0.9 Chapter seven: retrenchment and the struggle for survival, 19  (Page 5/20)

Remaining members of the Society's staff moved quickly to make their con­cerns known to the advisory committee. In a memo written on February 3, fifteen members of the Society's senior curatorial staff expressed in strong terms their desire not only to be kept informed about the progress of the advisory commit­tee's deliberations but to be involved in them as well. The memo implored the committee to make every effort to maintain an independent organization that "honors the intellectual integrity and unity of the collections." The memo also stated that further deaccessioning under the circumstances was "both impru­dent and inappropriate" and that the staff expected to contribute directly to the deliberations that affect the future of the collections.

The advisory committee's first steps centered on finding partners for the in­stitution. A planning document written for the committee's first meeting outlined its objectives. "Longer term, the Society must affiliate with one or more institu­tions, and likely will divest of some of its assets. . . . Affiliation should result in more assured revenues and lower operating costs. It is conceivable that three or more affiliations might be needed, one for the Library, one or more for the col­lection and one for the real estate." Attached to the document was a list of eighty-five nonprofit institutions, corporations, and wealthy individuals and families who were to be approached about participating in possible affiliations.

Outside of the Society, reaction to the announced closing was swift and dra­matic. Particularly vocal in its response was the scholarly community, who con­sidered access to the Society's library collections irreplaceable. In less than a week, a petition had been signed by six hundred scholars at forty campuses across the country urging state and city officials "to fashion a solution that will keep the collections intact and available to all New Yorkers."

Public pressure and concern continued to mount as the February 19 closing date approached. Responding to the attention, the advisory committee issued a statement reporting on the progress of its deliberations. It declared that the com­mittee was "absolutely committed to preserving the Society's valuable collec­tions intact, to maintaining public access to them, and to keeping them in New York where they so rightly belong. We believe just as firmly, however, that any solution will ultimately require significant aid from the public and private sectors." In addition, the committee reasserted its position regarding possible affiliation say­ing that the "Society can no longer remain viable independently and that any solution must involve a merger or affiliation with one or more institutions."