Livingston Masonic Library |
The Empire State Mason Magazine |
The following article appeared in The Empire State Mason Magazine, an official publication of The Grand Lodge of the State of New York. To subscribe to the magazine, or to read more articles of Masonic interest, visit the ESM web site.
The Empire State Mason - Winter 2005 (p. 40)
by RW Richard A. Vang, Trustee
This paraphrasing of Hamlet's famous soliloquy brings to mind a major dilemma that the Livingston Library faces on a daily basis; one which we, as Masons, must confront during this transformative time in our Fraternity's history.
At recent meetings of the Library Committee and Board of Trustees, the Collections Policy of the Library was reviewed, revised and approved. A Collections Policy is standard practice for nearly every museum and library that collects and displays artifacts.
Establishing a Collections Policy is not as obvious or as easy as it might seem to be. Its purpose is not only to decide what should be added to the permanent collections, but just as importantly, what is NOT to be collected. A Collections Policy determines how a collection is going to look – not just now, but in the future as well. A Collections Policy determines what a collection is going to be or not be.
Herein lies the dilemma for the Library when considering which items should be added, which refused, and which discarded. Some questions that arise are:
To show how a Collections Policy works, consider the donation of a Past Master's apron. It certainly fits the mission of the Library and the focus of the collections. But is the apron unique or historical? It probably is not, unless it is of a certain antiquity or had belonged to someone of historical note (in which case it is hard to predict which of us will become historically important to the future).
An apron can be stored easily and conserved properly, unless it is in very poor condition, and usually a family member or a lodge has no real use for it and just wants to see it preserved in some way. But in this case the reality is that the Library already has several in its collections. Therefore, the Library would probably not accept it, and might even decide at that time to "deaccession" (dispose of) some of the more common Past Masters aprons in the collections to make room for other, more unique items.
As you can see, all of these considerations create a dilemma that is often hard to reconcile. It becomes quickly obvious that the dilemma is caused by a limited amount of resources: storage capacity and environmental control, funds for purchase and/or conservation, and human resources to properly complete the work to be done. The Grand Lodge (which owns the items in the collections) and the Library do not have the necessary resources to handle it all, and so, a policy must be set and followed, and collections regularly culled in order to maintain the best collection possible.
Unfortunately, the Policy must be applied when lodges and affiliated bodies, under varying circumstances, have to liquidate their assets in order to consolidate or close their doors. This trend of 21st century Freemasonry is likely to increase in the next few decades. And along with such events comes the dilemma of what to do with all the "stuff".
To answer the question, we only have to look to the Internet or the local newspaper to see Masonic artifacts and ritual paraphernalia for sale, either through on-line auction sites, or brick-and-mortar auction houses. Lodges and bodies resort to selling their buildings and their contents wholesale, resulting in a plethora of items on auction sites that have come into the hands of opportunists. Seeing these items for sale and hearing rumors about them arouse in all of us feelings of desperation, sadness, anger, resentment, and a great sense of loss of our fraternal heritage.
I hate that this is happening to our beloved Fraternity. It is like a stake through the heart – a feeling that I'm sure we all share. Confronting this dilemma has forced me to alter my thinking about the liquidation of Masonic assets, from being openly hostile, to now grudgingly accepting the reality of it. Basically, the Grand Lodge, the Library, and the individual lodge or affiliated body HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS.
However, by confronting this dilemma head-on, the Grand Lodge and the Library are softening the blow of this unpleasant trend. Now when you hear of lodges or bodies holding public auctions, you can be assured that your Grand Lodge and your Library are helping in any way they can by advising and monitoring these sales and auctions whenever and wherever possible. First, all attempts are made to find alternative solutions to the Lodge's problems. Then records are transferred to the Grand Lodge archives, and exhaustive measures are made to either find a new home for the "stuff", or to arrange a donation or sale of important items to the Livingston Library or another Masonic museum. However, the Library must adhere to its Collections Policy, and there is unfortunately NO OTHER CHOICE but to let the remaining items be sold to the public.
At the 224th Grand Lodge Communication, you voted to approve the nomination of Bro. Manfred Liehs to the Library Committee and Board. RW Bro. Liehs is an antique appraiser whose knowledge of the market is extensive. He has proven himself invaluable to the Library and other lodges in helping to appraise items for insurance purposes. During these unfortunate sales and auctions, he has been acting as advisor to various bodies and lodges. Before rumors suggest a possible conflict of interest, let it be known that RW Bro. Liehs does the appraisals and sets up the auctions FOR FREE. He is there to help and to facilitate the lodge or body in question getting the maximum possible funds they need to survive another day.
While none of us likes to see our heritage end up in the hands of "profanes", it is inevitable. As the Bard said, "Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all." There are no easy answers to this dilemma. But this is our lot for the near future, and unfortunately we must all learn to adapt to it. The Livingston Library, at both the Manhattan and Utica branches, has only so much room and resources. Advocating that individual Masons purchase items when they see them up for sale may not be the best solution, given that we all have the same limited resources. (This also carries a word of caution and does not advocate profiteering, trafficking, or stealing from our lodges for monetary gain. Surely any Mason caught doing so would be expelled from Masonry for life.) Building the Library's Endowment Fund can support the creation of more and better storage space. You can help, through direct monetary contributions or through programs like Light The Lamp Of Knowledge. You might consider purchasing Masonic artifacts and donating them, but it would be best to check with the Library before you do this. Either way, your donation can be tax-deductible.
If you would like to help the Livingston Library, please contact RW Tom Savini at (212) 337-6620, or through the web site at www.nymasoniclibrary.org. As always, remember that your donation to the Livingston Masonic Library is tax deductible.
©2005, The Empire State Mason Magazine.