LOS ANGELES - The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum can't locate or account for tens of thousands of valuable mementos of Reagan's White House years, according to a published report.
An audit by the National Archives inspector general concluded that the library in Simi Valley was unable to properly account for more than 80,000 objects out of its collection of some 100,000 artifacts, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Wednesday night.
The audit was connected to an investigation into allegations that a former employee stole from the Reagans' collection of gifts from foreign leaders and other dignitaries, but sloppy record-keeping has hindered the probe, Inspector General Paul Brachfeld said.
‘Near universal’ security breakdown
"We have been told by sources that a person who had access capability removed holdings,"
Brachfeld told the Times. "But we can't lock in as to what those may be."
Part of the problem has to do with a lack of supervision and a "near universal" security breakdown that may have left the mementos vulnerable to pilfering, "the scope of which will likely never be known," the audit found.
It also found numerous storage lapses, such as pieces of art stacked on top of one another, and sculptures and vases unwrapped and lying openly in an area prone to earthquakes.
When auditors tried to locate a sample of 21 items from a larger list of "high-value objects," one vase was missing even though library records indicated it was accounted for.
They also found that nine of 26 items in two unpacked boxes had gone missing. The missing items included a hand-crocheted American flag and an elephant figurine.
Belt buckles among the missing
Some of the items unaccounted for include pieces from a large collection of ornamented belt buckles given to Reagan over the years.
An after-hours call by The Associated Press seeking comment from the library was not answered.
National Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper told the Times the agency was working to fix the problem. Some library volunteers said they were asked this summer to start an inventory project, which could take years to complete.
Part of the problem, Cooper said, is that many presidential libraries are understaffed and didn't have the same strict preservation guidelines used by most museums. The situation has improved, she said, but the libraries still struggle for funding.
Does anyone else find it deeply amusing that the Reagan library is, in a word, forgetful?
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unable to properly account for more than 80,000 objects out of its collection of some 100,000 artifacts
That's 80%. If this is correct, there's hardly a library left
Well, 20% of 80,000 means the library still have 16,000 pieces. There's plenty left. It's just that the library keeps getting a little less crowded.
Frankly, I'm surprised only an audit has occurred. There should be a full blown investigation into the employees. As the article states, they're understaffed and they need funds. It sounds like their salaries aren't that great and a couple items out taken out of 80,000 won't be noticed right?
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Gore Vidal wrote:I heard there was a terrible fire at the Reagan Library. Both books were destroyed. The true horror wasn't revealed until it was discovered that he hadn't finished coloring the second one.
Can someone explain to me why every US President gets his own special library filled with mementos? Why is a memento-filled building even called a "library"? Aren't libraries supposed to have books for public consumption, rather than memorabilia?
As far as I can tell, the only reason they call them "libraries" is because they don't want to come out and call them museums and/or places of worship: a toned-down version of the kind of thinking that went into the ancient Egyptian burial tombs of the Pharoahs.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Darth Wong wrote:Can someone explain to me why every US President gets his own special library filled with mementos? Why is a memento-filled building even called a "library"? Aren't libraries supposed to have books for public consumption, rather than memorabilia?
As far as I can tell, the only reason they call them "libraries" is because they don't want to come out and call them museums and/or places of worship: a toned-down version of the kind of thinking that went into the ancient Egyptian burial tombs of the Pharoahs.
The Office of Presidential Libraries administers a nationwide network of Presidential libraries beginning with the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. Currently, this includes:
These are not traditional libraries, but rather repositories for preserving and making accessible the papers, records, and other historical materials of U.S. Presidents. Presidential Libraries and Museums are great treasures of our nation's history. They are important sources for historians and other researchers studying our presidents and our history. In addition to archiving and preserving presidential papers and objects, presidential libraries and museums bring history to millions of visitors from around the world.
When a President leaves office, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) establishes a Presidential project until a new Presidential library is built and transferred to the Government.
The Office of Presidential Libraries:
* Establishes and coordinates policies with regard to Presidential Libraries, including programs for acquisition, preservation, and use of historical materials, and the development of new Presidential libraries.
* Provides oversight of budgetary and management controls within the libraries and regularly convenes staff in the libraries to establish and review strategies for implementing the mission and goals of Presidential libraries.
* In coordination with NARA's General Counsel and other NARA officials, maintains liaison with the incumbent administration and with officials of former administrations with regard to organization, storage and reference service on Presidential materials.
Presidential Libraries are not libraries in the usual sense. They are archives and museums, bringing together in one place the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliations. Presidential Libraries and Museums, like their holdings, belong to the American people.
During his second term in office, President Franklin D. Roosevelt surveyed the vast quantities of papers and other materials he and his staff had accumulated. In the past, many Presidential papers and records had been lost, destroyed, sold for profit, or ruined by poor storage conditions. President Roosevelt sought a better alternative. On the advice of noted historians and scholars, he established a public repository to preserve the evidence of the Presidency for future generations. Beginning a tradition that continues to this day, he raised private funds for the new facility and then turned it over to the United States government for operation through the National Archives.
So yes, they are basically memorials to themselves. I suppose some have historical value. I can't wait to see what George The Lesser puts in his. I doubt there will be many books.
DavidEC wrote:Must be very useful for biographical historians looking for primary source material.
When, of course, they can actually locate it.
The problem is, it's obviously in each president's interest to portray his (or her) presidency in the best light possible. I doubt there will be much in Bush Jr.'s library about the controversy (let alone the morality) of starting a war such as he did in Iraq. 50 or 100 years from now, if these libraries still exist, what will a student of history find in GWB's library? I hope such a student goes elsewhere for serious study.
DavidEC wrote:Must be very useful for biographical historians looking for primary source material.
Something tells me that the Reagan Presidential Temple will not have many books about things like the Iran Contra scandal.
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
Well, I imagine Reagan's underwear was filched by young wild Republicans who forever after would sit in dark rooms, passing them around, and deeply inhaling its musky conservative aroma and geting high as a kite.
"Show me an angel and I will paint you one." - Gustav Courbet
"Quetzalcoatl, plumed serpent of the Aztecs... you are a pussy." - Stephen Colbert
"Really, I'm jealous of how much smarter than me he is. I'm not an expert on anything and he's an expert on things he knows nothing about." - Me, concerning a bullshitter
Gil Hamilton wrote:Well, I imagine Reagan's underwear was filched by young wild Republicans who forever after would sit in dark rooms, passing them around, and deeply inhaling its musky conservative aroma and geting high as a kite.
Of all the disgusting and nausea-inducing things that are discussed in these forums, this is by far the worst. I really didn't need that image in my head and now it's forever burned into my brain. You sir, are gross.
FSTargetDrone wrote:The problem is, it's obviously in each president's interest to portray his (or her) presidency in the best light possible. I doubt there will be much in Bush Jr.'s library about the controversy (let alone the morality) of starting a war such as he did in Iraq. 50 or 100 years from now, if these libraries still exist, what will a student of history find in GWB's library? I hope such a student goes elsewhere for serious study.
There seems to be massive confusion here about the nature of the Presidential Library system.
Basically you have two seperate sections, one of which is the museum with objects and various objects on display in the museum section. This section has significant private involvement and is the one which can end up somewhat biased in favor of the President in question. (Although NARA actually limits how far these biases can go.) The other section is the Archive which is tightly run through the National Archives and Records Adminstration (NARA). This is the part where the primary sources are, and it actually doesn't involve books very much at all. What it does have is basically all the official government records from the White House Administration during the time that president was in office. (Things worked differently prior to Nixon, but after him, the records all being save in the archive become manditory, and even sensative records can only be temperarily restricted and not destroyed, with specific legal guidelines on what can be restricted.) I can confirm access to the part of the building with the archival records is much more limited and these records are far more tightly organized and accounted for. The archive portion of the library gives equal access to the public and is actually an extremely useful resource for anyone wanting to write a book bashing Ronald Reagan.
The key is its a government agency responsible for managing access to the records, not the people who are fans of Reagan. This is currently complicated a bit by Bush having given a Presidential order requiring a representative of each President (or his family) to approve the release of records prior to them being released to the public, but this order is unlikely to survive much longer once he leaves office and the records are all available to be released.
One final point is basically the Museum portion of the Presidential Library is built with solely private money from donations, its only the Archive portion which relies on federal government funding for its construction.
Tut tut... One would have thought the necropolis of the Tin God Reagan would have been afforded a much higher level of security protection than that granted to Iraqi museums and ammo dumps.
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Oil an emergency?! It's about time, Brigadier, that the leaders of this planet of yours realised that to remain dependent upon a mineral slime simply doesn't make sense.
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