I, too, hope we can save the library & archives. However, I would hate to see this issue turn this list into a political forum. Gov Bush was not in favor of the class size amendment (although his opponent was) & warned us that paying for it would come at a sacrifice. It is not a sacrifice we want to make so let's try to find a positive way to save our library. Peggy Munroe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard White" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2003 2:09 PM Subject: [FLORIDA] Oblivion of Florida's History > > Oblivion of Florida's History > > What is proposed by the governor in regard to dispersion of the programs > of the Florida Department of State is so totally "off the wall" I can't > help but hope and believe it will be if not blocked altogether, at least > modified substantially in the legislature. But any way you want to look > at it, this proposal appears to be an all out assault on Florida's > history and historical consciousness. The archives serves a variety of > related lesser purposes, but its primary purpose is to serve as the > official repository of the permanent records of the state and hence its > institutional memory. Turning those records over to a university (not > that I have anything against FSU... I have a couple of degrees from > FSU)... any university, defies the most basic and essential function of > the archives. So does separating the archives from the records > management functions which feed records in a progression from current > use to archival preservation... weeding out the dross of records with > only transient values along the way; and so does putting the state > library or its holdings at FSU. It's not clear to me where the archives > are destined for... the Department of Management Services or FSU, but > such collections as exist in the library are pretty skeletal given > Florida's long history and only fairly recently begun efforts to collect > materials about it. Such an off-center movement of these programs can > only damage them. As constituted, the state library & archives are > primarily oriented towards serving governmental information needs and > the general public of the state. Many of the holdings of the library > and archives are part in one and part in the other of the two > repositories. It's not unusual to find an index in the archives and the > set of volumes to which it refers in the library... or vice versa. If > archives & library go to FSU but stay in the same building and work > pretty much under current procedures... that could work after a fashion. > But the existing university libraries are oriented towards serving > students and faculty of the particular institution, and, to a lesser > degree, academic researchers in general. Under existing policies & > procedures at the FSU Strozier & other libraries, I and most other > non-student and non-faculty people would have difficulty even checking > out a book there... whereas the circulating materials of the state > library are presently open to be checked out by virtually anyone. And > turning over an archives or even the records management function to a > housekeeping organization like the Department of Management Services is > scary. Their focus is almost assured to be far more on the dustbin, > than on history. Granted, both the state library and the archives have > many materials that do not circulate & would not circulate no matter who > their custodian is... but putting them at FSU would be pretty much like > redesigning the human body and putting the brain in the left thumb: not > impossible to do, just really, really not appropriate.. The same goes > for putting museum programs into the Department of Environmental > Protection. Their focus is upon the environment and stewardship of > land, not cultural artifacts. Yes, the parks do include related > programs but the cluster of historical programs under the office of the > secretary of state were put together because they have synergistic > relationships to each other and central integrating functions. Putting > this kind of nexus of programs together is part of a general pattern of > organization in state governments because good reasons for doing so have > general recognition. > > Supposedly the dispersion of these programs is about saving money; but > that makes no sense. Saying that it is about money must be a pretense. > Either our historical and cultural programs are going to continue, in > which SOME INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT are going to have continue to pay > the cost, or they're going to be tossed on a scrap pile. Both the > universities and the state government are drawing funds from > approximately the same sources, but the sources as related to the > purposes of these programs make much more sense together and in the > domain of general government than scattered across academia and > submerged into other tangentially related programs. There are no > significant staffing or facility efficiencies that can be obtained by > breaking these programs up. The only assured result of a break-up is > diminution of the functioning of the programs, even if their staffing > isn't reduced... and sure enough that is proposed too. The Department > of State is a tiny portion of state government. The only way that any > substantial amount of money from any source could be saved by altering > the organizational basis of the programs now part of it, is, essentially > by wiping them out, either altogether or pretty close to it. The next > step after dispersing these cultural and historical programs, would be > to whittle further away at them through time... and this would almost > automatically ensue, because in each case they are proposed to be put > out on the periphery of the mission and programs of their proposed new > institutional "home away from home", and money is tight everywhere. > > The thing that is the most scary about this proposal, is that it appears > to be indicative on the governor's part, not just of an indifference... > but of an active animosity, hatred or loathing against knowledgable > institutions in state government and preservation of and access to > information about our state's history. From where I stand it appears > that the man who is supposed to be governing the state has taken a > notion to overthrow it and if not absolutely destroy, at least dissolve, > scatter, dissipate to the winds, and greatly diminish the fundamental > ability of both our people and our government to learn of our own past. > > Richard White > South Gadsden Street > Tallahassee, FL > >

I will now join other in asking that listers take the politics out of their posts. Because if folks keeping pushing one point of view, I will start to feel honor bound to stick up for the other. And frankly, I would rather not have to do that on these lists. Jack ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peggy" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2003 6:16 PM Subject: Re: [FLORIDA] Oblivion of Florida's History > I, too, hope we can save the library & archives. However, I would hate to > see this issue turn this list into a political forum. Gov Bush was not in > favor of the class size amendment (although his opponent was) & warned us > that paying for it would come at a sacrifice. It is not a sacrifice we want > to make so let's try to find a positive way to save our library. > > Peggy Munroe > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Richard White" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2003 2:09 PM > Subject: [FLORIDA] Oblivion of Florida's History > > > > > > Oblivion of Florida's History > > > > What is proposed by the governor in regard to dispersion of the programs > > of the Florida Department of State is so totally "off the wall" I can't > > help but hope and believe it will be if not blocked altogether, at least > > modified substantially in the legislature. But any way you want to look > > at it, this proposal appears to be an all out assault on Florida's > > history and historical consciousness. The archives serves a variety of > > related lesser purposes, but its primary purpose is to serve as the > > official repository of the permanent records of the state and hence its > > institutional memory. Turning those records over to a university (not > > that I have anything against FSU... I have a couple of degrees from > > FSU)... any university, defies the most basic and essential function of > > the archives. So does separating the archives from the records > > management functions which feed records in a progression from current > > use to archival preservation... weeding out the dross of records with > > only transient values along the way; and so does putting the state > > library or its holdings at FSU. It's not clear to me where the archives > > are destined for... the Department of Management Services or FSU, but > > such collections as exist in the library are pretty skeletal given > > Florida's long history and only fairly recently begun efforts to collect > > materials about it. Such an off-center movement of these programs can > > only damage them. As constituted, the state library & archives are > > primarily oriented towards serving governmental information needs and > > the general public of the state. Many of the holdings of the library > > and archives are part in one and part in the other of the two > > repositories. It's not unusual to find an index in the archives and the > > set of volumes to which it refers in the library... or vice versa. If > > archives & library go to FSU but stay in the same building and work > > pretty much under current procedures... that could work after a fashion. > > But the existing university libraries are oriented towards serving > > students and faculty of the particular institution, and, to a lesser > > degree, academic researchers in general. Under existing policies & > > procedures at the FSU Strozier & other libraries, I and most other > > non-student and non-faculty people would have difficulty even checking > > out a book there... whereas the circulating materials of the state > > library are presently open to be checked out by virtually anyone. And > > turning over an archives or even the records management function to a > > housekeeping organization like the Department of Management Services is > > scary. Their focus is almost assured to be far more on the dustbin, > > than on history. Granted, both the state library and the archives have > > many materials that do not circulate & would not circulate no matter who > > their custodian is... but putting them at FSU would be pretty much like > > redesigning the human body and putting the brain in the left thumb: not > > impossible to do, just really, really not appropriate.. The same goes > > for putting museum programs into the Department of Environmental > > Protection. Their focus is upon the environment and stewardship of > > land, not cultural artifacts. Yes, the parks do include related > > programs but the cluster of historical programs under the office of the > > secretary of state were put together because they have synergistic > > relationships to each other and central integrating functions. Putting > > this kind of nexus of programs together is part of a general pattern of > > organization in state governments because good reasons for doing so have > > general recognition. > > > > Supposedly the dispersion of these programs is about saving money; but > > that makes no sense. Saying that it is about money must be a pretense. > > Either our historical and cultural programs are going to continue, in > > which SOME INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT are going to have continue to pay > > the cost, or they're going to be tossed on a scrap pile. Both the > > universities and the state government are drawing funds from > > approximately the same sources, but the sources as related to the > > purposes of these programs make much more sense together and in the > > domain of general government than scattered across academia and > > submerged into other tangentially related programs. There are no > > significant staffing or facility efficiencies that can be obtained by > > breaking these programs up. The only assured result of a break-up is > > diminution of the functioning of the programs, even if their staffing > > isn't reduced... and sure enough that is proposed too. The Department > > of State is a tiny portion of state government. The only way that any > > substantial amount of money from any source could be saved by altering > > the organizational basis of the programs now part of it, is, essentially > > by wiping them out, either altogether or pretty close to it. The next > > step after dispersing these cultural and historical programs, would be > > to whittle further away at them through time... and this would almost > > automatically ensue, because in each case they are proposed to be put > > out on the periphery of the mission and programs of their proposed new > > institutional "home away from home", and money is tight everywhere. > > > > The thing that is the most scary about this proposal, is that it appears > > to be indicative on the governor's part, not just of an indifference... > > but of an active animosity, hatred or loathing against knowledgable > > institutions in state government and preservation of and access to > > information about our state's history. From where I stand it appears > > that the man who is supposed to be governing the state has taken a > > notion to overthrow it and if not absolutely destroy, at least dissolve, > > scatter, dissipate to the winds, and greatly diminish the fundamental > > ability of both our people and our government to learn of our own past. > > > > Richard White > > South Gadsden Street > > Tallahassee, FL > > > > > >