Wow, you are right about that article being misleading. Read this paragraph. It sounds like the House was going to stand up for the library, but backed down? Told it would hurt a deal? I guess they were threatened not to stand up for the library or Jeb would not compromise. Wow. SNIP...."Last week, House Republicans threatened a revolt over the library closing. Early Wednesday, majority leader Marco Rubio, R-Coral Gables, and Reps. Bev Kilmer, R-Quincy, and Leslie Waters, R-Seminole, called a news conference in front of the library to protest the budget cuts. A short time later, the legislators canceled the gathering after Bush aides urged them to call it off because it could endanger a compromise....." I hope you don't mind I shortened the link because I could not get to it. The little dot in front of the shtml was hard to see. http://makeashorterlink.com/?U2DC13683 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pam Cooper" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 8:16 AM Subject: [FLORIDA] State Archives A Point of View If you take a look at this article in the St. Pete Times: http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2003/02/18/State/Deal_preserves_state_ shtml it makes it sound as though things will be okay now, but it's very misleading. Again, keeping the Archives and the State Library's Florida Collection in the Dept. of State are a very good first step, but "it does not address the loss of the State Library's main collection, the loss of the expertise, and coordinating functions of the staff of the State Library and the Museum of Florida History, and the general disruption of historical research caused by the planned dispersal of related historical resource programs and collections. " According to the article, the plan now is to have the Archives and Library employees who were retained - 15 Archives and 25 Library Development - manage the Archives, the Florida Collection, and the Museum of Florida History. If that is really what is intended now, that is a completely inadequate solution. Only trained, experience museum professionals should manage the Museum. You wouldn't have your dentist do heart surgery, or your cardiologist do a root canal; nor should you place specialized collections under the management of those not having the specialized expertise to manage them. This plan also does not address the critical issue of keeping the Archives and Records Management functions as one program instead of splitting off Records Management and moving it to the Dept. of Management Services. The SFA resolution does address this issue, and it's vitally important to continuing the efficient identification, preservation and management of Florida's historical records. An agency that manages state buildings, cars, and parking lots (DMS) is not the appropriate place for the records analysis and records management training and services provided by the current Bureau of Archives and Records Management.