4 ms·

This quality that the national mall is (monuments aside) an eclectic mixture of federal and private buildings continues to amaze me. Some of them are very QANGO

by ggm 2y ago

This quality that the national mall is (monuments aside) an eclectic mixture of federal and private buildings continues to amaze me. Some of them are very QANGO like, clearly massively in receipt of national funding. Some not. They bear the name of founders, of private bodies. Some of them are guarded by federal employees. Some of them seem to have a coco-cola truck planted outside permanently. The Smithsonian is funded from british money, vested through the surviving childless American resident, and grows by accretion of other indepently funded bodies (the Hirshhorn, the Freer which in turn relates to the Sackler but we don't talk about that...) The folger is near, but not actually part. Behind the mall. Where we keep the coffee tins. "oh yes, we put the shakespear next to the coffee tin, in the fridge" I used to imagine the LoC staff digging a tunnel and secretly liberating the books.

jfengel 2y ago
The revamped Folgers makes it much easier to get access to those books, no tunneling required. I am really glad for that. I run a Shakespeare theater troupe just outside DC. I have performed at the Folger. And I couldn't get at the library because I wasn't an academic. It's still not going to be every day that I need their very specific collection. But it's great to know that I can.
allturtles 2y ago
> Some of them are very QANGO like What does this mean? > The Smithsonian is funded from british money, vested through the surviving childless American resident, and grows by accretion of other indepently funded bodies (the Hirshhorn, the Freer which in turn relates to the Sackler but we don't talk about that...) The Smithsonian is and always has been a quasi-public entity. It was founded by an act of Congress and is subsidized directly from the federal budget. I would compare to something like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- jhbadger 2y ago
  >What does this mean? It's a British term for organizations that aren't governmental but which are largely funded by them. As you mention, the Smithsonian and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are basically this, although the term isn't used here. Especially in the case of the Smithsonian, many people may not even know that they aren't part of the Federal government, given that they run the famous free museums in Washington DC.
- yzydserd 2y ago
  Quasi-NGO.

by ggm 2y ago

jfengel 2y ago

The revamped Folgers makes it much easier to get access to those books, no tunneling required. I am really glad for that. I run a Shakespeare theater troupe just outside DC. I have performed at the Folger. And I couldn't get at the library because I wasn't an academic. It's still not going to be every day that I need their very specific collection. But it's great to know that I can.

allturtles 2y ago

> Some of them are very QANGO like What does this mean? > The Smithsonian is funded from british money, vested through the surviving childless American resident, and grows by accretion of other indepently funded bodies (the Hirshhorn, the Freer which in turn relates to the Sackler but we don't talk about that...) The Smithsonian is and always has been a quasi-public entity. It was founded by an act of Congress and is subsidized directly from the federal budget. I would compare to something like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

jhbadger 2y ago
>What does this mean? It's a British term for organizations that aren't governmental but which are largely funded by them. As you mention, the Smithsonian and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are basically this, although the term isn't used here. Especially in the case of the Smithsonian, many people may not even know that they aren't part of the Federal government, given that they run the famous free museums in Washington DC.
yzydserd 2y ago
Quasi-NGO.