Thursday, June 9, 2011

Ernie Harwell Memoribilia @ the Detroit Public Library, Locked Away and Inaccessible



Harwell's memorabilia put at risk by Detroit library. (Detroit News, 6/9/2011)

Excerpt:  The doors are locked and the lights are usually off where the Detroit Public Library houses Ernie Harwell's life passion.

The beloved broadcaster built a collection of baseball memorabilia over his 68-year career worth $4 million and believed to be the second largest to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

He entrusted it to the library and dreamed that one day his legacy would become a destination. But 10 months after he died at 92 last year, library executives have laid off the primary caretaker of his collection, further limiting access to the appointment-only exhibit that saw only 500 visitors last year.



Now, historians and Harwell confidantes worry his collection may be at risk in a system plagued with accusations of mismanagement and overspending.

"It's a disaster," said John King, the owner of John K. King Used & Rare Books. "I am worried they are just continuing the destruction of the library because they aren't taking care of the collections. We are going to lose this history


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Related articles:
Library commission aism high.  (5/25/2011)
Library u-turn:  no branch closures, no layoffs.  (5/21/2011)
The next thing you know..... (5/20/2011)
My boss has a 2010 Buick LaCrosse....   (5/19/2011)
Detroit Public Library revised its math.  (5/17/2011)
Detroit Public Library does the math....incorrectly.  (5/14/2011)
Residents speak up against branch closings.  (5/8/2011)
The library takes a page from the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.  (5/7/2011)
The news just keeps getting worse. (5/6/2011)
The Detroit Public Library needs some good news (and this isn't it).  (5/5/2011)
Rainy day fund keeps fewer branches from closing.  (4/29/2011)
Proposal to close 18 of 23 Detroit branches sparks anger. (4/22/2011)
Few expenses spared in South Wing remodeling of library.  (4/22/2011)
Downward spiral.  (4/16/2011)
Library reduces staff by 20%. (3/4/2011)
Budget woes. (2/5/2011)

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