Thanks to my deaccessioning op-ed in The New York Times (see here and here), I pretty much had to go downtown today to a “roundtable” hosted by New York Assemblyman Stephen Englebright, chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports. It was designed to “review” Assemblyman Richard Brodsky’s bill, which forbids the deaccessioning of collection materials for any other purpose than buying more items for the collection. It’s a broad bill — covering libraries, historical societies, historic houses, and zoos. Brodsky called me himself — first to make nice (we’re not that far apart, let me explain it to you, he said) and to invite me to the roundtable, and then to try to persuade me to agree with him. Didn’t work.
I’m not going to give you my impressions today — I’ve been busy on a deadline article (paying work has to take precedence) and am not available tonight. Besides, Robin Pogrebin was there for the Times, along with a photographer, and I expect a full report in tomorrow’s paper.
UPDATE: here’s the link to the Times article.
Afterwards, I’ll add –or subtract. For now, suffice it to say that the Brodsky bill, he promised, will be going back to the drafting table for revisions.
Brodsky said he would make sure that he didn’t place any unfunded mandates on New York’s collecting institutions, which it does with the current language — though he disagrees. He made other promises, too.
And btw there certainly wasn’t unanimity on the key point of the bill — preventing deacessioning for purposes other than collecting. Some people offered support for my position — though they called it “peer review” instead of arbitration.
Nor was there agreement by other Assembly members present that there need be any new law.
So the Brodsky bill is in no way a done deal.
More when I am not on deadline (or out).