Presidential Libraries, Budgets, and Cost of Digitizing

Tweet Presidential Libraries are spread across the US and preserve pieces of history for citizens in the context of their home towns or regions of the country most relevant to each president.  While established with private funds, the government is expected to staff and maintain 13 bricks-and-motar sites.  It's not surprising, then, that the $77 million required to keep them running each year is under scrutiny.  Recently, a House Infrastructure & Oversight Joint Committee met to discuss the value of the Presidential Libraries, the papers contained therein, and the potential for digitizing the 8 million documents to allow citizens to access them online.  Read the entire document at http://www.westbranchtimes.com/article.php?id=6782.  Learn more about the Office of Presidential Libraries that administers the 13 facilities at http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/office.html