Press Release
Contact: |
Arnita A. Jones, Executive Director, American Historical Association |
Date: |
May 10, 2006 |
Subject: |
AHA Questions Smithsonian Secretary's Recent Letter |
For Immediate Release
- Letter from Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lawrence Small
- Reply of AHA President Linda K. Kerber to Secretary Small
Responding to a recent letter from Lawrence Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian, AHA President Linda Kerber questioned the Institution's obfuscation about the contractual arrangement between the Smithsonian and Showtime, praised recent congressional intervention on the issue, and supported the recent actions of its affiliate, the Society of American Historians, in suspending Smithsonian Press as a publisher-member.
In a letter unanimously endorsed by the Association's governing Council, Kerber notes that despite recent letters and statements from the Smithsonian, "The fundamental issues remain unanswered. What constitutes a 'commercial' entity subject to these provisions? What constitutes a 'significant use' of materials and staff? And who at the Smithsonian or Showtime will make those assessments?"
Noting the "lack of a clear response from the Smithsonian," the letter applauds the recent letter from the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and concludes that, "We hope that their attention will bring a satisfactory resolution to this very troubling situation."
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest professional historical organization in the United States, bringing together nearly 5,000 institutions and more than 14,000 individuals, including college and university faculty, public historians, independent scholars, archivists, librarians, and secondary school teachers. The Association was organized in 1884 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1889; its establishment coincided with the professionalization of history as a discipline in the United States. Over the years, the Association has changed as the discipline and profession have changed, but its central mission has remained unaltered: the advancement of historical knowledge.
To meet and address the varied needs of its members, the Association publishes the American Historical Review, the major journal of record for the historical profession in the United States, and Perspectives, the major national news monthly of the profession. The Association's annual meeting, which is held during the first week of January, is the largest annual gathering of historians in the United States.
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Last Updated: July 17, 2007