Archivist Hopes To Find New Clinton Library Director This Summer
Last updated Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:21 PM CDT in News
By Andrew DeMillo
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK -- The nation's archivist said Thursday that a replacement for outgoing Clinton library director David Alsobrook could come as early as this summer, but said he hopes to avoid controversy by consulting with as many people as possible about the appointment.
"I'm going to try to move quickly, but in a very careful way. This is an important position as far as presidential libraries go," National Archivist Allen Weinstein told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I just want to be sure that we have a significant field of candidates and that we've consulted as widely as possible. The key is consultation. I don't want to cause any more controversy than necessary here."
Weinstein spoke at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, located on the grounds of the presidential library in downtown Little Rock. David Alsobrook, named the library's director in 2004, has announced he's retiring from the position at the end of the month.
Weinstein said in an interview after his speech that he hoped to soon consult with the 42nd president about potential candidates, but declined to say what background or qualifications he was looking for.
"There is no cookie cutter," he said. "They all have different profiles and backgrounds."
When asked during his talk at the Clinton School how library directors are chosen, Weinstein at first joked that "we narrow the choices down to two and then I flip a coin." Weinstein then said that he hopes to "consult widely" with as many people as possible about the new director.
During his speech, Weinstein said the presidential library system has undergone a "period of maturation" and said he looked forward to the addition of President Bush's library and the currently private Nixon library in California.
Weinstein, however, was tightlipped when asked by Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford whether the potential placement of Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas is a "done deal."
"I say it'll be a done deal when the president and those he's designated to find a location tell me it's a done deal," Weinstein said.
Weinstein said Bush's library may have three or four times as many e-mails in its archives as the Clinton library, which has about 20 million e-mails from Clinton's eight years in office. Weinstein said he hopes to have a new system for storing electronic records in place before the opening of Bush's archives.
Rutherford displayed a picture of the most-requested photo from the National Archives -- a picture of Elvis Presley shaking hands in the White House with President Nixon.
"First of all, who's that guy next to Elvis?" Weinstein quipped.
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