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December 2011 eNewsletter
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Friends of the LBJ Library eNewsletter
December 2011
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Dear Friends,

Next week, we will welcome U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to speak to the Friends. Nearly fifty years after President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, Holder will discuss the importance of ensuring equal access to the ballot box and strengthening America's long tradition of expanding the franchise. We look forward to hosting a sitting Cabinet member for a major policy address.

Changes are afoot at the Library and Museum. As announced in the September 2010 issue of Among Friends, we are entering the active phase to redesign our core museum exhibit on President Johnson and his administration and legacy. Please read below and in the upcoming edition of Among Friends for more details.

All the best,

Mark K. Updegrove
Director

An Evening With Attorney General Eric Holder
Please join us for An Evening With Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. on Tuesday, December 13, at 6:00 p.m. Holder will speak on "Protecting our Democracy, Protecting the Right to Vote."

Eric Holder was sworn in as Attorney General of the United States on February 3, 2009. In 1997, President Clinton named Mr. Holder as the Deputy Attorney General, the first African American in that post. Previously, he served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and was a litigation partner at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington.

An RSVP is required to attend. Please return the postcard enclosed with your invitation or email your response to friends@lbjlibrary.net by December 6. Please bring your membership cards for admittance; your membership card will serve as your ticket.

The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Large bags, backpacks, and cameras will not be allowed in the Auditorium. There will not be a reception following the program. For parking information or other details, please visit the event webpage.

Image courtesy of the Department of Justice.
A New Look at the LBJ Library & Museum
This month, the LBJ Library and Museum will begin work on a major redesign that will give visitors a contemporary, engaging experience relating to one of the most significant presidents and eras in our country's history. In the coming year, new exhibits will be installed on the three public exhibit floors of the Library, giving the interior a completely new look and feel.

"This is a new day for LBJ," says Mark Updegrove, LBJ Library Director. "President Johnson insisted that the LBJ Library present an unvarnished look at his presidency, along with the triumphs and turmoil of the times. Now is our opportunity to present this story using 21st century technology with state-of-the art interactive elements."

The last major renovation of the LBJ Library was in 1984. This redesign will take about one year to complete, with a grand opening scheduled for December 2012, in celebration of what would have been Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.

The LBJ Library will remain open throughout the construction; however, parts of the Library will be closed at times. Friends are encouraged to check the Library's website often for updates on construction. On the website, www.lbjlibrary.org, you may also sign up for monthly email progress reports which will feature new photos and videos.

The Library's Reading Room will remain open for researchers, students, and the public during regular business hours of 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Exhibit closings
In 1891, James Naismith, a YMCA physical education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts, developed the new game of "Basket Ball" to keep his students active indoors. The typed and annotated rules formed the foundation for today's game but were also different in many ways (dribbling had not yet been introduced).

James Naismith's Original Rules of Basket Ball will be on display in the Great Hall through January 29, 2012, and at the University's Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports next year.

The special exhibit Left to Right: Radical Movements of the 1960s will close on January 2, 2012.
LBJ Library on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter
The LBJ Library & Museum has a page on Facebook! Become a fan today to receive the latest news, announcements, and public event information.

We are blogging the life and legacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson at the LBJ Time Machine Tumblr. Join us on a 13-month ride, starting with the birth of LBJ in 1908 and continuing right up to the current day. We'll follow him through his early years in Texas, to Congress and the presidency, and then back to Texas and the building of his legacy, including the LBJ Foundation, the LBJ Library, and the LBJ School.

The LBJ Library is also on Twitter. Join the conversation now!

For any questions related to your Friends of the LBJ Library membership, please email friends@lbjlibrary.net.
Friends of the LBJ Library
LBJ Library and Museum

phone: (512) 721-0176