Chas Sisk over at WPLN-FM is reporting that Gov. Bill Haslam is asking for $50 million for a new Tennessee State Library and Archives building. This is good, because their unofficial motto is “Everyone Who’s Ever Gotten Lost in Here Has Made It Out Alive as Far as We Know, but the Elevator Situation is Not Ideal.”
The goal is to build a modern research library near the new State Museum now under construction on Bicentennial Mall, says Secretary of State Tre Hargett."We're going to be able to accommodate not only small groups of researchers who tend to use the library and archives, but school groups and college groups that come through. It's going to be a tremendous resource to showcase our Tennessee history, just like the museum is."
The state archives are currently held in a 65-year-old building next to the Capitol. Officials say its climate control system is outdated, and it doesn't have enough public exhibition or storage space.
If this project happens, I take back every ... OK not every ... most ... no, that’s not true ... quite a few ... if this happens, I take back quite a few of the bad things I’ve said about the governor. I like the TSLA building quite a bit. It’s kind of like the building equivalent of Tommy Lee Jones — gruff, serious, but probably with some great stories about Al Gore.
But we need to be able to put more than three people on an elevator at a time. And right now, if someone in a wheelchair needs to stash something in a locker, the person with the wheelchair is dependent on the guy at the front desk to help. The guys who work at the front desk are awesome (and know a lot of good history gossip), but it’s not ideal to put this on them. If there’s just one guy at the desk, then he’s not going to be at the desk when he’s over at the lockers.
Also, the need for more exhibit space is no joke. The TSLA does a wonderful job of filling the front lobby with really interesting exhibits, but they truly are filling that space.
Plus, they’re out of space for the materials that they’re legally required to collect and curate. It just seems like such a no-brainer. Of course we should build them a new building, because we have this awesome thing, and we should do what we can to keep it usable.
But if there’s one group we can count on to fail to do the obvious good thing, it’s the state legislature, so I’m excited, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up.
