LBJ Library remains insulated from Trump — for now
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A person ascends a staircase inside the LBJ Library. Photo: Courtesy of Mike D via Wiki Commons
Despite event cancellations and temporary closures at other presidential centers, the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin remains unaffected by edicts from Washington, a top official tells Axios.
Why it matters: The LBJ Library is arguably the most public-facing institution with federal ties in Austin, with approximately 100,000 visitors each year.
Driving the news: Last week, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta canceled upcoming events that featured authors of books on climate change, homelessness and the civil rights movement, the New York Times reported.
- One of the authors told the Times she was told programming now needed to be cleared by officials in Washington.
- Earlier this month, the JFK Library and Museum closed abruptly amid federal layoffs. (It reopened the next day.)
What's inside: The LBJ library houses 45 million pages of historical documents and includes a replica of the Oval Office, an animatronic LBJ and permanent exhibits about his presidency and about Lady Bird Johnson.
- Current temporary exhibits examine the Vietnam War in March 1968 and the work of a group of 20th-century Black artists known as the Florida Highwaymen.
Zoom out: The LBJ Library is one of 15 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Between the lines: Special activities, events, and permanent exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of the LBJ Library and its parent organization, The LBJ Foundation.
What they're saying: "Operations at the LBJ Library have not changed at all to this point," Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, tells Axios, adding that there have been no layoffs but that anything could shift.
- "It is my hope that the current administration sees the outsized value of presidential libraries to our nation and the communities in which they're based and will leave the operations largely unchanged."
What's next: The LBJ Library next Monday is due to host "The Death Penalty in Texas," a free event focused on the cost and frequency of the death penalty.
- Moderated by journalist Maurice Chammah, the event will feature film director Richard Linklater, whose documentary series "Hometown Prison" is on HBO, and Estelle Hebron-Jones, director of special projects for the Texas Defender Service.