Perhaps it makes some sense to call a James Monroe presidential museum AND libr
ary a "center" if the library & museum functions are equal, as they probably ar
e. Many specialized research operations have roughly equal library, archival,
and museum functions. A James Monroe Presidential Center makes a certain amoun
t of sense, but I think any institution that can in fact find a niche within a
commonly accepted category with a traditional name, such as "museum," "library,
" "archives," "police station," should be as specific as possible. Aren't most
presidential "libraries" primarily research libraries, however? Aren't artifa
ct collections and exhibits secondary? Any "library" can have both an archives
and a display gallery, just as most museums will contain libraries and archive
s, but an over-zealous and unnecessary use of the word "center" will just obscu
re primary function. "Mission statements" are currently as popular as "centers
," and I suggest that institutional names be selected which most closely match
an accurate, well-crafted mission statement. If you find that your mission mos
t closely matches the traditional mission of a library, for example, don't be a
fraid to call yourself that. As awkward as "museum and library" may seem, mayb
e it's more meaningful than "center." I predict that eventually "center" will
become so nebulous that it will be synonymous with "building," "room," "place."
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