The first expansion of the Governor’s Mansion in 20 years is about to happen, after the commission that oversees the structure decided a new library would be a fitting tribute to Gov. Jeb Bush’s work promoting literacy.
The Cabinet signed off on the $500,000 project Tuesday. The 550-square-foot addition, scheduled for groundbreaking in January and completion by the end of 2006, will be connected to the west side, or back, of the mansion.
More, from tallahassee.com
Florida Gov. mansion
Wait a minute! is this not the Bush that attempted to murder the State Library in Florida, in the middle of the night, by trying to have trucks deliver the holdings to the public libraries in Florida?
Yep, SameJeb Bush who failed to close State Lib.
It certainly is. Here are the details.
Florida officials announced February 25, 2003 that the Florida State Library’s circulating collection of some 670,000 items, nearly half of them books, would be moved to the library of the private Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. Nova would also get $5 million over four years for upkeep of the $10 million collection….
Local librarians had hoped the new state librarian, Judith Ring, would appear instead. She didn’t, but sent a four-page letter defending the plan…Florida Library Association archives on the issue are here.
Wow
That seems a little expensive for a library addition to a public building. For ~$900/ sq ft it should include a well paid librarian.
Yes, there was a budget proposal to move the collections at the Florida State Library to other libraries but as many budget proposals it was found (of course after much input by librarians and Senator Jim King R-Ocala one of Florida more influential representatives) to be unsatisfactory and the plan was dropped (that and the legislature in its wisdom refused to fund the move to other quarters) Indeed it is nice to see when the system of checks and balances works as it should.
To again suggest that there was more to it than this is doing the library profession a disservice. As we are concerned as a profession with accuracy and authority it would behoove us all to carry those policies over to our online presence as well.
Jeb Bush guts State Library, then builds his own
Most of the People Aren’t Stupid
Bush guts State Library, then builds his own
Re: “Governor’s Mansion to get library add-on” (news article, Aug. 10).
I find it ironic and appalling that the man who gutted the State Library of Florida, the state-designated repository for Floridiana, has the audacity to not only build a library/monument to himself, but also to solicit the donation of “any books of historical value to our state.”
The State Library was designed to house such collections and make them available to the people of Florida. They will only molder in the Bush Memorial Boondoggle.
DAVID CLENDINNINGd itorial/letters/12350777.htm
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/e