paper from the three branches of government including..........300,000 reels of motion picture film, more than 5 million maps, charts and architecural drawings, 9 million aerial photos, 14 million still pictures and posters and 7,600 computer data sets.

In 1939 FDR donated his personal and Presidential papers to the Federal Government. This began the Presidential Library system.He pledged part of his estate in Hyde Park to the US and friends formed a non-profit corporation to raise funds for the construction of the library and the museum building.

In 1955, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act, establishing a system of Privately erected and federally mantained libraries. The Act Encouraged other Presidents to donate their historical materials to the government and ensured the preservation of Presidential papers and their availability to the American people. She said that some Presidents and their staff are very orderly and when they leave office the papers and memorabilia are well marked, others just dump things into boxes along with shoes, pencils and whatever. The Libraries under this Act are: Hoover- 1962, FDR- 1940, Truman- 1957, Eisenhower- 1962, Kennedy- 1979. Johnson-1971, Nixon-opened in 1990 entered NARA system in 2007, Ford- 1981, and Carter- 1986.

In 1978, President Carter signed the Presidential Records Act(PRA) which made the papers and artifacts from the administration federal property. All libraries after this date are governed by a completely different set of rules.... And why are you asking was this act needed...Nixon and Watergate. These Libraries are Reagan- 1991, Bush- 1997, Clinton- 2004.

The Presidential Libraries Act of 1986 also made changes to the Presidential Libraries, requiring private endowments linked to the size of the facility. This helps with fixing the roof and all kinds of maintenance. It also limited the size of the Libraries because the bigger the ego the bigger the buildings were getting and then given to the government to run.

When a Head of State gives a gift to the POTUS( President of the United States)-she did use this word, I've heard it in movies and didn't know it was really used!- it is really given to the American people. At the end of his Presidency, he may buy some of these. President Clinton did buy some from those Heads of States that were his friends.

Christine said that so far only 3% of all the Clinton "stuff" has been cataloged. She has 84,000 more things to go through. She has a staff of 3. The Clinton Library has 20,000 square feet of exhibit space on three levels. She only knows when the Clintons are in town when she drives into the parking lot and sees Secret Services or when Hillary comes to town, she or one of her staff must dust the artifacts that are in apartment on top of the library. They are the only ones that can do that. I hope Hillary never drops in for a visit here because I would rather read than dust.

Before this job, Christine worked at the Hoover Library. She said that it is very different working for a library of a living President under the new rules rather than a dead one under the old ones.

The Clinton Library is free 4 days a year- Presidents Day, July 4th, Clinton's Birthday, August 19, and the anniversary of the day it opened in November( that date is subject to change due to day of the week)

"Breaking the Veils: Art by Muslim Women" will be on exhibit this June. This exhibit has been on display around the world and the exhibit in June is the first showing in the United States. Early next year Caroline Kennedy's dolls are to be on exhibit.

I have only been to one Presidential Library and that was Truman's with my friend, Linda. I may have to visit the Clinton one. Maybe we can go together?