• 2007.07.27: July 27, 2007: Headlines: Presidents - Kennedy: Libraries: Freedom of Information: Speaking Out: Providence Journal Bulletin: The Kennedy Library's expansion will be paid for with federal funds. But there is a question as to how public access to the new papers will be determined Monday, July 31, 2006 - 10:05 am [1]

Kennedy Library sets plan to grow



Most of the new library wing would be storage space, not generally accessible to the public, with one floor underground. The addition will house Edward Kennedy's existing and "anticipated papers" he will donate at a later date, including many documents currently stored at a regional records center in Waltham, according to a description of the proposal provided by library officials. In addition, the wing would store papers belonging to Kennedy family members and members of JFK's presidential administration, which are currently kept in off-site storage facilities. Also in the new addition would be artifacts and memorabilia including such items as rocking chairs used by JFK, his wardrobe, and gifts of state, Shattuck said. Among relatives whose belongings would be kept in the addition are Robert F. Kennedy, Eunice and Sargent Shriver, Jean Kennedy, and Steven Smith.

Kennedy Library sets plan to grow

Kennedy Library sets plan to grow

Jun 7, 2006

The Boston Globe

Jun. 7--The John F. Kennedy Library is making plans to break ground next year on a $22 million wing that would house Senator Edward M. Kennedy's papers, the largest expansion in the 27-year history of the library, officials said yesterday.

Officials said they need to expand because they have run out of space and have been forced to store important documents and artifacts off site.

The two-story, 30,000-square-foot addition would be built on the north side of the library, under plans that would add 1 1/2 acres to the 9 1/2 -acre site. In 1991, the library added the 21,800-square- foot Stephen E. Smith Center, a two-story addition, to the original presidential library, which opened in 1979 encompassing 115,000 square feet.

The new collection will also include letters, documents, and other artifacts that belonged to Kennedy relatives and members of the John F. Kennedy presidential administration.

State Senator John Hart, a South Boston Democrat, said he will file a bill this week to allow the federal government to buy 66,000 square feet of vacant land from the University of Massachusetts at Boston for the library.

As the plan is now proposed, the National Archives and Records Administration would pay UMass $2 million in federal money for the land and spend $20 million more to build the wing. The appropriations require approval by Congress, which has already funded $2 million for design costs. Library officials met Monday night with community leaders to detail the plan.

Meeting with the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association, John Shattuck, chief executive officer of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, ticked off what the project would bring to the community, including the paving of a heavily used harbor path along Columbia Point and an increase in educational programming. The civic association voted unanimously to endorse the project.

"Senator Kennedy has been viewed as one of American history's greatest senators and one of the most important politicians in the history of Massachusetts," said Bill Walczak, a member of the association. "Having his papers and having scholars be able to study in Dorchester is an important thing for Dorchester pride."

The Globe reported in 2003 that a library expansion was envisioned as part of a proposed new Center for the Study of the Senate at UMass-Boston that would eventually be named after Edward Kennedy. The center was to feature a new academic program based on the senator's collection of papers accumulated over more than 40 years in the Senate and a replica of the Senate chamber, officials said.

Since the idea was first proposed in 2003, no action has been taken on the Center for the Study of the Senate, but UMass officials said the proposal is not dead.

"My expectation is that at some point it will go forward," said Robert Connolly, UMass spokesman. "Our board has taken a vote expressing our interest in making property available for the Center for the Study of the Senate."

Most of the new library wing would be storage space, not generally accessible to the public, with one floor underground. The addition will house Edward Kennedy's existing and "anticipated papers" he will donate at a later date, including many documents currently stored at a regional records center in Waltham, according to a description of the proposal provided by library officials.

In addition, the wing would store papers belonging to Kennedy family members and members of JFK's presidential administration, which are currently kept in off-site storage facilities. Also in the new addition would be artifacts and memorabilia including such items as rocking chairs used by JFK, his wardrobe, and gifts of state, Shattuck said.

Among relatives whose belongings would be kept in the addition are Robert F. Kennedy, Eunice and Sargent Shriver, Jean Kennedy, and Steven Smith.

The wing would also contain "a very small, but very badly needed" exhibition space, as well as an area for educational programming, according to Tom McNaught, deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

A 2001 study by the National Archives and Records Administration found a "severe shortage" of storage space at the Library, declaring its cramped conditions the worst among the 11 presidential libraries. It also found that the library lacked temporary public exhibition space and adequate space for educational programming.

Hart originally offered the measure as a Senate budget amendment, but withdrew it, opting to file a separate bill authorizing the sale. He said yesterday he expects it to be approved.

"We want to do anything we can do to assist the Kennedy Library to draw more people," Hart said. "To have the presidential papers there and Ted Kennedy papers there would be something to treasure."

"Because the federal government has the responsibility for preservation of these materials, our hope is they will face the responsibility to fund this addition," McNaught said. "It's not a done deal, but there certainly is an acknowledgement the building needs to get done."

Kennedy spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said: "Senator Kennedy agrees with the National Archives that the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is in great need of expansion space . . . and believes that the plan they've put together will represent a win-win situation for UMass-Boston, the library, and the City of Boston."

The National Archives agency contracted with Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, a New York firm, to design the addition.

When this story was posted in July 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

---

Jody Olsen is acting Peace Corps Director The Senate confirmed Gaddi Vasquez to head the FAO on June 30. Jody Olsen will be acting Director until the President makes a permanent appointment. Olsen has been Deputy Director of the Peace Corps since 2002. She has previously served as Chief of Staff for two directors, as regional director for North Africa, Near East, and Asia and the Pacific, and as country director in Togo. She served in Tunisia as a PCV.

---

---

The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory. New: Sign up to receive PCOL Magazine, our free Monthly Magazine by email. Like to keep up with Peace Corps news as it happens? Sign up to recieve a daily summary of Peace Corps stories from around the world.

---

Changing the Face of Hunger In his new book, Former Congressman Tony Hall (RPCV Thailand) says humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism. An evangelical Christian, he is a big believer in faith-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Members of Congress have recently recommended that Hall be appointed special envoy to Sudan to focus on ending the genocide in Darfur.

---

PC will not return to East Timor in 2006 Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that at this time, the Peace Corps has no plans to re-enter the country in 2006. The Peace Corps recently sent a letter offering eligible volunteers the opportunity to reinstate their service in another country.

---

Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress.

---

The RPCV who wrote about Ben Hogan Probably no RPCV has done more to further the Third Goal of the Peace Corps than John Coyne with the Peace Corps Writers web site and newsletter that he and Marian Haley Beil have produced since 1989. Now John returns to writing about his first love - golf in "The Caddie who knew Ben Hogan." Read an excerpt from his novel, an interview with the author and a schedule of his book readings in Maryland and DC this week.

---

Vasquez testifies before Senate Committee Director Vasquez testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. He has been the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. PCOL Comment: Read our thanks to Director Vasquez for his service to the Peace Corps.

---

First Amendment Watch Maine Web Report hit with Federal Lawsuit Website wins trademark suit against Jerry Falwell

---

Interview with a Hit Man RPCV John Perkins says that for many years he was an "economic hit man" in the world of international finance whose primary job was to convince less developed countries to accept multibillion dollar loans for infrastructure projects that left the recipient countries wallowing in debt and highly vulnerable to outside political and commercial interests. In this exclusive interview for "Peace Corps Online," Colombia RPCV Joanne Roll, author of Remember with Honor, talks to Perkins about his Peace Corps service, his relation with the NSA, "colonization" in Ecuador, the consequences of his work, why he decided to speak out, and what his hopes are for change.

---

PC Program in Chad temporarily suspended Director Vasquez announced the temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in Chad on April 14 and that all 29 Peace Corps volunteers have left the country. With a program dating back forty years (See Page 4 of the April 1966 "Peace Corps Volunteer"), RPCVs hope that volunteers can return to Chad as soon as the situation has stabilized. Congratulations to the Peace Corps for handling the suspension quickly and professionally.

---

Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security.

---

PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

---

History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

---

RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case.

---

Military Option sparks concerns The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read our poll results. Latest: Congress passed a bill on December 22 including language to remove Peace Corps from the National Call to Service (NCS) military recruitment program

---

Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

Read the stories and leave your comments.