If Dallas wins Bush site, it must build an attraction worth the trip

12:00 AM CST on Friday, March 24, 2006

By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News

As the competition for the George W. Bush Presidential Library heats up, interest in White House history could be cooling off.

Attendance at most presidential libraries and museums is down – way down, in some cases. The number of visitors is declining at eight of the 11 libraries, including both sites in Texas.

And the National Archives and Records Administration is trying to figure out why. The federal agency that operates the Presidential Library System has launched a multiyear market research project aimed at raising the libraries' profiles and at uncovering what draws people to presidential history.

Still, the lackluster numbers have not dampened interest among schools angling to build the new Bush library, which could cost up to $300 million. The finalists – Baylor University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Dallas – point to three factors that could help them avoid the attendance drop-off plaguing many libraries: location, location, location.

The schools all say their sites are conveniently located and would attract tourists.

"Dallas is a destination city," said Thomas Barry, SMU's vice president for executive affairs. "If you go to some libraries, you have to be going there to get there."

But presidential library directors said the attendance problem can't be solved simply by selecting sites along busy highways.

Libraries are scrambling to update aging exhibits and to attract time-starved families. And officials acknowledge that the drop in attendance is distressing.

"This is a dilemma that we have scratched our heads about," said David Alsobrook, director of William J. Clinton Library. "We're very realistic about it."

While the Clinton library, which opened in November 2004, drew strong crowds during its first year, older libraries have not fared as well recently. The Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum has seen its attendance plummet nearly 60 percent during the last six years.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum has weathered an 18 percent drop-off during the same period. It would be easy for Timothy Walch, the library's director, to blame his West Branch, Iowa, location. After all, there are only two stoplights and 20,000 people in his eastern Iowa county.

But Mr. Walch said a long list of factors – everything from gas prices rising to schools scaling back field trips – has affected libraries.

Presidential libraries also must contend with a wide range of entertainment options vying for tourists.

"It is hard for us to compete with Six Flags over whatever state and with some of the interactive museums," Mr. Walch said.

To draw a new generation of visitors, he and other library directors are experimenting with new ways to tell the story of a president.

"The operative term is 'edutainment' – it's a fulfilling experience that people leave feeling like they were educated and they enjoyed themselves," Mr. Walch said.

Library directors rejected the idea that attendance could be affected by perceptions of a president, emphasizing that they offer a nonpartisan account. An exhibit at the Clinton library details his impeachment and mentions his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

The libraries serve both as museums aimed at attracting the public and repositories for millions of presidential papers that are scoured by scholars and students. One of the biggest challenges they face is to continually update exhibits, integrating new information, as well as high-tech presentations, Dr. Alsobrook said.

"You just never quit," he said.

The 9-year-old George Bush Library in College Station is a relative youngster among museums. But plans are already in place to complete an $8.5 million redesign for the library's 10th anniversary. The permanent exhibit at the Bush library will be shuttered next year for about six months before reopening in November 2007.

"You have to stay up with the times," said Patricia Burchfield, the Bush library's deputy director. "Or people think it's a dusty old place."

Ms. Burchfield said that iconic exhibits and replicas of rooms in the White House have proved to be popular attractions.

The arrival of the Air Force One plane that President Ronald Reagan used spurred an attendance spike at his California library. Ms. Burchfield said the remodeled Bush library would include a replica of the 41st president's "Situation Room" and an Oval Office where visitors could sit at the desk.

SMU, Baylor and the University of Dallas have been watching and learning from other libraries. Before submitting their proposals, the schools dispatched officials to visit libraries and to assess what brings visitors through the door.

SMU President Gerald Turner "came into my office right after [President Bush's] first inaugural in 2001," Dr. Barry said. "He said, 'You're going to become an expert in presidential libraries.' "

Dr. Barry visited all but two libraries, and representatives from Baylor and the University of Dallas took cross-country trips of their own. But the schools have been tight-lipped about which ideas they incorporated into their proposals.

Curtis Downs, a University of Dallas alum who helped craft his alma mater's proposal, said seeing the libraries underscored myriad details that must be considered – from allotting sufficient space for presidential papers to building big parking lots.

"We looked at all of them and said, 'What are the best features of the libraries?' " Mr. Downs said. "We wanted the water feature of the JFK library, the size of Reagan's, the greenness of Clinton's and the exhibit space of [the elder] Bush's."

Tommye Lou Davis, chairwoman of Baylor's committee for the Bush library, mentioned the scenic grounds in College Station and the river views at the Clinton library in Little Rock, Ark., as distinguishing features among the libraries.

Baylor owns 109 acres along the Brazos River that could be used for the library. But Mrs. Davis dismissed attempts to compare Baylor's proposal to other libraries.

"It entirely depends on what the president and first lady want," she said.

Despite recent dips in attendance, Mrs. Davis said the libraries are national treasures.

"Every time I go in one, I think, this is my favorite," she said.

National Archives officials said they are working to spread that sentiment. They are using focus groups, informational brochures and other marketing strategies to publicize the libraries' offerings.

"People have a strong recognition and have heard of presidential libraries," said Susan Donius, deputy assistant archivist for presidential libraries. "But they're not always familiar with the education programs, the outreach and the other things offered."

The National Archives is examining why attendance is down and considering how to attract visitors.

"By no means is it a crisis, but we certainly want to put the word out," Ms. Donius.

The federal agency has not set attendance goals but wants to be responsive to feedback, she said.

Mr. Walch, the Hoover director, said libraries should not be judged solely on how many people pass through the turnstiles. As entertainment options have multiplied, attendance has faltered at all types of museums and may not rebound anytime soon, he said.

"We have to acknowledge that we may not reach the pantheon of attendance that we once had," he said. "It's a real dangerous thing to measure your sense of worth by the number of visitors you have."

E-mail cmccain@dallasnews.com