Talk:John W. Carlin

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This article is part of WikiProject Kansas, an effort to create, expand, organize, and improve Kansas-related articles to a feature-quality standard.

John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States As Archivist of the United States, John W. Carlin is the head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), an independent agency of the Federal Government with more than 3,000 employees and 34 facilities throughout the country. NARA is the nation's recordkeeper. Its mission is to ensure for the citizen and the public servant, for the President and the Congress and the Courts, ready access to essential evidence that documents the rights of the American citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience.

Mr. Carlin was appointed Archivist by President William J. Clinton in 1995. He immediately began a comprehensive strategic planning effort that resulted in a 10-year plan to refocus the agency and bring it into the 21st century.

One of the major initiatives of NARA's Strategic Plan is the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), which aims to preserve and provide access to virtually any type of electronic record created anywhere in the Federal Government. This is an unprecedented effort involving partnerships with other Federal agencies and experts in the private sector to solve the problem of preserving the ever-increasing volumes of diverse, complex digital records that are being created worldwide. The entire Federal Government—indeed, today's "information society" at large—has a stake in ERA's success.

Mr. Carlin also obtained Federal funding for a much-needed and extensive renovation of the 70-year-old National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and for important conservation treatment on the treasured Charters of Freedom—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. He is now leading a campaign to raise private dollars to to open the doors to a new National Archives.

The National Archives Experience, an interactive, multicomponent program, will take visitors on a journey from the Charters into the much wider world of the National Archives and the human stories that our records tell.

The National Archives Experience will have the Charters of Freedom as its centerpiece, surrounded by a special exhibition gallery, a theater, a learning center, and new "Public Vaults." The exhibition spaces of the Public Vaults will convey the feeling of going into the stacks and vaults of the National Archives, where visitors can explore and celebrate the spirit of America through the great documents and great stories of our history. Major components will open in fall 2004.

Before becoming Archivist, Mr. Carlin had a distinguished career in public service, business, agriculture and education. A native Kansan, he served in the state legislature for eight years and was Speaker of the House his last term. In 1978 he was elected Governor of Kansas, and served two four-year terms. Following his political career, Mr. Carlin joined the faculty of Wichita State University in Wichita, KS, teaching graduate courses in public administration. He was Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Superconductivity in Lawrence, KS, when appointed Archivist of the United States.