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The Role and Function of Presidential Libraries. SPONS AGENCY National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC

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The Role and Function of Presidential Libraries. SPONS AGENCY National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC DOCUMENT RESUME ED 344 612 IR 054 026 AUTHOR Fischer, Linda TITLE The Role and Function of Presidential Libraries. SPONS AGENCY National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 91 NOTE 30p. PUB TYPE Reports - General (140) EARS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Archives; Financial Support; Library Collections; Library Materials; *Library Role; *Library Services; Philanthropic Foundations; *Presidents of the United States; *Special Libraries; Users (Information) IDENTIFIERS *Presidential Libraries ABSTRACT This paper identifies various elements of presidential libraries. The advantages and disadvantages of the libraries' centralization or decentralization are discussed, and some common misconceptions held by the public as to the role and function of presidential libraries are identified. Criticism and debate from the professional community about whether presidential libraries have degenerated into costly monuments rather than true archives are presented, and major presidential library contributions are reviewed. The geographic dispersion of the libraries and their impact upon, and ties with, the surrounding communities are considered. In addition, the impact of presidential foundations (e.g., the Jimmy Carter Foundation and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation) and other foundations on the libraries is explored. The balance between the museum and archival functions, and the two separate clienteles who are attracted to these two roles are also described. Also identified are some common experiences shared by these libraries as they pass through their life-cycle:(1) the development/nascent stage;(2) the professional use/research stage; and (3) the mature library. The challenges faced by one such mature library, the Herbert Hoover Library, are outlined and the future of all presidential libraries is considered. (21 references) (MAB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Mt DEPARTMENT OfEDUCATION O'fice of Educations( Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) been reproduced as 0 This document has received from the person ororganization originating it 1:.:40, changes have beenmade to improve (production Quality slated in Ihis docir Points of view or opinions ment do not necesmrilyrepresent Oficial OERI position or policy THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES Linda Fischer Ronald Reagan Library September, 1991 .. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY BEST COPY AVAILABLE Jefforizi T. llartley TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" Introduction and BackgrtAlnd From the vantage point of anew Presidential Library, an archivist's immediate futureseems clear: to fulfill the institution's core archival function ofprocessing the holdings and providing reference service. But what do archivists do after the collections have been processed?What happens to a Presidential Library when researcherscome in fewer numbers and use the holdings less and less?The ongoing debate surrounding the continuing function of PresidentialLibraries suggests that many of the challenges these institutionsface are symptomatic of their very nature: their respectiveattention to a single individual's life limits thescope of their holdings and defines the solicitation and oralhistory strategy the institution adopts. Moreover, Presidential Librariesare civic institutions which must serve public needsif they are to justify their continued existence in theircurrent foTm. Within the Presidential Librarysystem, there are almostas many opinions about the proper roleand function of the Libraries as there are employees. Staff members from the Librarywith the oldest documents--the HooverLibrary--and from theyoungest fully functioning Library--theCarter Library--present divergent perspectives regarding theextent to which an archivesshould depart from itscore mission to undertake auxiliaryprograms. An examination of these differenceswill demonstrate not only the 3 2 unique characteristics of each Libre-y, but will revealthat Libraries experience some common themesas they pass through three developmental stages. Archivists who understand these currents will be better able to help their facilityadjust to a seemingly uncertain future. Centralization and Decentralization Some critics have argued that a more "cost-effective"means of preserving and making available historicallyvaluable documents would be to house the collections ina central presidential library similar to the NationalArchives building for federal records in Washington, DC. When Presidents donate their papers to the federal government, theyalso supply the building which houses the materials. The central library argument might arise again since Presidentialrecords are now the property of the Federal government. But, just as the National Archives has regional facilities,one could argue that presidential libraries can and do playan important social and cultural role, defined in the broadsense, in their respective communities. A clarification of this rolemay well help an aging library retain its vitality afterits primary function appears essentially to have been met. Before the tenth library begins to take shape--the George Bush Libraryin College Station, Texas-- perhaps those involved with PresidentialLibraries should take stock in how the public and those withinthe Presidential Library 4 3 system view the libraries, the stagesa developing librarygoes through, and the potential future of thosefacilities. Current Thinking andPractices The role and function of presidentiallibraries must begin with a clear understanding of whatthese institutions haveand do. The main misperception, chiefly among the public,is that these libraries contain circulating books; fewpeople realize that a presidential library is primarilya manuscript repository and a showcase for presidential artifacts. The second major misperception is aboutwho finances thecost of building the facility, and, relatedly, who owns the building. Most individuals think that"the government"pays for the entire cost of the buildingor that the staff works for the formerPresident. Although the uniqueblend of private funding and publiccontrol has contributedto the public confusion about whowe are and what we do, one can argue that this relationshipis the institution's greatest strength. "A Suitable Kindof Monument" Criticisms Beyond the public's misperceptions aboutpresidential libraries, thesystem has come under fire from theprofessional community as well. The core criticism,as expressed by the social scientist, Arnold Hirshon, isthat presidentiallibraries have outlivedtheir usefulness in their presentform. The 4 "concept of Pre.Fidential Librarieswas probably helpful in its time," he argues, "but the viabilityof such institutions, in their present form, is doubtful." While the librariesonce provided uniform control andaccess, they have degenerated, according to Hirshon, into costly "monuments"rather than true archives.' Many of Hirshon's fears of escalatingcosts and misdirected functions are checked, toa certain extent, by the Presidential Libraries Act (PLA) of 1986. The Act recognizes both the archival and museum functions ofa Presidential Library and limits the area ofa Library building to 70,000 square feet. This space restriction willparticularly limit thearea devoted to the Presidential museum. The Act also requires that Presidential Foundations donatea Library site, building, and equipment and provide foran endowment for Library maintenance. The Act authorizes the Archivistof the United States toopen a trust fund account for accepting(and encouraging) private donations to a Library. The Act, therefore, addressesHirshon's concerns about the public cost andmandate of Presidential Libraries.2 'Arnold Hirshon,"The Scope, Accessibility,and History of Presidential Papers,"Government Publications Review1 (1974): 374. 2Frank Schick, withRene Schick and Mark Carroll,Records of thPr id nc :Pr si.-ntial Pa er and Libraries from Washin ton to Reagan (Phoenix: OryxPress, 1989), 18. 6 5 Library Contributions While Hirshun's criticismmay have had some validity, James O'Neill was not disturbed by it. For O'Neill, who was, contemporarily, the deputy archivist of theUnited States, a library combines two elements:a "monument to vanity" and a "memorial to achievement." As he pointed out, "so longas men continue to honor their own and their fellows' achievements . monuments of one sort or another willcontinue to be built. What is significant is not thata presidential library is a monument but that it is a particu. kind, and a particularly suitable kind, of monument."Their suitability rests, in largepart, in the cultural role they playin their communities. One historian, Catherine Albanese, wouldargue that monuments, maintained at public expense and "the objectof pilgrimage by tourists," represent America's "civil religion." Specifically, geography Professor, Kenneth Foote,argues that archival documents and artifacts extend the "temporaland spatial range of human communication" by providing durablevehicles for transmitting information "beyond the boundsof interpersonal contact."4 3 James E. O'Neill, "WillSuccess Spoil the Presidential Libraries?,' American Archivist36 (July 1973): 347. 4 Kenneth Foot,, "To Rememberand Forget: Archives, Memory, and Culture," AmericanArctivist, 53 (Summer
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