All these Presidential Libraries ..where do they come from..

[deziloooooo]

This is something I have wondered about for a while now...been to two in my life time..Kennedy..Johnson...For the most part. forgettable..most remembered was Kennedy golf clubs in a bag and his  little  sail boat out side the museum on display..Johnson...can't remember much...

Granted I am not a scholar  / historian doing deep research on the happenings back when...but this article . author of...I kind of agree with..have thought  that possible one or two or at  most ..three national libraries spread over  area,  East..Middle America ..West Coast ,think  large metro areas..easy to get there ..say/suggest/ think .. New York / Washington/Philidelphia/Atlanta {East}...Chicago...{Central}LA, San Francisco{West}as examples and from now  on Presidents have to pick one of those locals...deposit all...Save lots of  personnel...$ ...and less control of  how presented ...more honest presentation...save hope  fully costs..

This comparison of lack of funds on National parks vs Presidential Libraries , amount of  folks  who show up at  both..it's disturbing to me and rarely mentioned and  discussed...

I don't expect Congress to get involved though they should as  they are the ones who are responsible for the budget...always  complaining about this and that regarding $ and definitely can't expect a President..current , recent or past..including the one I have supported..Obama himself..to suggest changes...Up to American Citizens them selves to petition and make their disappointment ..if it's there ..known to our  congressional folks..Suggestion come with threats by the way.."You want to be considered for reelection suggest you visit this topic..etc, etc.."


www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-op-end-presidential-library-subsidy-20150619-story.html
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"Nobody Needs Another Presidential Library

By SEVERIN BELIVEAU

Presidential libraries are a waste of taxpayer money.

Right now rangers are readying Acadia Park in Maine for the summer arrival of 2.4 million visitors. But there is not nearly enough staff to handle all those visitors. Acadia, like all national parks, has suffered from budget cuts due to sequestrations, shutdowns and all the rest. And the facilities themselves are in poor shape. The National Park Service said this spring that Acadia has $57.6 million in deferred maintenance needs for trails, bridges, roads and the like. That sorry state of affairs is repeated at all of the other important national parks across the country — Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, President Barack Obama is setting up yet another presidential library, in Chicago. This will be the 14th such edifice, all developed since the passage of the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955. The total visitation to all presidential libraries in 2012 was less than the number of visitors to Acadia alone. The median number of visitors at such libraries is around 100,000. Yet for this, the taxpayers are paying roughly $100 million per year — the annual budget for Acadia."
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To read complete article click on link above....

[alabamagal]

I enjoy history but have never been to a presidential library. And have no plans to.

I know Carter library is in Atlanta and that would be on the bottom of my list of things to do.

[Shooby]

Waste of money. Libraries are becoming a thing of the past too.

[Shooby]

Obama should break the cycle and build a new YMCA somewhere or something.

[deziloooooo]

Jun 21, 2015 7:16:14 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Waste of money. Libraries are becoming a thing of the past too.

Not in my town if you mean the public libraries...it  is always very busy when I go there which is often..Kids being tutored by seniors in reading...DVD and CD sections very big plus many computers ..always busy..{ many don't have access which surprised me..}

[mroped]

There are plenty of public libraries that could be enlarged or beter staffed/maintained.
Why waste so much money on building a new one that is gonna be seldom lay visited due to its "status"?
Just because there is an "Act" for presidential libraries doesn't mean that we really want them.

There are many other stupid things that were built at huge tabs, very high maintenance costs and very litle use for them.
Once people pass, we don't need to glorify them. Their memory should be kept and respected but things of a nature such s the libraries are unnecessary.
What would be wrong with building a comunity center in Chicago or a public park and name it Barrack Obama?
More people would enjoy it and would be useful. Another library that nobody goes to is just a waste of money.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

I agree with deziloooooo. Our library offers many programs beside having books on the shelf. The computers are busy with people who don't have access at home. Some people come in and sit for hours reading the magazines.

ETA Presidential libraries are unnecessary. Just a monument to the President.

[NoNamePerson]

Jun 21, 2015 7:27:07 GMT -5 deziloooooo said:

Jun 21, 2015 7:16:14 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Waste of money. Libraries are becoming a thing of the past too.

Not in my town if you mean the public libraries...it  is always very busy when I go there which is often..Kids being tutored by seniors in reading...DVD and CD sections very big plus many computers ..always busy..{ many don't have access which surprised me..}

Same here at the branch I go to. You have to park in the north back forty most of the time and it's a big parking lot. I can't say anything about the other 8 branches since I rarely go to any of them. The main branch has a super Local History and Genealogy department. There are all types of classes going for on for children, adults.  Not everyone has access to computer regardless of what we think and kids having access to books is a good thing.

Half of the 1st floor of my branch is dedicated "Kids Room" Does my heart good to see all those little kids sitting there reading or being read too.

ETA: The second floor is for research material, computer classes and all manner of other stuff.

Heck, we have Bookmobiles that serve the city/county. I know of one that stops at the Senior citizen apartment complexes because so many don't drive and don't have kindles/iPads, etc. 

Ok, guess you can tell I believe libraries serve a purpose. No opinion on the one talked about in OP.

[Tennesseer]

If we close presidential libraries, what do we do with the bodies of the presidents and their wives buried there on site?  Do we relocate the remains or does the public continue to pay to maintain these sites?

If we decide to close the libraries but let the bodies remain, can the buildings be repurposed once the historical records and memorabilia is relocated to who knows where?  Seems profane to repurpose the library to a Starbucks but have the graves remain.

I am indifferent of presidential libraries.  

[Deleted]

Jun 21, 2015 7:17:03 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Obama should break the cycle and build a new YMCA somewhere or something.

Why wouldn't he make his presidential library fully digital?

I agree that brick & mortar presidential libraries should be terminated. However I do think a small budget to digitize and maintain materials on the web could be meaningful for students.

I did not realize that the public supported the presidential libraries, I thought they were funded by donations.

[NoNamePerson]

I guess I should say that if I am ever visiting a city that has a presidential library I would be inclined to visit it if time premitted.

I admit ignorance on who "pays" for them and who has to maintain them. Guess I'm off to google.

[tcu2003]

I've visited a fair number of Presidential libraries when traveling - Nixon, Eisenhower, Truman, George W Bush, and Carter's, and generally like to stop when I can and I'm near one. That said, for some reason I thought they were funded by private donations, but I guess that's just the building of them. I do think it's ridiculous that they are funded at those levels when the national parks are grossly underfunded.

[deziloooooo]

Jun 21, 2015 9:49:29 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

If we close presidential libraries, what do we do with the bodies of the presidents and their wives buried there on site?  Do we relocate the remains or does the public continue to pay to maintain these sites?

If we decide to close the libraries but let the bodies remain, can the buildings be repurposed once the historical records and memorabilia is relocated to who knows where?  Seems profane to repurpose the library to a Starbucks but have the graves remain.

I am indifferent of presidential libraries.  

lol...no Tenn I am not proposing that we close the ones we have now nor do I think the author of the posted article is doing so either but as far as new ones..such as Obamas  proposed in Chicago...there is time to rethink the whole thing of each President being so honored...I beleive it's by donations that they are built but the maintenance..staff..{well paid } curator ..{very well paid..} and possible  maintenance ..Government [ you and I } picks up...
Let the bodies remain...LOL...

Actually this is a comparitively new thing..Presidential Libraries...since the 1950's or so..? {Have to go back and re read  the article...
As the author of the article eaid..it's a good thing it didn't start on day one..think of how many never visited ones there would be..

As far as the Presidential papers ...there are Universities  that would love to archive those things...Library of Congress is another ...or as I suggested, consider possible three spread over  the country..possible a wing or such for the POTUS who decides were he would want to put his stuff...as far as  the buriels..if they  want to. let  them be buried at these sites..how much room would it take..

[mroped]

Brick and mortar public libraries are still a necessity. No matter how much we digitize everything!
I wouldn't clasify presidential libraries as "public".

Couple years ago, I did the stone work on a public library and the entire cost for it was somewhere in $5million to buy the land with an existing building, add on existing as to enlarge footprint a room, parking lots and what not. The library sits on a 5 acre lot intown.
Granted, is out in a small town, the building altoghether is maybe 8000 sf or a bit more but still.
Anytime the library is open there is a full parking lot.
They offer all sorts of classes, art exhibitions and so on so I'd say they are useful.

But that costs a fraction to maintain what it costs for a presidential library.
I guess is again due to status so my question is what happened to "all men are created equal!"

[deziloooooo]

Jun 21, 2015 13:44:53 GMT -5 mroped said:

Brick and mortar public libraries are still a necessity. No matter how much we digitize everything!
I wouldn't clasify presidential libraries as "public".

Couple years ago, I did the stone work on a public library and the entire cost for it was somewhere in $5million to buy the land with an existing building, add on existing as to enlarge footprint a room, parking lots and what not. The library sits on a 5 acre lot intown.
Granted, is out in a small town, the building altoghether is maybe 8000 sf or a bit more but still.
Anytime the library is open there is a full parking lot.
They offer all sorts of classes, art exhibitions and so on so I'd say they are useful.

But that costs a fraction to maintain what it costs for a presidential library.
I guess is again due to status so my question is what happened to "all men are created equal!"

I am not naive or have a problem with some of the costs of government what ever..we  are a great power ..with all our problems..{hey there are over 310 million of us now..} we are still a very rich country able to afford many things and it seems as if  , just like in our daily lives , you and  I, everything has gotten very pricey..{paying $2.09 for a cup[refillable  yes..] of  coffee for example...[would love to hear my dear Mom express herself on that one.. .]..but then again, a fighter plane depending on Air Force, Marine or Naval running over $150 million each..??{ F-35} and still has  problems..forget the cost of the F-22.

With that said...the author of the article of this thread made a good point and I feel we have gone a bit nuts with all these libraries but neither  political party want  s to be the one  to do away with such perks...expect in time their own party head would benefit by them. Thus up to us the electorate to go for the stopping of..the change in direction..

Understanding that to have just a very austere financial expendatures isn't the answer either..a example  ..


I can remember once years ago , Hector Chavez was the  leader of farm workers in California..big boycott of lettuce...gives you a idea of the  time...was Carter in the office then..?

My family  with two other close family friends were visiting , touring , Washington DC and we were on the tour of the  White House [ had tickets from a congress person..]..and we came  to the room with all the samples of dinner ware over the years and decades were displayed...One of the traveling people close friend   with us..very , very liberal and concerned , bitched about the probably cost and wast of all those dishes that government had when the  poor farm workers were getting paid yadda yadda..you get the picture........


I mentioned to her that I understood that these sets of  dishware that we saw, the   cost of , were donated by supporters of who ever was  the POTUS and party at the time the dishes were designed and commissioned plus do you really want to serve  the King and Queen of England as a example at a  state dinner using paper plates and cups..even the good heavy ones available at the super market.

Carol was and  is a sweet well meaning person but some times we can get a bit of to much sometimes when we try to think of costs of our government and possible waste of..

Then again, I am thinking right now  as the Army considers  again changing the hats ..berets of the soldiers....how they went from the ridge way cap to the baseball cap..to the camo of  today reversable that has proven not to be that good ..but to change back..way to expensive...There are unnecessary wast I agree...money can be used better...

[NoNamePerson]

Ok, I haven't made it to google on this presidential library subject but do they charge to visit?

[Tennesseer]

Jun 21, 2015 17:55:56 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Ok, I haven't made it to google on this presidential library subject but do they charge to visit?

JFK Library admission info (for example).

JFK Library

[NoNamePerson]

Thanks  Tennesseer.     I was wondering if part of the operational expenses were being offset by admission fees.

I think I am going to add Presidential Libraries to my ever growing bucket list - feel a trip coming on where there is one!!

[lynnerself]

Information on presidential libraries. History, why they are there, what's in them and who funds them.
www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/faqs.html
Partly they are there for historical researchers.  They are origianlly funded with private donations and then supported with federal funds.

The article in the OP is not really comparing apples to apples.
The library budget of $100 million supports 14 libraries. Arcadia is just one national park. The total budget for the National Park Service is about 2.6 billion dollars.

[deziloooooo]

Jun 22, 2015 0:48:32 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

Information on presidential libraries. History, why they are there, what's in them and who funds them.
www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/faqs.html
Partly they are there for historical researchers.  They are origianlly funded with private donations and then supported with federal funds.

The article in the OP is not really comparing apples to apples.
The library budget of $100 million supports 14 libraries. Arcadia is just one national park. The total budget for the National Park Service is about 2.6 billion dollars.

Just finished reading the link you provided...thanks..very interesting and personally I don't  have a problem with the current situation of Presidents having their own libraries..before the act put through by Roosevelt..previouse Presidential papers were left up to the President himself..family and much was destroyed..spread throughout the land..As far as the  cost to help maintain currently at $100 million..While that sound like a lot of money..when you consider that the  cost of one new top line Jet fighter say the F-35 cost depending which branch of service designed for..Air Force..Marines ..or Navy can cost over $150 million dollars ..that is ONE fighter plane...I don't think a budget of $100 million for all the libraries  over board at all...