>> From the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
>> Please welcome to our stage, Carla Hayden and David Ferriero.
[ Music ]
[ Clapping ]
>> Carla Hayden: Well --
>> David Ferriero: How have you been?
>> Carla Hayden: We call ourselves partners in crime.
>> David Ferriero: We are though we're not going to talk
about the crime part of it, right?
[Laughter] We're just going to talk about the partner part.
>> Carla Hayden: Well, what's been really interesting
since I've been in the position
of Library [inaudible] is the fact that people ask me well,
what does the National Archives do?
You know --
>> David Ferriero: What do you mean?
What does that mean?
>> Carla Hayden: What does the archivist do?
You're the Library of Congress.
And then this -- there's a confusion about the histories
and the roles of each of the institutions.
And I've learned a lot in that even about the tank coming
up to reclaim the Declaration of Independence,
the Bill of Rights, and was there a third?
>> David Ferriero: We call it the Constitution.
[ Laughter ]
>> Carla Hayden: That were held by the Library of Congress
and that type of thing.
So could you --
>> David Ferriero: Well you got an earlier start than we did.
It wasn't until the 1930s
that the United States got serious about its record.
And it was Franklin Roosevelt who was passionate about records
that we actually created the --
he signed the legislation that created the National Archives.
The charters that Carla is referring to had been
in the custody of the State Department and then
at the Library of Congress.
And when the Archives building was built,
a beautiful tabernacle was created
for the Declaration of Independence.
Doors opened in 1935 but the librarian of Congress refused
to release the Declaration.
[ Laughter ]
And I've held that against you [laughter] ever since.
>> Carla Hayden: I wasn't born then
but I knew this was going to happen.
>> David Ferriero: And it wasn't until Harry Truman came
into office that he, you know, kind of laid down the law
with the new librarian of Congress that they really needed
to deliver that document where it belonged.
So as Carla describes it, it was a really military ceremony
with tanks and military people lining the steps of the --
and she claims she always describes it as a grab
for the Declaration [laughter] but it --
>> Carla Hayden: Tanks literally --
>> David Ferriero: -- was the only transfer of the document
to its rightful place.
>> Carla Hayden: And we have photographs.
Photographs --
>> David Ferriero: We do.
>> Carla Hayden: -- of the people.
The tanks with the -- what are those?
>> David Ferriero: Howitzers.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
[Laughter] Right there waiting and you can imagine the curators
and the librarians thinking well maybe it's time.
And who was the librarian of the Congress then?
Do you remember?
>> David Ferriero: Oh I forget.
Someone here must remember.
>> Carla Hayden: Someone here.
Winston Tab is here.
He is my check on all the time.
>> David Ferriero: Oh Winston.
You were here.
What was the --
[ Laughter ]
>> Carla Hayden: But that was the start of the kind
of clarification of roles and to really divide up things.
>> David Ferriero: The Archives was created to collect
and protect and made available the records
of the United States government.
So anything that was created by the government.
So the question -- the natural question is what about the stuff
that was created before 1934 when the legislation was signed?
A lot of it is in our custody.
Some of it is at the Library of Congress.
Since the materials were stored in attics and basements all
over town, a lot of it was lost through the fire and theft
and flood but what we have now is a dividing line
between everything the government creates
and that's me, and everything they don't create which is you.
>> Carla Hayden: And sometimes I like to --
and there are times when I'm glad you're you.
[Laughter] I've learned that.
>> David Ferriero: And there are times when I wish I were you.
[ Laughter ]
>> Carla Hayden: And I've described it in another way too
that for instance, Truman and his official records might be
with the Truman Library and I'd really like to get
into those things too with the Presidential Libraries and some
of the letters that he wrote to his family.
So the person is where you might -- the things that the person,
the diaries, all of the things like that, the personal part
and the personal life of an official might be
at the Library of Congress.
And so the papers of 23 presidents
from George Washington to Coolidge are
at the Library of Congress.
And we were both in Starkville, Mississippi.
>> David Ferriero: Starkville, Mississippi,
where Ulysses S. Grant is still probably revolving in his grave
through [multiple speakers].
>> Carla Hayden: And the Abraham Lincoln.
>> David Ferriero: Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: Collection.
>> David Ferriero: Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library --
>> Carla Hayden: Library is in Starkville.
>> David Ferriero: At -- in Mississippi.
Can you believe it?
>> Carla Hayden: And we were there.
>> David Ferriero: We were.
>> Carla Hayden: And [multiple speakers].
>> David Ferriero: It turns out there are more
than 200 Presidential sites around the country.
People beyond the Library of Congress
and the National Archives who have some kind of responsibility
for some aspect of a President's life and they're all meeting
in Washington in August.
>> Carla Hayden: And what's interesting
about the Presidential Libraries,
the Library of Congress has custody of the actual papers
and documents of Ulysses S. Grant and what some
of the Presidential Libraries do is what they will collect
and make copies of things from different collections
about a President and put them in [inaudible].
>> David Ferriero:
Those Presidential cites, that's right.
Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: Place and that's how the --
some of the Presidential Libraries have --
been established.
>> David Ferriero: So when Franklin Roosevelt created the
National Archives, he also decided
to have a Presidential Library.
So technically his was the first --
I'm convinced he was a closet archivist.
He was really passionate about his papers
and understood the importance of archives.
Spent a lot of time hiring the first archivist and spent a lot
of time supporting that first archivist,
Robert Connor [phonetic], in his work as he was trying to figure
out where the records are, and more importantly,
to convince the agency heads to give up their records
because that wasn't something
that people were interested in doing.
So Roosevelt created his own library or Herbert --
whoever decided he wanted a library at that point
but this was all voluntary.
It was all voluntary up until 1972 when thanks
to President Nixon and his thoughts
that he owned his own records that legislation was passed,
the Presidential Records Act,
which made it government property.
So 1972 is kind of our marker for you have to donate.
You have to give your papers to the National Archive.
>> Carla Hayden: And so the role really became official then.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: And then the other departments
and that's another confusion that happens sometimes.
>> David Ferriero: Well it's a separate set of laws.
Presidential Records Act was 1972.
The Federal Records Act was created much earlier than that.
And that guides all of the records management activities
for the Executive Branch.
So all of the 275 Executive Branch Cabinet level
and agencies and departments.
>> Carla Hayden: What about congressional records
of [multiple speakers] --
>> David Ferriero: We provide
by a gentleman's agreement way back when,
we provide courtesy storage for the records
of Congress and service them.
They are the records of Congress but they aren't
at the Library of Congress.
>> Carla Hayden: And you --
and I want all of the people watching and listening
to realize that the joy of working with your colleagues.
Some that you've known.
I've known David his time at New York Public and all of that,
is that you have this kind of friendly,
kind of historical whatever competition.
[Laughter] So when you talk about your --
>> David Ferriero: And some grudges.
Still carrying --
>> Carla Hayden: And grudges.
>> David Ferriero: -- some grudges.
[Laughter]
>> Carla Hayden: So when you talk about
and I know you've seen that movie, National Treasure.
>> David Ferriero: Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: You got all the kids.
>> David Ferriero: Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: And they're doing it but the Library
of Congress has that first printing
that just had John Hancock on it.
And then they send it out.
>> David Ferriero: It wouldn't have been that first printing
if those original signors didn't sign something.
>> Carla Hayden: See.
[ Laughter ]
And --
>> David Ferriero: Which I have.
>> Carla Hayden: And David Ferriero --
[laughter] right, right, okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
And the Gettysburg Address, you know, that he took on the field.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: The contents
of Abraham Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated.
>> David Ferriero: [Inaudible] I know.
>> Carla Hayden: Four locks of Thomas Jefferson's hair.
[ Laughter ]
Just saying.
[Laughter] You know, so there is kind of fun to have this kind
of historical back and forth with people.
Oh those Tony Marks [phonetic].
He's got a few artifacts too at New York Public.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
The [inaudible] stolen from the Vatican by Napoleon.
>> Carla Hayden: Okay.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: There are a few things over there.
So everybody's -- and let's not even bring up Hamilton, right?
[Laughter] Let's -- okay let's bring up Hamilton.
[Inaudible] how did you pull that off?
>> David Ferriero: We have Hamilton's --
oh it's through the New York Public Library actually.
Tommy Kale [phonetic] [laughter] who was the Director
of Hamilton was a member of the Library
for the Performing Arts Visiting Committee.
And he and I became good friends and when we decided
to honor Ron [inaudible]
and Lynn Manuel [phonetic] it was through Tommy Kale --
>> Carla Hayden: Oh was that really good.
>> David Ferriero: -- we got all three of them in house.
Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: Well, we're not going to name drop.
Okay.
>> David Ferriero: Not at all.
>> Carla Hayden: We're just going to let that go.
>> David Ferriero: Not at all.
>> Carla Hayden: We're going to let that go.
>> David Ferriero: But we do have Hamilton's Oath
of Allegiance signed at Valley Forge by George Washington.
>> Carla Hayden: And [laughter] we just digitized the last note
to his wife, Eliza.
[ Laughter ]
[ Inaudible ]
>> David Ferriero: Not yet.
[ Laughter ]
>> Carla Hayden: It's so much fun.
And then you get Tony on the side --
>> David Ferriero: We have [inaudible]
to the government outlining her poverty asking for support
from the federal government.
>> Carla Hayden: And we just are finishing digitizing all
of her correspondence of the rest of her life
when she did his -- and made -- unburnished his reputation.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: So we could go on.
>> David Ferriero: What else are you doing in the digitization?
>> Carla Hayden: We can go on.
>> David Ferriero: Okay.
>> Carla Hayden: You just name a historical figure.
If they were official, that's what you have though.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
So what are you doing in --
what are we doing together in the digitization?
>> Carla Hayden: Well, we are doing some cool stuff.
Why don't you tell them a little bit about that?
>> David Ferriero: We're working on the Terrific Exhibit
with the BNF tracing the French role in the American Revolution.
Working with, I think you guys are involved
in the New York Public Library.
>> Carla Hayden: New York Public's very involved.
>> David Ferriero: The BNF, Library of Congress, and the --
>> Carla Hayden: And the BNF, just in case people --
>> David Ferriero: And another project
with the British Library, George --
>> Carla Hayden: The two Georges.
>> David Ferriero: Two Georges about the beginnings
of this country, King George and our King George.
>> Carla Hayden: We're calling it the two Georges
because it's their George, George the Third,
and George Washington.
And the cool thing about it is that they were reading some
of the same books at the same time.
They had similar interests and so it'll be a joint exhibit
with the Royal Archives.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: Windsor.
We didn't go to the wedding
but [laughter] our research timing didn't coincide
but the Royal Archives, Kings College,
and William and Mary here.
So that type of collaboration happens all the time
and we keep -- and we mentioned Tony Marks and New York Public
because in terms of a public library that has a collection
that complements some of the things that we're involved in.
New York Public is the library that we work closely
with in different ways.
So the burning question that people have asked me already
and it came up at a session, one of the sessions, what do we do
and how do we deal with technology going forward?
Some of the historical records now are going to be
in a different format.
>> David Ferriero: They already are.
>> Carla Hayden: And you've been really on the forefront of that
with your -- you were putting a hard stop
on collecting in analog.
>> David Ferriero: I'm sure you've read in the press
about the President's Reform Plan
that was just issued last week.
If you go to page 103, you'll see a two page description
of the National Archives contribution
to that reform plan.
And what it spells out is the message
that we've already delivered to the agencies
that we are no longer accepting paper at the end of 2022.
They have until 2022 to get their paper to us.
That they -- that's in their custody now that is scheduled
to be transferred but after 2022, it's digital only.
So the agencies have already been prepared for this.
They've already -- many of them 85% of them
about have been already digitizing their records.
So we're in pretty good shape that way
but the most important factor is
that those agencies are already creating their records
electronically and they have been for some time.
So this is not, you know, a great surprise, a great shock.
And just a data point, since I know there are some people
who are confused about what's going on with the Obama --
the planning for the Obama Library.
It turns out that more than 80%
of the Obama records are born digital.
There is no paper equivalent.
So the plan is with the agreement
of the Obama Foundation that we will create the first all
digital Presidential library.
The money would have been invested
in creating a physical facility in Chicago is going
to be devoted to digitization of that 15%
that isn't already digital.
And that's, you know, a very different model
for Presidential libraries.
It's a very different model for how we deliver information
and service the Presidential records
but it's an exciting opportunity for us
to rethink a whole new way of communicating,
connecting with our users.
>> Carla Hayden: Are you going to be borrowing some techniques
from museums and things in terms of how you display --
>> David Ferriero: The plan is
that the foundation has already designed
and will build a museum.
And we will loan to them artifacts
because the Presidential libraries are a combination
of paper or film, photographs, and lots of artifacts,
gifts from foreign heads of state,
gifts from the American people, more macaroni pictures
than you've ever seen in your life.
[Laughter]
>> Carla Hayden: The things from children.
>> David Ferriero: Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: Hopefully.
>> David Ferriero: Oh yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: Okay.
>> David Ferriero: Every one
of the Presidential libraries has this kind of collection.
So those are the kinds of things that will end
up in the museum part of the --
>> Carla Hayden: What about letters from young people?
>> David Ferriero: That's part of --
those are all digitized now.
>> Carla Hayden: Oh that's going --
>> David Ferriero: They're all digitized.
>> Carla Hayden: to be very cool --
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: -- to see all the letters
and I know that's a big part.
>> David Ferriero: Well that's important to me
because when I became the archivist and met
with the Directors of the Presidential libraries
for the first time that Director of the Kennedy handed me a copy
of a letter that a kid wrote to the President asking
for information about the proposed Peace Corps.
And it's a letter from me.
[ Laughter ]
Two weeks later the Eisenhower called
to say they had found two letters from me
to President Eisenhower and when I visited the LBJ Library they
gave me a copy of the letter that I sent
to LBJ congratulating him for signing the Civil Rights Act.
>> Carla Hayden: David,
you've been working on this for a while.
[ Laughter ]
[ Clapping ]
That is cool.
[ Clapping ]
>> David Ferriero: So I'm sure you've heard
about our sleepovers and one
of the activities during our sleepovers is an opportunity
for the kids to write a letter to the President.
And we deliver those letters to the President
on the next Monday morning.
And the White House then supplies us with a letter
that we can send back to them thanking the kids
for their interests and some words of encouragement signed
by the President which is a pretty nice touch.
>> Carla Hayden: And I must tell you,
there have been wonderful moments and things
that have been challenging but one
of the most challenging has been trying to figure
out as a former children's library, right?
How I can top this wonderful thing that you do
with children in the Archives?
They sleepover by the Constitution, right?
[ Laughter ]
In that wonderful place, there they are.
It's night and they're spooky
and they're all really having fun.
And then the next morning and I've heard
so many people tell me this, you know the Archivist
of the United States makes pancakes
for the kids the next day.
[Laughter] So now I don't worry --
we have Thomas Jefferson's recipe for macaroni
and cheese [inaudible].
I'm trying to get David and David --
>> David Ferriero: She has been trying to horn into this event
since she arrived [inaudible].
>> Carla Hayden: [Laughter] And this is really true
because I have -- I said okay,
maybe we can make a progressive weekend.
>> David Ferriero: A progressive sleepover.
>> Carla Hayden: See he knows.
[Laughter] I've got him -- at least you're saying it, David.
[Laughter] Right?
Don't you think that'd be neat?
So we have a new gang of three, you know, in Washington.
They have gangs of four and five and eight, everything.
So there's a new gang in town, it's the gang of three.
It's David Skorton, David Ferriero, and Carla Hayden.
And we, the Smithsonian, the Archives, and the Library,
and we've actually met and we talk about this.
And we might have what if the kids started
out at the Natural History Museum, right?
With all that stuff and then [laughter] I think
that would be -- or they slept there because I think, you know,
that's -- and so we're trying to figure this out.
And I think evenings should be with us
with the macaroni and cheese.
>> David Ferriero: I think Air and Space, I think Air
and Space already does a sleepover.
>> Carla Hayden: See.
>> David Ferriero: See.
>> Carla Hayden: See we're working together now.
>> David Ferriero: But you did the mention the fact
that David Skorton, that's an important thing --
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> David Ferriero: -- thing that we should talk about.
And that is the close working relationship that the three
of us had which is unlike --
>> Carla Hayden: Any --
>> David Ferriero: You know, I've been there
for eight years almost nine years and this is the first time
that the three institutions have really gotten serious
about working together.
>> Carla Hayden: And it's fun because when --
and so I invited the two Davids over to the Library
of Congress for the luncheon.
And of course, our curators and librarians put
out the good silver, we call it.
You know, all of our stuff, right?
And they're in there.
And we knew that this David was opera buff.
So we had one of our music librarians bring
out this wonderful -- these just opera things that --
tell them some of the stuff because you know.
I don't --
>> David Ferriero: It was the first printing
of the first liberto for an opera.
>> Carla Hayden: Right.
>> David Ferriero: Which I had never --
I've never even heard of which was [inaudible].
>> Carla Hayden: He had never heard of it.
And then David Skorton is a jazz fanatic.
So we brought out the Billie Strayhorn things
that we had just gotten and all the Jelly Roll Morton.
And then the curator was so good, he knew opera and jazz.
>> David Ferriero: And could sing it.
>> Carla Hayden: So he was --
>> David Ferriero: And he sang --
>> Carla Hayden: And he sang.
[Inaudible] Plus we had the chicken salad thing
and all that.
It was very nice.
It was very nice.
And so this curator had a piece by Jelly Roll Morton
who is known for jazz that bridge the two types of music
because Jelly Roll Morton did an operetta or --
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: --
did something and so he just slid right into that.
Now David Skorton and I think we can reveal this,
wanted to get the card of the curator.
>> David Ferriero: Oh yes.
>> Carla Hayden: So there is some poaching [inaudible].
>> David Ferriero: He was trying to steal the curator.
>> Carla Hayden: Right there.
>> David Ferriero: Right in front of her.
>> Carla Hayden: [Laughter] Right in front of me.
>> David Ferriero: How long have you been here?
Are you happy here?
>> Carla Hayden: Are you happy?
[ Laughter ]
Yes he's happy.
And I had to talk to the guy --
>> David Ferriero: Yeah, you told him he was happy.
>> Carla Hayden: Yeah.
I had to talk to the guy afterwards.
So are you happy?
So that kind of -- but it's really a lot of fun
when you start joining forces.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah but the pressure.
See we're doing the next one.
We're doing the next lunch.
>> Carla Hayden: I'm afraid.
>> David Ferriero: And the pressure is already
on about what are we going to show you.
>> Carla Hayden: And that's the really cool stuff
because women suffrage is coming up and you have a lot
of things and Smithsonian.
We're doing an exhibit.
We even talked about it as you mentioned Air and Space Museum.
You have for the Wright Brothers some pretty cool things.
>> David Ferriero: The Wright Brothers patent.
Yes.
>> Carla Hayden: The patent.
And the Library of Congress has the actual papers.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: David McCullough did his book
on the Wright Brothers was really based on that.
And then the Smithsonian has the plane.
>> David Ferriero: The model.
Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: Yeah.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: And so we're really working
to see what are some of the things that we have that each
of us can bring together for special exhibits
to really put things when one is having an exhibit on something,
put something about it in our own institution.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: And the Smithsonian we were
very pleased.
We went halvies [phonetic] to purchase the first photo,
known photo, of Harriet Tubman.
And it's going to be exhibited in the new -- we digitized it,
took care of it, and it's going to be on exhibit
at the new Museum of African American History
in College Town.
>> David Ferriero: That's great.
>> Carla Hayden: So that type of --
[clapping] And you'll see more of it.
Now we'll still have the friendly rivalry.
It's always fun.
And when Tony comes to play and puts his thing down there
and all of that but just getting this community of history
and culture seems to be growing.
And we work together for that.
>> David Ferriero: So what has surprised you about --
>> Carla Hayden: At the Library of Congress?
>> David Ferriero: About working in Washington?
>> Carla Hayden: Oh.
[ Laughter ]
And Tony's over here going don't say anything.
Tony's like [inaudible].
I still live in Baltimore and --
>> David Ferriero: That says it all.
>> Carla Hayden: -- I commute.
>> David Ferriero: That says it all.
>> Carla Hayden: No, no, no, I commute
and it's really interesting because I've lived in other --
when I lived in Chicago, there's so many commuters that came in.
People would come into Chicago from Gary, Indiana, every day.
And so this idea that people come in from different states,
different places every day and I'm taking the train now.
And you just see how many people come in to the city
and then it goes -- it's like elastic.
And I didn't get a sense of that before.
You know, you go in and you think no, there are people
who live there and it grows.
And it really expands.
And how many -- and there's an energy there that's similar
to New York where you go into New York
and you just feel a pace and it changes.
And that's why when I go back to Baltimore it's like, you know,
we have the Baltimore [inaudible] and it's different.
>> David Ferriero: It's --
>> Carla Hayden: It's --
>> David Ferriero: And there are a lot of young people
in [inaudible] which is really --
>> Carla Hayden: And they all walk fast
and they have [laughter] two or three devices.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: And they're just --
>> David Ferriero: But they're all smart.
And they're all passionate about what they're doing and --
>> Carla Hayden: Yeah.
>> David Ferriero: It's really rewarding --
>> Carla Hayden: The brain --
>> David Ferriero: -- to work with them.
>> Carla Hayden: -- power --
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: -- there is something.
And so the Library of Congress --
oh, you probably already do it.
>> David Ferriero: Probably.
What is it?
Another idea you've stolen from us?
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
[Laughter] Because we're going to talk briefly about one
and in the public citizen archivist
and the citizen historian because that is really cool.
So we're working on -- here you have in Washington, D.C.,
literally some of the brightest,
smartest young people you will ever ever meet.
And they are just -- some look like they're 12 years old.
[Laughter] And they are policy --
I mean they're just something.
And so we have tried to think
of how can we get these young millennials
or they're not even millennials, some of them.
>> David Ferriero: Right.
>> Carla Hayden: They're --
engaged because they are so smart.
So they want to do -- so we've had scavenger hunts
and a little Jeopardy and some really cool things
to engage them.
We have libation sometimes and things
like that but they -- yes.
Thomas Jefferson was a wine connoisseur.
[ Laughter ]
You know, we work it.
To get these young people engaged in things
because they want to still learn.
A lot of them are coming from these colleges and they're right
out of college and they're -- you know still in Georgetown
and they're doing all this stuff.
So they will sit and listen to someone talk about something
or author or something.
They will.
And they want to meet people.
One young congressional staffer said, you know, we're --
you know our salaries might, you know, we're here.
And so this is like date night.
They -- to go and do something kind
of just [inaudible] in the summer.
Free popcorn.
How about that?
[Laughter] Big screen --
>> David Ferriero: Ooh, free popcorn.
>> Carla Hayden: -- on the lawn.
With the machine.
It's not just --
>> David Ferriero: Oh my God with a machine too.
>> Carla Hayden: With the machine.
[Laughter] With the machine free popcorn and so then they get
to see -- oh I think we might have you a little bit on that.
>> David Ferriero: No I don't think so.
>> Carla Hayden: Wait a minute.
Okay. Wait a minute.
>> David Ferriero: Let me talk about the Young Founders.
>> Carla Hayden: Not fundraising.
>> David Ferriero: This is an idea that I took
from New York Public Library, the Young Lions.
A similar kind of group really interested in the library.
Been in existence for what?
Twenty-five years or so.
Some fun day an award, fiction award for a young author.
And so I took that idea to the New York --
to the National Archives and we have a group, similar group
that we're working with, the Young Founders Society trying
to engage them in the life of the National Archives.
This is a group of folks who are drawn in all kinds
of different directions.
So getting them to focus has been the challenge but --
>> Carla Hayden: We don't have a name yet.
>> David Ferriero: Oh well.
>> Carla Hayden: So we're working on that.
I like Young Founders because then you feel --
>> David Ferriero: Well it's already been taken.
>> Carla Hayden: I know.
I'm saying this is -- but that's the good thing.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: So we are working
on how we can get this group and it's going
to be really though -- actually it's the same group
of kids -- or young people.
>> David Ferriero: Probably.
Probably.
>> Carla Hayden: That will be going
to these types of things and that --
>> David Ferriero: Well, if you have any literature you want me
to share with my group I'll --
>> Carla Hayden: Well let's talk
about your citizen archivist because that one --
>> David Ferriero: Sure.
>> Carla Hayden: -- we just took almost verbatim
and made it citizen historian
because of the transcription and things.
>> David Ferriero: So when I was hired in 2009 by President Obama
and on his first day in office, he told his senior staff
that the government doesn't have all the answers and we need
to figure out ways to engage the American public
in solving some of those problems.
And I took that to heart and worked with the staff to think
about ways that we could engage the American public
in the work that we do.
And the result of that was the creation
of the citizen archivist dashboard which has a number
of activities that you can help us do our work.
Tagging photographs.
Identifying this is become fairly standard now,
identifying people in places in photographs.
But I think the centerpiece, the thing I'm most excited
about is the transcription project that we have going
on where we've loaded thousands of records.
Kids aren't being taught [inaudible].
>> Carla Hayden: Cursive.
>> David Ferriero: [Inaudible] or -- in schools.
>> Carla Hayden: Definitely not [inaudible].
>> David Ferriero: [Laughter] And I have billions
of records in cursive.
So we're, you know,
disenfranchising an entire generation
and future generations because they can read this stuff.
So we have people all over the country and actually all
over the world who are helping us transcribe
in this citizen archivist dashboard activity.
So that's a way that we're trying to engage the public
in helping do our work.
>> Carla Hayden: And we just put citizen historian and took it
because the model is so great.
And there is the same need at the Library of Congress.
>> David Ferriero: That's right.
>> Carla Hayden: Susan B. Anthony's papers.
All these people.
Frederick Douglas.
Some of the things that are in cursive
that literally young people and because of the writing,
sometimes other people can't read these documents.
So the Library of Congress is launching citizen historian
and we even reference and say it started
with the National Archives, citizen archivist
because we want people that are doing one to think
about doing the other too.
>> David Ferriero: Well and we're also working together
on are history hub site where we're --
our reference folks are sharing, collaborating --
>> Carla Hayden: Right.
>> David Ferriero: -- and providing reference service
to anyone who has a particular reference question.
We're fielding and sharing information
from our own collections to solve the research needs
of the people who are using history hub.
So that's another -- and we're bringing the Smithsonian
on board with that also.
>> Carla Hayden: Right.
>> David Ferriero: And I noticed that your folks were
at the National Archives last week
for an editathon [phonetic], a Wikipedia editathon.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> David Ferriero: So we're working together on Wikipedia.
>> Carla Hayden: Yeah, working together.
And I also want to share what I know we've talked
about a little bit.
The concern about history going forward
and records being created digitally and how we deal
with storage issues, security, technology,
keeping up in the future, and there's real concern at time.
That future historians how will get these items
as history's being made in a different format.
>> David Ferriero: It's the one thing --
of all the things that keep me up at night, this is the one --
>> Carla Hayden: That's the one.
>> David Ferriero: -- that keeps me up at night.
Yeah. It's ensuring that, you know, our mandate is to ensure
that people have access to the records in perpetuity
and you know, we're barely able to guarantee that in paper
but being able to guarantee
that in the electronic environment is our
biggest challenge.
>> Carla Hayden: Is --
>> David Ferriero: And I always have in the back
of my head the work that Nicholson Baker did
in a book entitled Double Fold.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> David Ferriero: Where he chastised us
for microfilming all of those early American newspapers
and throwing out the originals.
And leaving us in a situation where here
in the United States we did not have copies
of our own newspapers.
>> Carla Hayden: That's right.
>> David Ferriero: Because the microfilm was --
and the microfilm is so poorly created and disintegrated
in some cases but there was no --
in lots of reels no quality control.
So the images weren't perfect and the worst thing was
that many of the -- The New York Herald was the first, I believe,
newspaper to introduce color
into the comics on Sunday editions.
And the newspaper microfilm is black and white.
So we lost the whole sense of our history in a flawed project.
>> Carla Hayden: And that --
>> David Ferriero: But I am happy to report Nicholson Baker,
the month that the book came out,
Nicholson Baker's book came out, the librarian community,
of course, have circled the wagons
and Nicholson is our enemy.
[Laughter] And I was opening a new storage facility
at Duke University and I needed a speaker.
And I invited Nick to come and be our speaker to open
because here is this warehouse of paper.
Isn't this wonderful, Nick?
And we had dinner -- Nick had raised the money
from his borrowing from in-laws to buy
from the British Library the only paper copies that existed.
The British Library was [inaudible] them.
And Nick bought them and setup a warehouse in New Hampshire.
He became a newspaper librarian and was providing photographs
and things, scanned images from this collection.
So and I invited Nick to be our speaker.
He came. We had dinner.
And I told him when you get tired of newspaper librarian,
this wonderful new facility
that you just dedicated would be a great place to house them.
And so those newspapers are at Duke University now.
>> Carla Hayden: Right.
>> David Ferriero: Thank God.
So I always have that in my mind when I'm thinking
about what we're dealing
with with this electronic information.
So that we don't get into the position
where we've lost everything
because of the security things --
>> Carla Hayden: Sure.
>> David Ferriero: Technology, all kinds of issues.
>> Carla Hayden: And the security thing
that becomes even more of an issue with the technology.
The Library of Congress, for instance, has storage modules
and they are modules but think Amazon
and what those warehouses look
like in Fort Meade, military base.
[Inaudible] that.
The electronic environment in terms of security
and making those transitions as technology progresses.
So there's that fiscal part that's a major challenge too.
>> David Ferriero: Exactly and we're doing a lot of work
with the industry to educate them about what the needs are
around tools that -- for, in my case, the agencies need
to create and maintain their records.
The situation in the federal government is very much the
situation that I remember from the university settings
where every agency -- I mean every faculty was able to go off
and build their own system or buy something off the shelf.
And there was no interoperability.
There was no enterprise approach to technology
and that is clearly the description
of the federal government that --
>> Carla Hayden: So each department --
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: -- has its own way --
>> David Ferriero: Right.
>> Carla Hayden: -- of sealing [inaudible].
>> David Ferriero: So the state
of information technology infrastructure is not
where it should be and that's another issue that's outlined
in the reform plan.
Another point that is in support of the work
that we're trying to do.
>> Carla Hayden: What about the resources to keep up?
>> David Ferriero: Well that's -- yeah.
How's your budget?
>> Carla Hayden: Ah.
[Laughter] Well the technology, it actually been very supported
in terms of the technology effort and bringing the Library
of Congress to be a modern and very efficient.
And that's been very heartening coming in and seeing that
and having that kind of support.
And you know, that you have to maintain it
and also the staffing that you need to have
that digital strategy that's going to be able
to look forward and keep going.
So we just hired a digital strategy manager and are going
to do more with that because we have to.
We have to look at and also look back at the same time.
>> David Ferriero: Exactly.
>> Carla Hayden: So it's a fun time in a lot of ways because --
>> David Ferriero: You should -- we should actually put that --
>> Carla Hayden: -- we're getting a lot of people
from the technology sector that are coming into the library
to work and to help us to try to solve some of these things.
And that's brought a --
some energy and some cross fertilization.
That's been real exciting for us.
>> David Ferriero: That's something we should put
on our agenda for the three of us when we --
>> Carla Hayden: The technology.
And we even had and I referred back to Tony.
One of his -- he hired someone
from Great Britain to come over --
>> David Ferriero: BBC.
>> Carla Hayden: The BBC.
That is a technology digital guru and we had him come
to the Library of Congress and talk to our staff
about what New York Public is doing.
They're -- we're a little jealous of some of the stuff
but they're doing a lot of cool things.
And we had him come.
So just this cross fertilization between institutions,
between types of libraries, archives, has been, I think,
helpful for us to share and say hey we have common problems
and what could we do together.
Now the -- we have the young professionals.
We have the children.
Are you working on things for seniors?
>> David Ferriero: Things for seniors.
>> Carla Hayden: Oh good.
[ Laughter ]
>> David Ferriero: Yeah we're planning a sleepover for --
>> Carla Hayden: No --
[ Laughter ]
[ Clapping ]
Well we have a wonderful partnership
with AARP, I must say.
They've supported the Book Festival and some other things.
And --
>> David Ferriero: We have a lot of support from them also.
>> Carla Hayden: I know you do
but what can we do to engage seniors?
And as I'm mature, that becomes a particular interest as well.
>> David Ferriero: We do have --
it's been interesting to watch this transcription project
because there are a number
of senior centers and nursing homes.
There's a nursing home in Lynn, Massachusetts who has adopted us
and is doing transcriptions.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> David Ferriero: Which I think is wonderful.
>> Carla Hayden: And see that's in terms of retired professors
and people that want to keep engaged.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah.
>> Carla Hayden: And because you can do it remotely
that with limited mobility with a lot of seniors.
This is a way that they can keep involved and keep that
but we're going to have -- I won't even -- well I can --
>> David Ferriero: What are you doing?
>> Carla Hayden: About cooking to --
>> David Ferriero: Macaroni and cheese.
>> Carla Hayden: Stay tuned.
>> David Ferriero: Probably.
>> Carla Hayden: Stay tuned.
The Library of Congress has one
of the world's largest collections
of historical cookbooks.
So imagine what programming you could do with that.
>> David Ferriero: Amazing.
>> Carla Hayden: Not going to say anything
because he'll steal it because he probably has the patent
to whatever the mixer [laughter] or something like that.
You do. You do.
>> David Ferriero: Well before your time we had a blockbuster
exhibit called What's Cooking Uncle Sam
about the government's role in food which told the story --
a horrible story about testing preservatives and the changes
of the food groups over time.
Did you know butter used to be a food group?
Butter.
>> Carla Hayden: I still think it is.
[ Laughter ]
Yeah I'm for that.
Yeah. Well the -- and I have to talk about your shop.
You just renovated and you have a new education center
and your shop is to die for.
>> David Ferriero: Yeah, I know.
I heard you were trying to steal my shop manager.
>> Carla Hayden: I was scouting.
You know? We're renovating our shop.
We're renovating our shop.
I had to do a field trip and I did talk to the nice lady.
She seems moderately happy.
[ Laughter ]
I mean she did your shop.
She's ready for a new challenge.
>> David Ferriero: We stole her.
You know we stole her from the zoo.
[ Laughter ]
>> Carla Hayden: I'm not saying a word with that one.
I'm letting that go.
>> David Ferriero: In her first year, she introduced socks
into the repertoire and $100,000 worth
of socks in the first year.
>> Carla Hayden: That's right.
>> David Ferriero: Your shop --
the really cool thing about the Archives and the shop is
that when you're in a section and they have sections
that are just wonderful about subjects and eras,
the World War II, and all of this.
There are the terminals right there that connect you
to the collections and what else you can do.
So right when you're making that decision about purchasing,
you also are being tied to the Archives and that.
And that's what really makes it not just a retail experience.
Those are great but the tie in to the content
of the Archives is what really got it.
>> David Ferriero: So then if you've never been
to the National Archives, there are two entrances.
One on Pennsylvania Avenue and one on Constitution Avenue.
The Constitution side is if you want to come in
and see the charters and the exhibits
and the museum side of the house.
And the other side is for research.
You come in that door to use the collection to do research.
And I've been -- since I got there trying to figure
out ways to break that wall.
Break a hole through that wall so that there's more interaction
on both sides so that you get a taste on the museum side
about what's possible.
Genealogists -- genealogy is our biggest market.
Most -- [cheering] -- genealogists than anything else.
Genealogists then Veterans and then everything else after that
but some way to use the experience --
immediate experience from the museum
on the other side in the research.
On the research side to get people more interested
and excited about not just genealogy
but our records in general.
Learning more about our history and more --
most important, learning about civics
and how the government works.
>> Carla Hayden: Yes.
>> David Ferriero: And what the three branches of government are
and what their responsibilities are as American citizens.
That's what --
>> Carla Hayden: Right.
>> David Ferriero: -- I'm trying to figure out.
>> Carla Hayden: [Clapping] Well we all are.
>> This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress.
Visit us at loc.gov.
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