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Re: long threads & lack of information



Doing some research at NARA last year, I learned nothing about the pink
dress, but did learn that the clothing worn by Kennedy himself is in the
Archives.  I could not tell (nor was I particularly interested in learning)
whether the clothing was itself available for serious examination.  But
detailed photographs of Kennedy's clothing from every conceivable angle and
distance were available readily in notebooks shelved in a publicly
accessible area.  It's hard to imagine that much further information could
be available to the researcher from the clothing itself than from these
photographs.  I suspect that these articles, like the pink dress which has
everyone's panties in a wad, are almost completely unavailable to hands-on
research, yet are held (rightfully so, I believe) in such a manner that
research which might benefit from their examination may still be conducted
fruitfully, i.e., by examination of detailed photographs.

And since no one from NARA has come forth in this discussion yet to describe
the agency's policy regarding accessibility of these items, the fact that so
many are voicing complaints about their policy reminds me of that old joke
that ends with "Keep your damned jack!"  The messenger is being killed even
before we find out whether he carries bad news.

Jim Beaver
Nawyecka Productions
----- Original Message -----
From: Maarja Krusten <Maarja@AOL.COM>
To: <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2000 7:16 AM
Subject: long threads & lack of information


> Perhaps the long thread about researcher access to artifacts became so
> extended because there was no official answer posted by a representative
of
> the National Archives.  Had the National Archives (NARA) been able to
respond
> quickly as to whether or not it held the artifact in question and why it
> could or could not make it available to researchers, a lot of the needless
> speculation would have been avoided.  Access policies, donor restrictions,
> and statutory restrictions are relevant issues for this List, especially
when
> they relate to Presidential materials, but it helps if we can discuss them
in
> an informed way.  I worked for 14 years at the National Archives but left
the
> agency's employ in 1990.  While I am willing to speak generally about
> government archivists, disclosure screening and access policies, I would
> rather not attempt to speak up on what artifacts the National Archives
does
> or does not hold.  That's best left to an official spokesperson.  I wish
> someone from NARA would put the thread to rest by providing an official
> answer on the artifact--it's too bad much of the discussion has taken
place
> in such an information vacuum.  Maarja Krusten (maarja@aol.com)
>
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>