Camelot on the Web

In the two weeks since Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) evoked the images of Camelot in his endorsement speech of presidential candidate Barack Obama at American University, all-things JFK seem to be back in vogue. The spirit, the ideas, and the forward-looking vision of the 35th President of the United States have been resurrected in the hopes of inspiring American voters. Undoubtedly, the notion of the Kennedy era reminded baby boomers of a time when antiquated President Eisenhower was replaced by a youthful-looking politician who believed anything was possible and motivated young adults into public service. But for a whole new generation of Americans, born post-1970s, John F. Kennedy is as far removed from them as the ancient Greeks. Yet there is a place where John F. Kennedy lives on, where the Kennedy mystique is in the air and the promise of his administration still exists. This place is the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.

The purpose of the Library is to house the historical record of the Kennedy administration. From documents, photographs and audio-taped conversations between the President and his staff, the Kennedy Library is a treasure trove for researchers. For the general public, whose interest in JFK is driven less by the thrill of primary source documents, the Museum displays the more popular images of the story of John F. Kennedy: his childhood through his service in World War II, his terms in Congress, his campaign for the presidency, the highlights of his administration and his assassination. The entire Kennedy Library and Museum complex is also an attraction for its beautiful location as much as for its contents. Situated on a ten-acre park overlooking the sea a few miles south of downtown Boston, the campus is delightful. In order for researchers and visitors alike to obtain information on the Library and Museum, www.jfklibrary.org was created. For this assignment, I reviewed the web site. I have visited the Library and Museum several times, both as a researcher and as a tourist and in my opinion, the JFK Library and Museum has by far one of the best presidential library sites in cyberspace. I will explain why.

The splash page, with its audio excerpt from President Kennedy’s inaugural speech, gives way to a home page divided into three separate categories: historical resources, basic information about the Library and Museum, and education and public programs. Each category has been assigned a different color. The historical resources box is a moss green, the basic information category is a shade of orange and the educational box is a washed blue. The Historical Resources category is the gateway to information on Library holdings, research policies and procedures and historical people and events associated with the Kennedy administration. The holdings are arranged alphabetically by individual, with the series and the contents of each box given. A researcher who clicks on the link for Arthur Schlesinger, Jr’s 1939-1989 papers, for example, will learn that the folder containing working papers on the Test Ban Treaty is located in Box WH-20. This is an extremely useful and time-saving breakdown. The Finding Aids save the researcher from combing through boxes that may be irrelevant to their research. If I could make one suggestion, though, to further enhance the user-friendliness of the pages of Library holdings, it would be to request that a .pdf of the holdings for each individual’s papers be provided. Currently, printing the pages out requires switching from portrait to landscape, and in a plain text format there are an abundance of pages that print out. The presentation of the Historical Resources pages is simple: black text on a plain white background. I feel that the simplicity of this design does not detract from the data being presented by cluttering up the pages with pictures or a background image.

At the top of every page is a tool bar listing the same categories found on the home page. Among the features along the bottom of every web page are the functions to search and the site map. The site map is quite comprehensive and laid out in tree format. Again, against a plain white background, the text does not get lost amid a plethora of images. One of the most unique aspects of the web site, and the one that made me want to visit, is the virtual tour of the Museum. This feature, found either along the bottom of any page or by clicking on “Virtual Museum Tour” under the Basic Information category, opens up a separate window. Visitors immediately see images of the introductory film that is shown in the Museum auditorium and can hear John F. Kennedy talking about the various events in his life: his childhood, his experience in World War II and his decision to go into politics. Along the bottom of the window are the different slides that can be clicked on to transport visitors to a different part of the tour. Audio accompanies every stage of the virtual tour so visitors get a truly “Kennedy” experience as opposed to having a narrator describe what is being displayed.

The Library and the Museum are concerned with educating about the life, leadership and legacy of President Kennedy. Under the “Education and Public Programs” category are the links for students, teachers, information on the Library Forums and the two awards that are given out each year by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The web site’s audience ranges from scholars interested in conducting research to teachers planning a field trip to the Museum. There is something for everyone on this web site and visitors are never lost or forced to continuously click the “back” button in the hopes of escaping.

The virtual tour of the Museum is just one of the many examples of the Library and Museum’s desire to be on the cutting edge of technology. Other high-tech features include podcasts of speeches by, and videos of, President Kennedy, and the White House Diary. The Diary gives visitors a snippet of the President’s schedule for any given day during his administration. On a day in which the President addressed the nation on radio and television, a small video of the event is launched in the lower left section of the diary. I believe this feature gives the viewer a more historical sense of the Kennedy administration. The dates have some significance rather than being merely abstract pages in an appointment book. The use of the multi-media is simple enough to add that essence of history yet reserved enough not to be intrusive and distract from the entire image of the Diary. For any given day, viewers can also click on the “View Appointments” link to obtain the President’s schedule for that day, making the White House Diary both interactive and educational.

With so much to offer, www.jfklibrary.org is a wonderful and user-friendly web site. “And so my fellow citizens, ask not what you can do for technology. Ask what technology can do for you!”