Three Special Museum & Library Collaborations

-Three special museum and library partenerships are the United States Presidential Libraries, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution and its Libraries. All of these institutions are open to the public and they are funded by the government.

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The Presidential Libraries

-Presidential Libraries are not libraries in the typical sense.

-They are archives and museums that bring together in one place the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and allowing the public to view and study the materials.

-The Presidential Library system formally began in 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt donated his personal and Presidential papers to the Federal Government.

-The National Archives took custody of Roosevelt's papers and his historical materials.

-Roosevelt believed that the Presidential papers are an important part of the national heritage and should be accessable to the public.

At the dedication of his library on June 30, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt observed:
"To bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgement in creating their own future."

-To learn more about the Presidential Libraries visit: http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/. Here you will find information on the history of the Presidential Libraries, their contents, exhibits, special events, visitor information, and links to each specific Presidential Library.

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The Library of Congress

-The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and it also serves as the American National Library.

-It was created in 1800 to be a research library for Congress.

-Today, research for Congress is still the primary mission, but its services have now been expanded to all American and to researchers around the world.

-To learn more about the rich history of this amazing institution go to http://www.loc.gov/about/history/.

-Because of its special status as the national library, the Library of Congress's mission encompasses traditional library services, as well as, many other roles.

-Some of these additonal functions are "Protector of Creativity", "Publisher of Information", and a "Vast Internet Source".

-To find out more about these additonal duties of the Library of Congress go to http://www.loc.gov/more/links.html

-I have stated previously, that the Library of Congress is host to mant exhibits at the Library, as well as, online. To find out more about the exhibitions go to http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/

-The library's website has a section called "Global Gateways" that has links to collaborative digital libraries, individual digital collections from its own collections, as well as, links, databases, and resources of interest to national and international researchers.

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The Smithsonian Institute and Its Libraries

-In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs, the estate should go "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." In 1835 the nephew did die without heirs and thus began the rich and diverse legacy of the Smithsonian Institute.

-For more information on the history of the Smithsonian Institute go to http://www.sil.si.edu/about/history.htm.

-According to Lawrence M. Small, the current Secretary of the Smithsonian, "The Institute's vision is to commit itself to enlarging its shared understanding of the mosaic that is our national identity by providing authorative experiences that connect us to our history and our heritage as Americans and to promote innovation, research and discovery in science."

-Today, the Smithsonian has 18 museums, 140 affiliate museums, 9 research centers, and over 143.7 million objects, artworks, and specimens in its collections.

-The Smithsonian has over 20 libraries and information resource centers.

-The Smithsonian libraries have a section on the website that is called "Resources/Related Links". Here, there is a listing of categories, and then underneath each item is a list of libraries or resource centers where information on that topic can be found.

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-Here are some books that may be of interest to anyone who would like to read more about these three wonderful institutions.

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Conaway, James, and Edmund Morris. America's Story: The

Story of the Library of Congress, 1800-2000. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000.

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Hyland, Pat. Presidential Libraries and Museums: An Illustrated Guide. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1995.

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Overstreet, Leslie. Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 1995.

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Smith, Curt. Windows on the White House: The Story of the Presendential Libraries. South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications, 1997.