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Daily Archives: February 19, 2015

The Presidential Libraries Act and the Establishment of Presidential Libraries

CRS Report – The Presidential Libraries Act and the Establishment of Presidential Libraries – Wendy R. Ginsberg, Analyst in Government Organization and Management; Erika K. Lunder, Legislative Attorney; Daniel J. Richardson, Research Assistant. February 6, 2015.
“The Presidential Libraries Act and the Establishment of Presidential Libraries Congressional Research Service Summary The Presidential Libraries Act (P.L. 84-373; 69 Stat. 695), as originally enacted in 1955, sought to create a system of government “preservation and administration … of papers and other historical materials of any President or former President of the United States.” Pursuant to the law, the General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Administrator could, among other actions, accept … the papers and other historical materials of any President or former President of the United States, or of any other official or former official of the Government, and other papers relating to and contemporary with any President or former President of the United States. (P.L. 84-373) Amid concerns about growing costs of the libraries, the act was substantially amended in 1986 (P.L. 99-323; 100 Stat. 495) to “shift the burden of on-going building operations costs of future libraries from the taxpayer to endowment funds.” Through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the federal government currently operates and maintains 13 presidential libraries, and is currently engaging with representatives seeking to construct a presidential library for President Barack Obama. The libraries, which primarily serve as archival repositories and museums in which the records and memorabilia of the former Presidents are held and made available to researchers and the public, are privately constructed on behalf of former Presidents. Before construction on a presidential archival facility can begin, the Archivist must approve a plan, and Congress must be provided 60 days of continuous session during which it can disapprove of the plan. If Congress chooses not to act, the land, buildings, and sometimes other amenities for the library may be deeded to or otherwise placed under the control of the federal government. Among some concerns associated with the construction and maintenance of presidential libraries is the role of the private organizations that build and, sometimes, continue to inhabit the buildings. The private organizations, commonly referred to as presidential library foundations, support the construction of the libraries and sometimes provide funding for the exhibitions displayed within the library or its museum. Each library and foundation has a unique partnership. Such a relationship, however, may also lead to difficulties in determining which exhibits are displayed, ensuring a balanced portrayal of the President’s legacy, and differentiating between public and private space at the facilities. This report details the legislative history of the Presidential Libraries Act. The report then examines information on existing library facilities and their locations, organizational characteristics, and outreach efforts. It also analyzes legislative options for the act, including increasing endowment requirements for the library foundations and clearly delineating the relationship between NARA and the libraries’ supporting organizations. Congress, for example, might consider consolidating the libraries into one centralized location or could attempt to create standards for the historical exhibits at the libraries.”

NISO Webinar: Authority Control: Are You Who We Say You Are?

NISO Webinar Authority Control: Are You Who We Say You Are? Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Speakers: Simeon Warner, Director of Repository Development, Cornell University Library Laura Dawson, Product Manager, ProQuest Thomas Hickey, Chief Scientist, OCLC http://www.niso.org/news/events/2015/webinars/authority_control/ “In the world of authority control, it is a bit of an alphabet soup of acronyms. ORCID (Open Researcher… Continue Reading

Risk Classification’s Big Data (R)Evolution

Swedloff, Rick, Risk Classification’s Big Data (R)Evolution (2014). Connecticut Insurance Law Journal, Vol. 21, 2014. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2566594 “Insurers can no longer ignore the promise that the algorithms driving big data will offer greater predictive accuracy than traditional statistical analysis alone. Big data represents a natural evolutionary advancement of insurers trying to… Continue Reading

Economic Report of the President 2015

“This morning, the Council of Economic Advisers released the 69th-annual Economic Report of the President, which reviews the United States’ accelerating recovery and ways to further support middle-class families as the recovery continues. The economy is recovering from the Great Recession at an increasing pace, growing at an annual rate of 2.8 percent over the past… Continue Reading

Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

“The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) submitted the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Advisory Report) to the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in February 2015. The purpose of the Advisory Report is to inform the Federal government… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research Adds Thousands of New Digitized Items

Via Katrina Stierholz, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – “additions to FRASER since its relaunch in October 2014 –  FRASER – the Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research – has added thousands of new items to its free digital library of economics and banking history and offers a wealth of primary and secondary… Continue Reading

Small Rule Change That Could Give the U.S. Government Sweeping New Warrant Power

Posted by Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security: “At the request of the Department of Justice, a little-known body — the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure — is proposing a significant change to procedural rules that could have profound implications for the privacy rights and security interests of everyone… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Flood Insurance, Identity and Tax Fraud

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board: Improvements Needed to Strengthen Internal Control and Promote Transparency, GAO-15-181: Published: Jan 20, 2015. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2015. Flood Insurance: Status of FEMA’s Implementation of the Biggert-Waters Act, as Amended, GAO-15-178: Published: Feb 19, 2015. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2015. Identity and Tax Fraud: Enhanced Authentication Could Combat Refund… Continue Reading