The CultureGrrl Curriculum: Assigned Reading for Columbia Law School Students

For those of you looking forward to seeing me get pummeled by four lawyers at this evening's deaccessioning panel at Columbia Law School, here are my articles that I sent (as requested) for students to read in advance of the event:

For Sale: Our Permanent Collection, NY Times Op-Ed, Nov. 2, 2005
The Walton Effect: Art World is Roiled by Wal-Mart Heiress, Wall Street Journal Leisure & Arts page, Oct. 10, 2007
The Lost Museum: Why Is MoMA Selling Off Its Masterpieces? Wall Street Journal Leisure & Arts page, May 13, 2004
A Betrayal of Trust: At the New York Public Library, It's Sell Now, Raise Money Later, Wall Street Journal Leisure & Arts page, Nov. 1, 2005

That last one is particularly timely today, given Robin Pogrebin's announcement in the NY Times of a $1-billion "expansion of the library system," with a pledged $100-million lead gift from the $3-million birthday boy, Wall Street financier Stephen Schwarzman.

What worried me was Pogrebin's report that "the costs of the $1 billion library project are to be covered through the sale of some existing buildings and a $500 million capital campaign."

"Existing buildings"? Local branch libraries like the one in the Bronx where CultureGrrl acquired her lifelong love of reading?

The press release was silent this, so I asked Anthony Calnek, NYPL's vice president for communications and marketing, for amplification. Calnek wrote back:

No branches will be sold other than decrepit old Mid-Manhattan Library, since the new circulating library within the landmark building on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street will replace it. After the project is complete, we'll likely sell a warehouse facility on the West Side. The plan includes more than $100 million to refurbish branches in disrepair.

That's a relief!

As for the panel: I'll walk these soon-to-be lawyers through some case studies. As CultureGrrl readers know, 2007 provided quite a few textbook examples of how not to manage the "permanent" collection.

And I've even learned how to use PowerPoint for this occasion!