* The study panel examining governance of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and its parent agency, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency was released today. From a press release…
The report concludes that establishing ALPLM as a separate agency is unlikely to solve the complex problems that led to the introduction of the pending legislation. Rather, separation of the ALPLM from the IHPA would weaken both organizations and “would result in a significant lost opportunity for the state,” depriving it of important synergies between the ALPLM and the other historical sites, memorials and programs that exist under the IHPA.
Instead, the report urges integration of ALPLM into a reorganized IHPA, to achieve “a better balance between the political culture that created ALPLM, the bureaucratic culture that has managed ALPLM for the past decade, and a museum and research library culture that must assume a higher profile in the [institution’s] future.”
The author of the report, Dr. Brent Glass, director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, argues that changes in the current governing structure of both IHPA and ALPLM could provide Illinois “a nationally recognized public history agency with the resources—human, physical, and cultural—commensurate with its rich and varied heritage.”
The report’s conclusions and recommendations were unanimously endorsed by the study panel at its meeting on December 22. Co-chairs of the panel, Donna Sack of the Association of Midwest Museums, and Bernard Reilly, of the Center for Research Libraries, expressed confidence that the report will shed new light on the complex issues surrounding ALPLM governance and operations and their hope that it proves useful to state legislators in considering the pending legislation.
The full report is here. I’ve been sick all day, so I’ll get to it eventually. Let the rest of us know what you find. Thanks.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 1:48 pm:
AMEN!
- Ghost - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
Thwre are a lot of state problems that are poor management. But when polotics controls this is what you get.
Perhaps a performance based system for selecting and keeping the board and senior staff. Skip political approval for keeping the job and focus on outcomes
- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:04 pm:
Sick?
Who is watching Oscar the Puppy?
How will IL function without FaxOsight in place?
Very worrisome as the we approach the Shakey Era
- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:05 pm:
Oh, we forgot, the report is nonsense. Stop payment on the $25K check…leave HPA in charge but add some pols…Yikes!
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:09 pm:
Are there really “complex problems” there? I thought it was a turf battle.
A turf battle can be a problem, but solving it can be as simple as just picking a winner.
- Cassiopeia - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
I new head of IHPA will solve a lot of the problems.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:49 pm:
“The success of this … structure depends on agreement that the agency director and the deputy directors must meet professional requirements [and] should not be considered political appointess subject to replacement when there is a change in administration.” Isn’t it sad that they have to say that out loud?
- Empty Suit - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:51 pm:
”depriving it of important synergies”
Heaven forbid the state is deprived of synergies.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:55 pm:
The politically connected senior citizen running the Lincoln Museum needs to retired. Problem solved.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:01 pm:
VM: The dysfunction runs much, much deeper than just the “politically connected senior citizen.”
- Downstate Illinois - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:11 pm:
Anytime the #2 person in an agency answers to a separate board, rather than the #1 person you’re going to have structural problems regardless of personalities.
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:30 pm:
I remember when IHPA was split from the old Department of Conservation. It was supposed to be a good idea then.
IHPA hasn’t done so well since then, especially the historic sites.
I can’t see how splitting off the Museum would be much different.
- Smitty Irving - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:37 pm:
Can’t open report on my phone, but does it discuss placing the agency under a university (as Cullerton suggested)? If that happens, freeing the agency from the ePAR system, things have a shot at improving.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:51 pm:
Smitty: Yes it does, and it says the University has no interest in it.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 3:59 pm:
Smitty Irving-In re your question:
Initial conversations with leadership of the university system and with staff at NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] yielded no support or encouragement for either initiative. According to several people
involved with the request for federal funding to build ALPLM, there was a “handshake agreement” that ALPLM would not become part of the NARA system. Interviews with current NARA staff indicate that an act of Congress and a substantial endowment would be required to add a presidential library to the NARA system.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:00 pm:
Anonymous @3:59 was me. For “university system” read University of Illinois.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:09 pm:
==- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 2:05 pm:==
Try reading the report. The long-term goal is to have the foundation manage and operate the museum and library under a partnership with the state.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:09 pm:
“1. An integrated, reorganized IHPA (Recommended Option-Short Term)
Illinois should have a nationally recognized public history agency with the resources—
human, physical, and cultural—commensurate with its rich and varied heritage. A
reorganized IHPA would be governed by a board of trustees with at least 11 trustees appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate with expertise and experience in a variety of disciplines including Lincoln and his era, state history, library and museum studies, historic preservation, and cultural tourism. Members of the Illinois General Assembly representing each caucus could serve as Trustees to ensure a bi-partisan and multi-branch effort on behalf of state history. A member of the Supreme Court or the Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission could also serve as a Trustee or as an
ex-officio member of the Board.
In this new organization, the ALPLM Advisory Board, as such, would cease to exist. Members of the current board would be eligible for and encouraged to serve as Trustees of the expanded IHPA board. As is the case with museums throughout Illinois and the United States, IHPA could create one or more advisory committees to assist in fulfilling the mission of ALPLM.”
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:13 pm:
Further–”The IHPA Trustees would be responsible for approving policy and the agency’s annual
spending plan as recommended by the agency’s senior staff leadership. They would be
responsible for conducting a national search for and appointing an agency director who would lead national searches for an Executive Director of a Division for Historic Sites/Historic Preservation (HS/HP), the Executive Director of the Division of ALPLM and the State Historian (currently unfilled). The minimum requirements for these
positions should emphasize advanced degrees in the humanities and extensive experience in managing public and/or private cultural organizations.
The IHPA agency director would lead a management team of four positions, two deputy directors (the ALPLM executive director and the HP/HS executive director), an assistant director for management services (HR, finance, IT, legal, legislative liaison); and the State Historian, appointed by the IHPA director. The position of State Historian should be defined after a review of similar positions in other states. The success of this governing structure depends upon agreement that the agency director and the two deputy
directors must meet professional requirements for public history, museum, library, or related fields. They should not be considered political appointees subject to replacement when there is a change in administration. They should also have demonstrated experience in fundraising for non-profit organizations.”
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:18 pm:
“2. Public-private partnership (Recommended Option-Long Term)
The infrastructure exists in Illinois for a public-private partnership to operate the
ALPLM. If the Foundation continues to develop its fundraising capacity and its business (retail, restaurant, rental) activities, it could enter into a contract with the state in which the Foundation takes responsibility for supporting Museum and Library operations, augmenting state funding, as it currently does, with additional revenue derived through admission fees, concessions and garage receipts. The state would retain ownership of all real property, museum collections, and library holdings. The state would continue to be responsible for major funding of ALPLM operations, providing an annual payment to the Foundation at a level to be determined through further negotiations. Reaching this goal would probably take 7-10 years and during this time, the Foundation would establish its central office in Springfield and also maintain a presence in Chicago. This timetable
becomes even more feasible if the State of Illinois could make a one-time payment to retire or significantly reduce the Taper Collection acquisition debt or allow part of its annual appropriation to be used for this purpose.
A variation on this option would be to follow the model of the Ohio History Connection and create a new non-profit organization to administer both ALPLM and IHPA. An annual state appropriation would be needed but could be significantly augmented with private funds once the new agency achieved financial sustainability. This option would require a more robust conversation with various stakeholders at the historic sites and
museums currently under the IHPA management. The benefits of this model would be to maintain a unified public history agency and take strategic advantage of the private support that could be leveraged with international public recognition of Abraham Lincoln and ongoing state funding even at a lower level.”
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 4:29 pm:
It makes sense to go with a public-private partnership for the agency and library-museum. Getting the politics out of governance and doing with the best professional practices will maintain the best and improve the weak areas.
- Lefty Lefty - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 11:25 pm:
Wouldn’t it be sweet if the stakeholders figured this out and the Museum isn’t left to turn dusty and broken? It could be a good litmus test for our new governor.