Joe Crankshaw: Transfer of
Florida Library still on the books until contract is voided
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/the_news_ed_columnists/article/0,1651,TCP_1133_2586541,00.html
By
Joe Crankshaw columnist
January 20, 2004
Even though the Legislature has refused to fund the transfer of the books,
tapes, photos and historic records, people working for Gov. Jeb Bush
appear to be raising money privately to pay for the transfer.
Just when it seemed the battle to keep the Florida State Library and
Archives in the R.A. Gray Building in Tallahassee was over, there are
indications that the plan to send the valued and historic collection to
Nova Southeastern University is still alive. Even though the Legislature
has refused to fund the transfer of the books, tapes, photos and historic
records, people working for Gov. Jeb Bush appear to be raising money
privately to pay for the transfer.
Nick Wynn, Ph.D., executive director of the Florida Historical Society, is
warning his members in e-mails that the plan is still alive. He said
library staff members, speaking anonymously because they have been
threatened with firings if the talk about the move leaks outside the
organization, say more than $5 million of the needed $10 million has been
raised by private donations to Nova.
Wynn also notes that while the Legislature refused to fund the move, it
did not officially abrogate the contract between the state and Nova, which
would allow the state materials to move to the private university. He said
there is a need for the Legislature to trash the contract to ensure that
the public's property remains under public control and in Tallahassee.
The issue is one of importance to libraries around the state, historians,
researchers, and the general public which benefits from the intellectual,
cultural and artistic treasure under public control in a public place.
Last year librarians from around the state, members of genealogical
organizations, and the Historical Society mounted a campaign to keep the
library and archives together in Tallahassee. The effort included lobbying
legislators, and even a public protest in which library supporters ringed
the Gray Building to show their strength. The effort worked; the transfer
which had been running on greased skids came to an abrupt halt, and the
legislators refused to provide public funds to transfer public property to
private control.
The governor began planning the shift of the library and archives to Nova
in 2002, but the plan did not come to light until early 2003. The stated
reason for the change was to "reorganize" the secretary of state's office,
which presides over the historical and cultural treasures of the state, to
save an estimated $5.4 million and cut 55 jobs from the payroll. The
savings argument sounded good until the legislative leadership and the
governor decided they need to spend $5.3 million for a new jet plane to
haul them in comfort about the state.
The state library and archives are the result of 100 years of labor by
governors, legislators, educators, librarians and historians, who
recognize the need to have a state repository open and available to the
public. The value can even be seen in the current race for the Democratic
presidential nomination. Howard Dean, a former governor of Vermont, is
under fire for sealing most of his official records from public view. Such
a move is not possible under Florida law, and because the records are
stored in the state archives. If the archives were to be moved to Nova,
access to records could be controlled under institutional rules and
private property laws. That causes many to believe Jeb Bush is looking for
a way to shield his records after he leaves office in three years.
A library is more than a collection of books, and a state library is more
than that because it is the central place for historical information. The
staff of experts with years of knowledge, is crucial to the system.
Without a knowledgeable staff to help researchers, the library is just a
collection of books.
An even more disturbing question is why the governor, who — like all other
governors — is elected to serve the people for a limited period of time,
feels that he has personal ownership of the library and archives, and can
dispose of it as he sees fit? There is no question the library is public
property. It was there before Bush took office, and it should be there
when he leaves office, unless he can show a compelling reason why he
should trash over 100 years of work by other people. He has not provided
anyone with such a reason.
If Bush wanted only to move the books, there might be some merit to his
"savings" argument, but his original plan called for giving Nova $5
million in transfer costs, plus personnel to manage the collection.
Because the library and archives are critical to the state, used by
legislators and other government agencies in Tallahassee, they need to be
kept in that city, under public control, and open to all. The legislator
can ensure that the facility remains where it is by simply voiding the
contract between the state and Nova. If they don't do that, then we will
see that the action on the funding was just a way to appear to support the
library without really opposing the governor's unwise scheme.
Call, write, e-mail your legislators and tell them to void the contract
quickly, and to take steps to preserve the library, archives and their
staff from further depredations by the governor.
Contact Joe Crankshaw by telephone at (772) 221-4181, or e-mail:
Joe.Crankshaw@scripps.com .
His columns are archived on the News'website,
www.TCPalm.com
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http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/the_news_editorials/article/0,1651,TCP_1033_1885157,00.html
Give Florida's new Secretary of
State Glenda Hood high marks for bullheadedness. Faced with clear evidence
that a proposal to dismantle the state library won't wash, Hood now says
she'll consider seeking private donations to give away public property.
Gov. Jeb Bush proposed breaking up the State Library and
parceling out its combination of unique services to other state agencies
and Nova Southeastern University, a private institution. The move, which
has been planned since last October but not revealed to the public until
this past January, has drawn opposition from the state Library
Association, the Florida Genealogical Association, the Broward County
Commission, the Florida Historical Society and others concerned about the
devastation of the state's historic and cultural center.
Perceiving the opposition, the House of Representatives
removed from its budget a $2 million appropriation to move the library
books from public to private ownership. To his credit, Speaker Johnnie
Byrd has pledged the library will neither be dismantled nor moved from
Tallahassee. The Senate version of the budget contains the appropriation
for the move, but leaders there have assured opponents of the move that
the money will be stricken in conference with the House.
Apparently oblivious to the fact that dismantling the
library would do great harm to historical and social research and limit
the state government's ability to research issues, Hood now says she would
accept private donations to move the book collection to the private
school. She does not explain how this could be accomplished, just as the
governor has never explained how Nova Southeastern University was selected
in a bid-free, no-proposal process, skipping even legislative hearings.
Nor has the governor said, incidentally, what gives him the authority to
dispose of public property without a hearings process of his own.
Bush and Hood, who is his appointee, need to realize
they are custodians of their offices, not the owners, nor do they own or
have the right to give away public property without the people's consent.
Copyright 2003, TCPalm. All Rights
Reserved.
.... posted MMH, 4/19/03
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By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Wednesday, April 9, 2003
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/news_e3394af20418f0d000b8.html
TALLAHASSEE -- Secretary of State Glenda Hood on Tuesday graciously
accepted a legislative drubbing of her plan to transfer a $5 million
"circulating" collection from the state library to a private college in
Broward County, but critics remain wary.
"If the money's not there to move it, it certainly will not be moved,"
Hood said. "I don't think that's a decision I will make. I think that's up
to the legislature."
Hood made her remarks on the same day that the House and Senate signed off
on competing spending plans that differ greatly but agree on at least one
point -- neither includes a $2 million provision needed to begin
transferring the 350,000-volume collection to the Davie campus of Nova
Southeastern University. The state library system falls under the purview
of the secretary of state.
Gov. Jeb Bush, who appointed Hood to the job a month ago, has been drawing
fire from library advocates since he released a spending proposal this
year that called for eliminating most of the state library system by
moving its collection and cutting 55 of the state library's 120-member
staff.
He first proposed transferring the bulk of the library to Florida State
University, but FSU administrators balked when they learned Bush's
proposal had no additional money for FSU.
The plan changed when Nova Southeastern, which boasts the largest library
in the state and a partnership with the Broward County Public Library
System, agreed in February to house the state library's circulating
collection in exchange for a $5 million appropriation over the next three
years.
At a news conference with Nova President Ray Ferrero Jr., Bush announced
the signing of a contract to facilitate the transfer. It was contingent
upon "the legislature appropriating said funds."
On Friday, the House unanimously approved a budget amendment by Rep.
Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, that stripped the spending item, handing
Bush and Hood a defeat. The Senate budget never included money for the
transfer.
But critics say the issue may not be over.
Lawmakers have until May 2, or later if they go into overtime, to complete
budget negotiations, and Bush, who has line-item veto power, has yet to
begin serious horse trading to bring the chambers together.
Bush also wants to merge the Department of State, which oversees the state
library as well as the division of elections, with the Department of
Community Affairs, the state's planning agency. Measures to do that are
winding their way through the legislature.
One bill by Sen. Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, includes a provision
that would give Hood the "authority to implement the intent of the
legislature to achieve the greatest possible coordination between program
activities and the delivery of services to the public, and to facilitate
the efficient operation of the department."
Bush and Hood have argued that the transfer to Nova would be a more
efficient way to manage the circulating collection. And Hood declined to
say what she would do if Nova offered to absorb the cost of the move or
the money became available from another source.
Bush also remains convinced that the Nova partnership is the best way to
go, a spokeswoman said Friday.
Ferrero was in meetings Tuesday and unavailable for comment, a staff
member said.
Jody Fitzgerald, a lobbyist for the Florida Library Association, one of
the biggest critics of the proposal, said she was encouraged but she plans
to continue to watch the process.
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Dear Library Friends:
Today I have good news! After much behind the scenes work, we have
achieved success. The language providing more than $2 million for the
transfer of the State Library s Circulating Collection has been removed,
and the 4 positions that the House budget eliminated have been restored.
This is a huge victory as it means that the House DOES NOT support the
transfer.
The credit belongs to each of you. This victory is a direct result of your
e-mails, calls and letters, as well as the information you provided and
the attention you brought to this issue is the reason for this success. I
am proud of your efforts. When citizens express their concerns and make
their wishes known to their elected officials, it represents the best in
government.
I will continue to be watching this issue to ensure that during the
conference committee process, nothing slips back into the budget. I also
want to say thank you for all of your e-mails of support and kind words.
They are most appreciated. And thank you for your commitment to our
outstanding and priceless State Library.
Loranne Ausley
House Representative, District 9
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Secretary of State Glenda Hood and Rep. Leslie Waters say that those of us who oppose Gov. Bush's plan to move the library's circulating collection to Nova have misunderstood. Waters said that the library is rarely used and that "if it were in downtown Clearwater, it would be out of business for lack of use."
The fact is that the State Library is not a business or even a public library, it's a repository of Florida's facts and history. The circulating collection provides the context in which Florida's place in the world is understood. Use of the library cannot be measured in the number of times a book is circulated. Many books are used in the library without being checked out.
Florida was very slow to fund its State Library. It wasn't established officially until 1924 when books, artifacts and memorabilia collected since statehood and stacked in the halls and basement of Capitol began getting in lawmakers' way. Adequate funding didn't begin until the 1950s. As a result, much of the historic record of Florida was lost or salvaged by out-of-state institutions.
If state repositories are closed, where will future donors deposit their correspondence, record books, business files, family histories and manuscripts? How will our children have access to the historic record of our era?
These materials belong to all the people of Florida. They must not be destroyed, given away or misplaced.
MARY ANN CLEVELAND
Former Florida Collection Librarian - Tallahassee
Democrat, 3/11/03
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Govenor's Recommended Budget for Libraries
I am concerned that the state operates in a manner in which officials must be sworn to keep matters "secret." Can anyone clarify when the sunshine laws apply or were they revoked by the governor?
On 11 Feb 2003 at 21:11, Barratt Wilkins wrote:
Letter I sent to Senate TED Appropriations subcommittee.
BW
Chairman Webster, Members of the Committee: As the recently retired director of the Division of Library and Information Services in the Department of State, I am concerned that certain statements may have been made before the Senate TED subcommittee about library leaderships approval of the Administration's plan to eliminate and transfer certain functions of the Division.
During the summer of 2002, each division in the Department was directed to appear before a transition committee made up of individuals from the Governor's Office and the Department of State. ---Assistant Secretary Mann, Legislative Affairs Director Buford,Administrative Services Director Lench, and International Affairs Office Tymes. The Division's presentation to this committee occurred on August
5.
Certain Governor's Office and Department of State officials have testified to the Legislature and to other groups, that all of the top library community leadership were in agreement of a plan to eliminate and transfer functions and collections of the Division of Library and Information Services. I can assure you that NO plan to eliminate or transfer Division functions was discussed with me during the meeting or with key informants from the library community on August 5.
The first I learned of the plan was on November 22. I was sworn to secrecy.
At that time I decided to retire and subsequently did so on January 6, 2003, at the age of 59, but with a full 30+ year pension. Of course, I do not agree with the Governor's plan to dismantle the Division.
Sincerely,Barratt Wilkins
....posted by NickW, 2/18/03
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Here is what they nonchalantly plan to do.
Subject: A FOLLOW UP ON YESTERDAY'S MEETING IN TALLAHASSEE
As I mentioned in my e-mail last night, I attended the public hearing of the Florida Historical Commission in the R. A. Gray Building. What a strange experience! Ying and yang!
* It was delightful to see a large number of professional colleagues assembled for the purpose of protesting this assault against the historical programs of Florida.
* It was appalling to hear Anna Estes, the Legislative Analyst from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, whose agency reviewed the operations of the various cultural programs in the State Department, state that, with the exception of a few minor efficiencies,
OPPAGA saw no need for drastic or dramatic changes in the operations of these agencies.
* It was appalling to hear Teresa Tinker, Bush's Policy Coordinator, from the Growth Management and Strategic Policy Unit in the governor's office, announce that the Bush administration would be concluding a deal Monday or Tuesday to transfer the State Library to some other institution (read Nova Southeastern).
* It was appalling to hear Ms. Tinker casually say that the State Museum would be allowed to stay under the Department of State for one more year, but offer nothing positive about the lost positions or about the future of the Museum after this one-year delay. * It was delightful to hear the audience respond with boos and hisses at some of the most outrageous and logically distorted claims by Ms. Tinker were put forward. For example, leaving the State Museum in place for one year. * It was unusual (and to some state employees, intimidating) to have the entire procedure carefully monitored by the acting Secretary of State and his number 2 person.
* It was discouraging to sit through a thirty minute discourse on how bills are passed in the Legislature and to realize that the Legislature has constructed a number of dead-ends for citizen input and that any real chance of influencing legislation does not come at the ballot box, but at the expense of hiring professional lobbyists who can dedicate themselves to a 24-hour-a-day monitoring of the complex apparatus that is the legislative process.
* It was discouraging to hear the refrain that "everything is up to the Legislature" and to realize that the process (see above) is too cumbersome for average citizens with real issues to negotiate.
* It was appalling to see apparently bright men and women abandon their consciences and do the "Jeb dance" for justification of the most immoral and unjust assault on cultural institutions and programs ever witnessed in the Sunshine State. (For a possible alternative to the Bush party line, consult e.e. cummings' "I Sing of Olaf" and repeat the refrain.)
* It was delightful to get to the end of the carefully choregraphed presentations by members of the governor's team and hear from people like Bob Austin, Marion Almy, John Daniels and Ken Hardin explore the financial hardships that the proposed Bush plan will have on tourism, historic preservation, development and archaeology. Millions, possibly billions, of lost dollars are at stake!
* It was delightful to hear the real anger of the "citizens" come out when the public portion of the hearing was opened. More than thirty citizens gave vent to their feelings toward the proposed programmatic, personnel and budget cuts of the Bush administration. If their reactions are any real judge, there will be "hell to pay" at the next election.
* It was appalling to see the absence of any Democrat representative at the hearing to respond to these proposed changes.
* It was appalling to learn that proposed legislation is "confidential" and cannot be reviewed or commented on by citizens until AFTER it has been placed on the legislative docket! Keep the people in the dark!
* It was delightful to see people like Florida Historical Commission member Lex MeKeithen of Wellborn express dismay and anger at the entire process.
That is my quick take. I was not present when the "white paper" was agreed upon, but I would be willing to bet that it will be accommodating to the governor's rape of the historical/cultural programs. It is a commission appointed by the governor, the Speaker and the President of the Senate. Its membership has two Department of State employees. The hearing was held in a government building and was carefully monitored by the Secretary of State, the Director of the State Library, and by other employees of the Department. Only incoming Secretary of State Glenda Hood was absent, BUT her imminence was invoked reverentially by Ms. Tinker on several occasions. I can only assure each of you that the upcoming meeting in Cocoa on Wednesday, February 19, will be certified 100% government-spokesperson FREE. Come if you can.
The person's name who sent the e-mail has been removed for the sake of privacy.
... posted by JRA, 2/18/03
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I love your website and I've passed on the URL to several people. I was also glad to have the opportunity to sign the library's petition. I have several friends who work for the state who told me that your site is being filtered by their administrators so that they can no longer get it at work. If true, that's pretty shameful! Of course, many state librarians (my husband is an archivist) have been warned not to "rock the boat" by signing petitions or sending emails. Heck, isn't the boat rocking furiously already? Thanks for a very informative website!
... MsX, 2/17/03
 | (Note: Someone should remind our governor of this
statement he made:
"If we're going to become so rigid as a country to be able to disallow speech, even though it may not be politically correct, I think we're in danger." ... Governor John Ellis "JEB" Bush, quoted in the Tallahassee Democrat, 4/25/01
")
|
Filtered or just down?
Your site was down for a few hours last week - maybe that was why they
couldn't get it...
... LeeJ, 2/18/03
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As a researcher interested in Florida history and politics, I have spent several months in Tallahassee working at the Florida State Library and Archives. The functionality of the state facility is highly dependent on the fact that it houses a wealth of materials on Florida history located in one central location.
Records held at the state archives have been used to support environmental protection actions and uncover wrongdoing on the part of state legislators. They provide a central repository and record of Florida's legislature and other government agencies. In a state with such a high degree of "rootlessness," it is all the more important to maintain the historical record in its entirety so that it can be easily accessed by researchers and residents.
Gov. Jeb Bush's ill-conceived plan to eliminate the institution increases the likelihood that Florida's history will continue to be woefully understudied and understood. Atomizing the collections of books, government documents, genealogy records and other historical sources by scattering them all over the state will make it much more difficult and expensive for researchers to do their jobs.
Bush's argument that materials could be secured through inter-library loan demonstrates his ignorance of the nuts and bolts of the historical profession. It would be almost impossible for a visiting researcher to work in such a manner.
Furthermore, Bush's recent arguments in support of his plans which indicate that gubernatorial sponsorship of a student essay contest for Black History Month is a valid substitution for a fully funded and staffed State Library and Archives once again demonstrates the intellectually-bankrupt nature of his governing ideology.
By his actions in this case, Gov. Bush demonstrates the animosity toward the historical profession and the maintenance of the historic record so often displayed by his more famous father and brother. This seems out of character given the fact that "our" Bush is often hailed as the "smart one."
Just as Bush's destruction of the Florida State Library and Archives will eliminate the easy accessibility to the historical documents key to understanding our Florida heritage for all future citizens, Bush the Elder and Bush the Younger have promulgated similar policies that reduce access to important historical documents and increase the levels of government secrecy concerning their respective administrations in Texas and Washington, D.C.
I wonder, just what are they trying to hide?
....By STEVE HACH, Gainesville, appeared in Gainesville
Sun
Jeb Bush is history.
No kidding. It's not a joke, it's not wishful thinking. It is absolutely the truth.
Still don't believe me, do you? Ah, but I have the proof, the whole proof and nothing but the proof.
You may recall that lately, down in the R.A. Gray Building, that state edifice that houses, among other things, the State Library, the State Archives and the Mausoleum of Florida History (nee Museum of Florida History), there has been some consternation that our governor plans to do away with these enterprises or shift them to some other venue.
The changes are required because the governor cannot get over the fact that a great majority of Florida citizens want fewer students in school classrooms and the only way he can come up with the money to pay for them is to carve up these centers of Florida culture. Many of the same people who voted for smaller classroom sizes are the same people who voted for him.
The question remains whether they made one mistake or two.
Because of these events, the secretary of state's office has declared Jeb a hero and decided that he should become history. No kidding, it's not a joke.
Jeb Bush really is history. Don't believe it yet? Well, take a walk down to the R.A. Gray Building - named for a real secretary of state - and you can view why our governor is history.
His smiling, photographic visage has been installed in a large frame before one of the doors leading into the exhibits at the Mausoleum of Florida History, one of the enterprises Jeb wants to Bushwhack to help pay for the education amendment. His countenance took the place of a painting of some real American heroes stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines during World War II. Some fellow named Colin Kelly. You may remember him.
It was learned the interim secretary of state ordered the picture mounted in the mausoleum. Apparently it is not necessary to earn your way into history anymore; it's whom you know that can get you there.
There you have it. Didn't believe me, huh? Jeb is history.
Oh, by the way, paper towels are also history in the mausoleum's restrooms. If you come down to the mausoleum and want to wash your hands of this whole matter you'd better bring your own paper towels.
..... By EarlD, MY VIEW
in Tallahassee Democrat
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The State Library is much more than a collection of books. Limiting the discussion about the library's future solely to the fate of its collection ignores the many services of the library.
In many respects, the State Library is to Florida what the Library of Congress is to the nation. Its staff provides research assistance and information resources to legislators and state government workers needing up-to-date or historical information for informed decision-making and planning. It plays an important role in linking citizens with their government. Professional staff answer more than 2,000 e-mail questions a month, providing citizens with information and assistance in navigating the complexities of state government. Publications and official documents issued by state agencies are collected by the State Library and distributed to libraries throughout the state. It coordinates interlibrary loan services, making it possible for citizens to borrow books and other materials that are not available in Florida libraries.
Dismantling this division by scattering its collections and gutting its services is not efficient, cost-effective or wise. It is misguided, shortsighted and wrong.
....GloriaC, Letter
to Editor
One thing that has not been addressed in any of the letters I've seen regarding the R.A. Gray Building is that the building was designed and constructed to a higher weight-bearing standard at a higher cost than a normal state office building in order to accommodate the 3 million-plus pounds of printed materials. If the building is not used as a library, it will be another huge waste of tax dollars, assuming someone has a plan for its use.
The stacks area of the library would make poor office space for any company. There are no windows, no floor coverings, not enough electricity and no adequate elevator access.
The state would have to spend even more tax money to prepare the building for another use, all the while spending even more tax dollars on books in limbo. It would be less expensive and far better, even for people in South Florida, to leave Florida's collection of books and printed materials in the safe and secure building that was designed and constructed for this purpose.
It already has been paid for once with tax dollars.
...KermitM, 2/12/03 from Tallahassee
Democrat
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Re: "One building in Tallahassee does not provide access" (Letters, Feb. 2).
Employing our interim secretary of state's logic, we could trim the massive federal deficit by closing the Library of Congress and distributing its contents to libraries around the country, where they would be more accessible to more Americans. What an inconvenience to house the nation's library in only three buildings in Washington!
A library is more - much more - than the mere sum of its parts, scattered over the state or foisted off on some other institution unprepared to sustain it. A library is a dedicated and experienced staff; it is a body of institutional knowledge; it is a collection of resources that complement each other.
In the case of Florida's State Library, it is an aggregation of rare and one-of-a-kind books, documents, photos and other resources that cry out to be kept in a single secure building in the state's capital. Proper security for these irreplaceable state assets is being ignored in the rush to false economy.
If Gov. Bush and Secretary Detzner really want to promote libraries and research, and if they take seriously their stewardship of state treasures, they will abandon the folly of dismantling Florida's library and dismissing its staff.
....CarrolD; 2/11/03 from Tallahassee
Democrat
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By DIANE ROBERTS
TALLAHASSEE -- There's a map from 1589, illustrating Sir Francis Drake's attack on St. Augustine, its colors still bright as summer. There are papers telling how in the early 1970s Disney transformed the groves of Central Florida into the concrete Kingdom of the Mouse. There's a telegram from civil rights leader Rev. C.K. Steele to Gov. LeRoy Collins, asking him to stop the persecution of black citizens during the Tallahassee bus boycott in 1956. There's the diary of Gen. Thomas Jesup, who captured Chief Osceola in the Seminole Wars of the 1830s.
It took 150 years to build the collection in the State Library. Jeb Bush, the self-styled "Education Governor," may destroy it in a few weeks.
Housing and maintaining the library costs around $5-million a year. According to Bush, Florida just can't afford it. If the governor gets his way, the library will close. The library's archivists and curators will be fired. The 1-million books and documents that tell the story of Florida from the arrival of Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 to the disputed presidential election of 2000, will be packed up and sent away.
Ken Detzner, interim secretary of state until Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood takes over later this month, is tripping all over himself trying to defend this proposed act of cultural vandalism. He allows as how there's "value" in having the library, "but in tough economic times, is that part of the state's core mission?"
In recent letters to Florida newspapers (many of which have editorialized against shutting the library), Detzner defends the governor. Bush wants to spend $19-million on his Just Read, Florida! program. Bush even proclaimed February 2003 "Library Appreciation Month." Detzner blames the passage of Amendment 9 for the state's poverty (those pesky voters). Then he claims that moving or dividing the collection would actually be better for the citizens: they could get materials via interlibrary loan. He doesn't explain how this would work: If somebody wanted to look at the 1589 Baptista Boazio map, would it get shoved into an envelope with a stamp stuck on it?
The attack on the library would be absurd if it weren't so crass. At first, Bush apparatchiks said the library would be transferred to Florida State University. Not that there would be any extra money, or staff, or a building. It sounded like they just figured to grab a bunch of boxes at the liquor store, gather up the books and papers, throw them in the back of the SUV and leave them on the steps of Robert Manning Strozier Library for FSU to care for.
FSU's new president, T.K. Wetherell, may be a certified Friend of Jeb, but his institution is due to be cut by $18-million this year, and he's not about to take on this fragile collection without the space, the cash and the professional archivists to go with it. You don't just park this stuff on a shelf somewhere. It requires temperature-controlled rooms, special lighting and conservators expert in handling old paper and delicate bindings.
Now no one seems to know what will become of the state's collection. Ken Detzner has said there are other possibilities. Evidently Nova Southeastern University in Broward County might take the library. Nova hasn't got much of an academic reputation, but it is private -- and the governor loves privatization.
Yes, Florida is dirt poor this year, suffering partly from the tubercular national economy (presided over by the governor's brother), and partly because of tax breaks amounting to at least $1.6-billion, mostly benefiting corporations and the rich. Jeb Bush and the Legislature have bled the state white over the past four years and things aren't improving: Bush's budget for this year includes a further $200-million in tax breaks largely for the already-affluent. The state library is the repository of Florida's cultural wealth, open to everyone. Yet Florida can't scrape up $5-million to keep it open?
Five-million bucks is chump change in a budget of $54-billion. You could probably find $10,000 just rooting around in House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's sofa cushions. Somehow the state can afford to let him have $500,000 to pay an army of public relations operatives. Somehow the state can afford $1.6-million to gussy up a capitol lounge used by lawmakers' families, buy Senate President Jim King a new carpet and build a private legislative bathroom (apparently public servants can't use public facilities).
Somehow the state can afford to give Jeb Bush's former campaign spokesman Todd Harris a $50,000 sweetheart contract to help the Department of Education craft a communications strategy "consistent with the governor's vision." Somehow we can afford the tens of thousands in legal fees the state will have to pay when the governor and the Legislature go to court to defend the unconstitutional laws they are so fond of passing. Somehow we can still afford to exempt sky boxes and tanning beds from sales tax.
When Florida officially joined the union in 1845, one of the first acts of the new Legislature was to create an institution for the artifacts of our past. Maybe those old-school Democrats and Whigs (there were no Republicans in those days) understood that Florida would always be a state of immigrants, deracinated people who would need reminding that even though Florida emphasizes the new, the place has a long, long history. The library is the memory of Florida. The library is the treasure house of our heritage. If we lose it, we will never get it back -- not at any price.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/08/Opinion/Bush_winces_at_price_.shtml
St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2003
Diane Roberts, a former Times editorial writer, is a professor of English at the University of Alabama.
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The State Museum of Florida History and the entire Division of Historical Resources are threatened under the gov's plan to merge the Dept.s of State and Community Affairs.
His snide comments blaming a tough budget year and the class size
amendment cover up the fact that this "transition" was already in the works for when the
Secretary of State was no longer a cabinet position (effective January 7).
In addition to eliminating the State Library, his budget calls for
transferring the state museum and historic properties to DEP's parks and recreation division; yet few if any of the professional positions (required for accreditation) are slated for transfer.
Someone wants the real estate in the R. A. Gray building which currently houses these functions and the greedheads are likely to get away with it if there isn't more widespread condemnation of these ill-conceived and probably unconstitutional crimes.
Your site provides a needed resource, please look into this matter further.
... jt, 2/7/03
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A DEMOCRAT EDITORIAL 1/28/03
Incoming Secretary of State Glenda Hood will have an opportunity to leave one doozy of a legacy in her first months of office. She can go down in history as not only our first appointed secretary of state but also the woman who presided over the death of the Florida State Library and sent all the books into hiding.
Ms. Hood, how much better if you start off your statewide career as the secretary of state who talked some sense into Neutron Jeb. As he sets out to dismantle and reorganize the Department of State, please try.
Gov. Jeb Bush must be rescued from this latest in his series of audacious ideas -to wipe out the state's award-winning library in the R.A. Gray Building and turn some 55 library employees out on their ears and into a very poor job market for their profession in order to save $5.4 million in his crimped budget.
It gets worse. Then he wants to move the state's million-book collection over to Strozier Library on the campus of Florida State University, which has neither the room nor the parking to accommodate such largess.
Nor is there a cent in the state budget - much less the university's - to buy packing boxes to haul the books across town, much less reassemble them in a cogent fashion for public use. The public can scarcely set foot on campus now for lack of parking.
No doubt it's all part of some master ploy in budget negotiations where anything goes -except tax reform.
But the governor needs to also consider the acid-in-the-stomach effect his audacious approach is already having on library employees who have devoted their lives to preserving the stories, photographs and oral histories of our state and its people. What a shabby epilogue.
If it weren't so appalling it would be heartbreaking that our governor's ideal is to not only empty state buildings of people, but also of books.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/5043482.htm
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The Tallahassee Democrat's Jan. 28 editorial, "Plan
to close State Library brazenly bad," severely misrepresented Gov.
Bush's vision for reading and libraries in our state.
Although this is a tough budget year, in large part because of the passage
of Amendment 9, Bush's commitment to reading and libraries is clear. The
governor's budget prioritizes library services that will most directly
benefit citizens across the state. The budget includes $38 million in aid
to public libraries in all 67 counties; $6 million in public library
construction grants; and $1.2 million in continued funding of the library
cooperatives, which support public, academic, school and special libraries
across the state. Most importantly, Bush's budget includes $19 million of
additional state support for his Just Read, Florida! initiative.
Never has it been Bush's intention to "wipe out the state's
award-winning library," as was reported. Our goal has been to
preserve the future value of the collection in our state library system
while making it available to all who call Florida home. Whether the
collection is moved as a whole or divided among various public libraries
across the state, the interlibrary loan program makes it possible for all
materials in the collection to continue to be shared among Florida's 67
counties.
The governor envisions Florida as a state of readers. But a single
building in Tallahassee designated as a state library does not improve
access or utilize state resources efficiently. In a tough budget year, we
are wise to consider better ways to ensure access to these collections and
materials.
KEN DETZNER
Florida Secretary of State
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/02/02/news/editorial/letters/5068943.htm
Ken Detzner has been our secretary of state for how many
weeks now? And he his suddenly the expert on libraries and archives?
Well, that goes to show you has fast you can rise in the world of
politics.
I have a long history with the library and archives, both as a staff
member 1973 to 1985 and as a private research businessman who utilize
these collections on a frequent basis. The functions of that institution
are so intertwined that abruptly abolishing one portion of it will cause
great harm to those parts that survive.
Once, when I was introduced to Katherine Harris as a former state
archivist, she remarked, "Well, I guess you know where the bodies are
buried." I found that remark odd coming from a secretary of state,
but maybe she has a wisdom beyond mine. Maybe there are bodies - and the
dismantling of the State Library will surely bring them those ugly corpses
back to life.
EdT; http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/02/04/news/editorial/letters/5096736.htm
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Re: "One building in Tallahassee does not provide access," (Letters, Feb.2).
I must wonder how much experience our secretary of state has working within the library system. Believe it or not, people actually do real research in libraries: pulling books from the shelves, reading microfilm and microfiche, taking notes. The Internet is a wonderful tool, to be sure, but to date the majority of mankind's historic data is not available online, and when looking for historic data regarding a particular state the expected prime location is the state capital. The secretary's suggestion of spreading the archives around the state runs contrary to this concept.
Citing the class-size amendment as a reason for imposing this travesty is gamesmanship. It's a clear contradiction of the intent behind Amendment 9: a better education for all.
Reasonable class sizes and quality libraries are both honorable and worthy expenses. To deny them is to shortchange proceeding generations. Other avenues of savings should - must - be found.
JAYD; http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/02/05/news/editorial/letters/5104381.htm
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Gov. Jeb Bush's management shallowness and incompetence continue to show.
It appears to be centered, for now, in the R. A. Gray Building, home to the State Library, the Museum of Florida History, and the State Archives. It is destined to grow.
Late last week, all employees of the Museum of Florida History were handed notices that their services no longer would be required after June 30, end of the fiscal year. That appears to belie plans to move the Museum to the Department of Environmental Protection.
All of this is happening because Bush must pout that the state cannot afford to pay for the amendment requiring smaller class sizes. Why stab our culture in the back because he doesn't have the backbone to eliminate sales tax exemptions for his buddies?
EarlD; http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/02/04/news/editorial/letters/5096736.htm
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The problem with having a governor who has no historic ties to the state of Florida (and who is using us as a stepping stone for his own trip to Washington) is that he has no problem with dismantling and destroying the state's archives, making it impossible for Floridians to have access to their cultural and historic documents.
There are good reasons why Floridians had never elected a Republican governor to a second term. Hopefully, we can bring pressure or find legal ways to limit this arrogant man from destroying Florida before he leaves us to muck up his imagined next political step toward the White House.
AnnM, http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/02/03/news/editorial/letters/5077909.htm
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Rather than close our State Library and cut other services, I have a suggestion.
Gov. Bush should cull through the thousands of inmates incarcerated for drug-related crimes and let them out. We have many unjust sentences doled out that are way out of line for the crime. I know personally of a first-time inmate in for 25 years for nothing more than hot checks and burglaries that occurred in less that a two-week period 10 years ago. This good-natured person has cleaned up his act and deserves a second chance.
There are many, many others in the same situation. This would free up prison beds, thereby reducing the need for a budget in the billions to build more temples of failure. Add to that the annual budget of housing these nonviolent inmates to the tune of nearly $30,000 per year and we would have plenty of money to fund needed services.
I would think the governor would have sympathy and understanding for those who, like his daughter, made bad decisions - but are not bad people.
DavidC,
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2003/01/31/news/editorial/letters/5069002.htm
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(news clips have not been kept updated - check
archives)
Librarians throw book at closing state library
By Ron Hayes, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to eliminate the Florida State Library meets an angry rebuke from the state's librarians.
2/16/02
Dogged supporters
BILL COTTERELL /Democrat
Protesters object to library move: Historian Joe Knetsch, right, waves at motorists at Bronough and Pensacola streets Saturday as state employees protested budget plans to move the Florida State Library to Florida State University. Sara Ashworth, center, a Department of Children & Families employee who often uses the library, and Rachel Prieth, who works in circulation at the library, joined the protest with Ashworth's dog, Buddha.
2/2/03
FSU won't take library
Wanted: real estate. About 10.8 linear miles of it to accommodate almost 1 million documents being displaced by state budget downsizing and the elimination of the Florida State Library.
1/31/03
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