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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #21; 4 May 2006)
by Bruce Craig (editor)
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at  http://www.h-net.org/~nch/
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1.   CAPITOL HILL JOINS CRITICISM OF SMITHSONIAN FILM DEAL; BOARD OF
REGENTS TO REVIEW
CONTRACT
2.   HOUSE COMMITTEES PREPARE TO DECIDE FUNDING LEVELS FOR NEH, 
NARA/NHPRC
3.   FACULTY SALARIES ONCE AGAIN FAIL TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION
4.   GERMANY AGREES TO OPEN HOLOCAUST FILES
5.   BITS AND BYTES:  No postings this week
6.   ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "UK Museums, Treasure Hunters Agree On Code 
of
Conduct" (Washington Post)


1.   CAPITOL HILL JOINS CRITICISM OF SMITHSONIAN FILM DEAL; BOARD OF
REGENTS TO REVIEW CONTRACT
In the first public Congressional rebuke of the Smithsonian 
Institution’s
(SI) activities in several years, two influential members of the House
appropriations committee that oversees the institution have asked for a
public airing of the business deal recently signed between the 
Smithsonian
and Showtime Network.  That agreement seeks to create a new commercial
cable television venue known as "Smithsonian on Demand."

The letter, signed by both Charles Taylor (R-NC), Subcommittee Chair, 
and
Norman Dicks (D-WA), the Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee on
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, raises concerns about the
semi-exclusive aspects of the Showtime contract that critics assert 
limits
access to Smithsonian resources by filmmakers and producers.  The 
letter
states: "We believe that such an exclusive arrangement may be 
incompatible
with the trust placed in the Smithsonian as an educational institution 
and
as an instrumentality of the United States."   The letter also urges 
the
Smithsonian Board of Regents to "immediately review this contract...and 
to
consider changes...not to bar other legitimate commercial filmmakers 
who we
believe have the right to reasonable access to the collections and 
staff."

Bowing to ever increasing public and Congressional pressure, on 28 
April
the Smithsonian announced that the 17- member Board of Regents –  which
already approved the contract during a previous meeting  –  has agreed 
to
re- review the Showtime contract during its upcoming May meeting.

SI Secretary Lawrence Small, in his first public statement on the
controversy, defended the agreement characterizing it as "entirely
consistent with the institution's mission."  He also stated that, "the
venture provides an unprecedented opportunity for the Smithsonian to 
expand
exponentially its ability to reach the public with information about 
our
collections and activities, at no cost to us."

The Showtime deal has drawn heavy criticism from filmmakers, 
historians,
and archivists who charge the agreement unreasonably bars access to
Smithsonian resources to commercial and documentary filmmakers and that 
it
also violates professional ethical standards that require "open access" 
to
archival and museum collections in the public domain.

A related note...When the Smithsonian/Showtime contract was first 
announced
some weeks back, several organizations filed Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) requests with the SI, requesting a copy of the Showtime
agreement.  A response has now been provided by SI officials to the
organizational  filings.

The SI asserts "it is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act" 
and
that the SI will "provide information to the public in keeping with the
mandate to ‘increase and diffuse knowledge.’”  While the SI is not 
subject
to FOIA, in the past, when it has served the SI's interests, it has
complied with provisions of FOIA.  In this instance, the refusal to 
comply
with FOIA was expected as for several weeks the SI has asserted that 
the
agreement is "proprietary" in nature and has declined to make its terms
public.

2.   HOUSE COMMITTEES PREPARE TO DECIDE FUNDING LEVELS FOR NEH, 
NARA/NHPRC
The House's Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations
subcommittee that oversees the budget of the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH), as well as the House Transportation, Treasury, and
Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of
Columbia  Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the budget of the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), are beginning to 
make
recommendations for the funding of their respective agencies.

While details are still sketchy, on 4 May the Interior subcommittee
recommended “level funding” for the NEH..  This means the House will
embrace the president’s recommended budget of $140.9 million for the NEH
(including $15.23 million for the "We the People" program) and not the 
$156
million that was the figure recommended by the humanities advocacy 
community.

With respect to NARA, archives advocates are awaiting word on the House
recommendation for the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission (NHPRC).  The president's zero-funding proposal has been
challenged by the history and archival communities.  Congressional 
efforts
to include funding for the NHPRC have been spearheaded by Congressmen 
David
Price (D-NC) and James Leach (R-IA), who, earlier this week together
advanced a "Dear Colleague" letter requesting "full funding" for the 
NHPRC.

The "Dear Colleague"  request was signed by thirty members of Congress 
and
includes both Republicans and Democrats.  It calls for the subcommittee 
to
"provide $10 million for grants and $2 million for staffing and
administrative support for this small but essential federal program."  
The
letter also suggests that a portion of the 2007 funding be used "to 
broaden
that program and assist all states in developing state disaster plans 
for
both vital and historical records...part of a vision of a larger,
formula-based program which could assist all states in the future."

Funding decisions on the NARA budget are expected by the end of the 
month.


3.  FACULTY SALARIES ONCE AGAIN FAIL TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION
According to an annual salary report issued by the American Association 
of
University Professors (AAUP) for the second year in a row faculty pay 
has
failed to keep pace with the nation's inflation rate.  Average academic
salaries for professors are up 3.1 percent while inflation rose at an
estimate  rate of 3.5 percent in 2005.  Over the last 20 years, average
faculty salaries have increased just over .25 percent once adjusted for
inflation.

Data gathered from some 1,400 institutions of higher learning including
public, private, and community colleges reveal that the overall average
salary for professors stands at $70,333; full professors at private
institutions make the most, an average of $131,292.  Assistant 
professors
at community colleges earn an average of $47,046; Associate professors 
earn
between $64 - 68,000; assistant professors between $54 - 58,000;
instructors, between $40 - 41,000 and lecturers, between $44 - 48,000
depending on one's sex (according to the statistical summaries, women 
earn
the lower figure).

To access the complete report visit the AUP webpage at: 
http://www.aaup.org/


4.  GERMANY AGREES TO OPEN HOLOCAUST FILES
Last week, Germany took a major step forward toward opening Nazi era
records relating to up to 17.5 million Jews, slave laborers, 
concentration
camp prisoners, and other victims of the Holocaust.  Germany pledged to
work with the Unites States and other nations to ensure access to some 
30
to 50 million documents that are stored in an archives in the German 
town
of Bad Arolsen.

Until now, Germany has refused to open the records, citing privacy
concerns.  Much of the credit in this recent development falls to the
Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. which for nearly two decades has 
been
seeking to pry open the records.

As the situation currently stands, some 11 nations jointly oversee the
records which for some 60 years have been used nearly exclusively by 
the
International Committee of the Red Cross to help trace missing or dead
persons.  Reportedly, the Red Cross still gets about 150,000 requests a
year.  Except for fulfilling those requests, the records have been off
limits to historians and the public.  Plans now call for eventual
digitization of records.

Decisions on how best to proceed to open the records will be made 
during a
meeting scheduled for 17 May in Luxembourg.  At that time the 1955 
treaty
regarding the records is expected to be amended.


5.   BITS AND BYTES
No postings this week.


6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "UK Museums, Treasure Hunters Agree On Code 
of
Conduct" (Washington Post; 2 May 1006), a Reuters report describes the 
new
code of conduct being advanced by British museums, archeologists, and 
metal
dectorists in an effort to protect and keep archeological sites from 
being
plundered.  For the article, go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050
200473.html
.


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