Although I agree that ideally, access shouldn't be limited by virtue of
restricted hours solely to professional researchers and people with
sufficient vacation time to use some of that time for research, I am at
a loss as to what NARA should do, given its huge pending budget
shortfall. ($20 million as I recall.) So, I'll ask members of the
List another question: what would you cut, in order to keep the
existing research room hours? Federal managers often frame questions
this way: for every project for which we approve spending, we have to
decide not to spend elsewhere. So, what would you cut?
There are few options for an agency which, like most civil agencies,
probably spends some 70 or 80% of its budget on people costs (salaries,
benefits, the total compensation package for employees, if you will).
Yes, there is a buyout at NARA right now. Some employees will take it
and retire by October 1. Of course, you can't force people to retire.
Yes, there's a hiring freeze. But what else can NARA do to cut costs?
I don't know if it is feasible to cancel some contracts to cut down on
contracting costs. I would hope it won't have to furlough staff or to
fire people. Where would you make the cuts in existing programs, to
come up with the amount of the shortfall?
Most of us probably are pretty like-minded about the need to support
NARA. Unfortunately, I don't see a large constituency for NARA, either
among knowledge-seekers (academic scholars and government researchers)
or those simply looking narrowly for factual information (a relative's
military record, etc.) Unfortunately, that means its constituents
don't have a lot of leverage, there isn't a huge, well-orgnized and
effective lobby out there to speak on behalf of NARA's users. Of
course, I'm with Richard, those of us who care do need to keep trying!
Maarja
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: Call to action: Comment on proposed reduction in NARA
reading room hours
Thank you for your efforts, Richard, on behalf of both the profession
and our users.
Accountability through responsible government recordkeeping remains a
central pillar of democratic societies. As citizens we are collectively
responsible for their maintenance, we rely on the evidence they provide
of our political representatives' activities, and we trust that
classified materials are being used to protect our national security.
I doubt many of us would argue for restricting access to federal
documents to professional journalists, scholars, and those with extra
personal days. Rather, one could easily argue that times of expanded
government require more, not less, public scrutiny.
Ok, so that surge of patriotism may have something to do with my recent
visit to the National Archives and it's excellent Public Vaults
exhibit, but I stand by it!
Jeff
Jeffrey V. Moy, Archivist
The Newark Museum
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
973.596.6622
[log in to unmask]
http://www.newarkmuseum.org/archive/
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:26:48 -0700
From: Richard Pearce-Moses <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Call to action: Comment on proposed reduction in NARA reading
room hours
Folks,
Archivists have a chance to be advocates for public access to
government
information - a core principle of archives - by commenting on a
proposed
reduction in NARA's reading room hours.
The National Archives has announced plans to reduce the hours of its
reading rooms at the Washington DC and College Park MD facilities.
Specifically, it will cut evenings and weekends, with the result that
records held by NARA will be available only during normal business
hours. This cut in service is a direct result of a need to reduce
operating expenses. You can find the rule at =
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.
gov/2006/pdf/E6-11763.pdf.
NARA held a public hearing last Thursday, 3 August. I spoke on behalf
of the Society of American Archivists, expressing concern that this was
a serious barrier to public access. Restricting reading room hours to
business hours requires that many - maybe most - members of the public
must take time off from work to use the collections. The effect is
that
they may have to pay for access in terms of lost wages.
While I'm sure all archivists appreciate the challenges of budgets and
the costs of extended hours, I believe it is essential for NARA to find
some means to retain some extended hours. One option would be to
remain
open evenings or weekends, rather than both. Archivist Weinstein
commented that he was committed to the principle of access to records.
In other comments, the Archivist noted that public input would be a
factor in the final determination of hours.
You can help make the case for the importance of public access to
public
records by submitting comments online at www.regulations.gov. For the
agency, select National Archives and Records Administration - all. In
the Keyword, type hours. Click submit, and you'll see an icon for
adding comments.
You can also send comments by fax (301-837- 0319) or by mail to
Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL), Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff,
National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road,
College
Park, MD 20740-6001.
Please take a few minutes to voice your opinion.
-- Richard Pearce-Moses
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
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