This book made available by the Internet Archive.

Exhibits

1. Trends in Smithsonian Appropriations for Operating Purposes, FY 1987 - FY 1993

2. Ten-Year Trend in Principal Sources of Smithsonian Net Unrestricted Trust Fund

Income, FY 1984 - FY 1993

3. Recent Trends in Major Uses of Smithsonian Net Unrestricted Trust Fund Income

4. Smithsonian Institution Funding Goals-Operations, FY 1990 - FY 1998

5. Smithsonian Institution Long Range Construction Program, FY 1994 - FY 1998

6. Suitland Collections Center Proposed Schematic Site Plan

Choosing the Future

Message from the Secretary

It is the primary task of these five-year prospectuses to reduce a complex and uncertain future to a series of useful, quantitative planning targets. For the Institution as a whole, those targets obviously become increasingly tentative and difficult to project toward the more distant end of the time spans that each successive volume covers. That is especially true for this volume, in preparation while the debate over how fast and far to reduce the Federal deficit remains unresolved. At the same time, uncertainties over the recovery of the U.S. economy also make it difficult to project the status of the nonappropriated funds that play a vital part in supporting Smithsonian programs. Thus, this volume concentrates on the first three years of the five it covers.

One fact is certain, however. The long era of real, often substantial, and nearly uninterrupted growth in the Institution's net operating funds is at an end. In the past both appropriated and nonappropriated sources permitted a slow but steady growth in most Smithsonian programs as well as the periodic addition of major new ones. But starting now, growth, where it does occur, will most likely require compensating reductions on the basis of a careful, ongoing reassessment of priorities.

In addressing these new conditions, it is of utmost importance to preserve the core priorities of the Institution. These are:

• the care and conservation of our collections and facilities;

• the retention of a vibrant, broadly appealing exhibition program (probably relying more heavily on our own collections);

• the maintenance of momentum in our major research programs where the Institution has a strong tradition and comparative advantage, with particular emphasis on fellowships, internships, and minority access;

• the meeting of mandated responsibilities, including but not limited to those relating to environmental management, safety, and access for people with disabilities;

• the provision of an adequate administrative and service base to plan for and handle a transition to downsized programs and operations, without sacrificing present standards; and

• the retaining of recognizable salience, to the fullest extent that these other priorities permit, for key outreach programs to educate, widen, and diversify our audiences, and for those contributions to an understanding of global change that lie most directly within the Smithsonian's area of expertise and responsibility.

We must be realistic about the environment in which we operate. At least in the short run, some increased costs cannot be avoided. Rented space and utilities charges are one example, as are Congressionally mandated salary increases and programs for disabled access. Aging facilities require steeply increasing provisions for renovation and maintenance. Growing collections impose growing demands for proper registration and conservation. Despite efforts to bring budgets under control during the past three years, requirements like these have made the measures we have taken only partly effective. Now, however, it is clear that we must confront, and bring permanently under control, a structural imbalance not only between our nonappropriated income and expenses but in our Federal budget as well.

Nonappropriated income, where the percentage of shortfall is more severe, has fallen to pre-FY 1987 levels, while expenditures thus far have been reduced only to 1990 levels. And some of the reductions that have been made, particularly those affecting acquisitions, exhibitions, fellowships, educational outreach, and research, have disturbingly severe impacts on the central mission of the Institution. In time they will need to be corrected for—in part, we anticipate, by intensified private fund-raising and increased profits from business activities. But projections indicate that these activities alone will not likely be sufficient. I believe that other reductions should presently be substituted for some that have already been made. New reductions may initially present greater difficulties, but in the long run they will prove less damaging.

On the Federal side, constituting close to 70 percent of our operating funds, the outlook is less grave but not optimistic. Increases in some costs are almost inescapable, and it would be imprudent to expect them to be fully met by appropriations for the foreseeable future. Planned growth probably will be possible for a few, selected programs that have generated wide enthusiasm, as is particularly the case with the National Museum of the American Indian. But, overall, reductions must be anticipated.

What we face, in other words, is a need to downsize the Smithsonian itself. As this is being written, Smithsonian management is deep in the process of planning these future reductions and implementing the first steps toward that end. Still informally "on the books" are an ambitious and costly series of capital projects that have always been expected to extend well into the next century. Surely, many of them will now be subject to lengthy

delays. Although all would have much to offer under more favorable conditions as increments to the ensemble of Smithsonian activities, some may now of necessity be dropped altogether. But this reconfiguring of long-range priorities needs to be done with great deliberateness. Frankly more urgent, because of their relevance for budgets that are immediately in prospect, are efforts to correct structural imbalances between our current operating costs and projected income. There is no doubt in my mind that, with the support of all who revere the Smithsonian, we will continue to be a strong Institution through and after this difficult period.

While the urgency of these circumstances has dominated Institutional planning and management, we are moving toward a dynamic and vital Smithsonian of the future. The key question shaping that future is how to adapt to an environment where sophisticated communications systems accelerate the exchange of ideas and data among diverse cultures and across national boundaries. To meet the challenges and opportunities they present, we must look closely at the role of the Institution and the cultural, social, and technological factors influencing its ability to act. We will look to the advice and counsel of many people as we evaluate alternatives for Smithsonian leadership in the 21st century.

Thinking about the future of the Institution also requires knowing its past, which is much on our minds as we prepare for the 150th anniversary of the Act of August 10, 1846, which established the Smithsonian. That 1996 observance will reflect the enormous transformation across the years of the Institution and the society and culture it mirrors and serves. By illuminating the lively diversity of our present programs and the wide range of our services to the Nation, we hope to increase the sense of ownership and participation in the Smithsonian by all Americans.

I note with sadness the passing of Under Secretary Carmen Turner in April 1992, after a long illness. A substantial reorganization that is facilitating our downsizing efforts is an important legacy of her service to the Institution. The Smithsonian is most fortunate in the recruitment of Constance Newman as her exceedingly able and distinguished successor. Already her contribution in leading the Institution in the reallocation and restructuring plan described in this document is abundantly clear.

Robert McC. Adams, Secretary

Choosing the Future

THE ESSENTIAL BACKGROUND

Since 1977, when the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian and the Secretary established a five-year planning process, the Smithsonian has produced a five-year prospectus to articulate its program plans for the next five fiscal years and to describe longer-term plans for construction and facilities. This prospectus has been called Choosing the Future to express the Smithsonian's commitment to actively shaping its future and continually strengthening its vitality.

Those familiar with Choosing the Future as it existed in the past will notice that the format of this volume is considerably different. As the Secretary articulated in his opening message, the Smithsonian is in the midst of deliberately confronting difficult choices about its future. Declining resources, both in Federal appropriations and in unrestricted Trust income, have forced an Institution-wide review of the allocation of resources within the context of priorities.

The aim is permanent downsizing and restructuring of the Smithsonian to permit better equilibrium between function and fiscal reality. This volume of Choosing the Future reflects that aim. Its central focus is a reallocation and restructuring plan that projects contraction instead of growth and concentrates on the next three years rather than the usual five. While the future seems less certain, the Smithsonian is determined it shall not be without choice. This volume and its focus affirm the Smithsonian's active role in formulating its direction and faith in its continuing vitality.

Following the Secretary's message, this volume begins with an overview of the Institution's familiar history and responsibilities. A new section takes a hard look at the financial context that has necessitated downsizing and restructuring. Then the Institution's priorities are surveyed, with discussion of accomplishments, goals, and plans. The next section presents the reallocation and restructuring plan, with a description of the planning process. In a final section, the Institution's capital program is surveyed.

The History and Mission of the Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution's history influences the choice it now makes about its future. In 1836, on behalf of the American people, Congress accepted a bequest from an Englishman, James Smithson, and pledged the faith of the United States to his charitable trust. In 1838, following approval of the bequest by the British courts, the United States received Smithson's estate valued at approximately $500,000. In 1846, an Act of Congress founded the "Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."

Over the past 147 years, the Smithsonian has grown into a unique complex of 15 museums and galleries, sophisticated education and research facilities, and one zoo. Thirteen

of these entities are located in Washington, D.C., and two in New York City. The Institution is also one of the world's leading scientific research centers, with facilities in eight states and the Republic of Panama. Research and outreach projects in the arts, history, and science are carried out internationally.

The Smithsonian is recognized as a leader in both the museum and research environments. Its interests are both broad and deep, from the unparalleled collections of the new National Museum of the American Indian to the unique holdings of the visual arts of sub-Saharan Africa in the National Museum of African Art. The products and services it provides are as varied as the innovative educational materials prepared by the National Science Resources Center, the unique exhibitions of the National Air and Space Museum, valuable research conducted at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the outreach efforts of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Smithsonian's impact on the nation and the world is without parallel for an organization of its kind.

The Financial Context

As both a public institution and a trust establishment of the United States, the Smithsonian is an excellent example of the partnership potential of the public and private sectors. While not a Federal agency itself, the Institution receives Federal appropriations as well as grant and contract funding from agencies for various research projects. It also has significant non-Federal income-producing business elements, including retail activities, concessions, magazines, and a press. As a nonprofit charitable organization, it receives substantial support from individual, foundation, and corporate donors.

The sources of operating funds for FY 1992 demonstrate this public-private partnership:

Federal appropriations (Salaries and Expenses) $281.2 million

Authorized Full-Time Employment: 4,749

Government grants and contracts 42.7 million

Unrestricted and Special Purpose Trust funds 35.8 million

Authorized Full-Time Employment: 440

Restricted Trust funds 39.8 million

Total $399.5 million

About 70 percent of the Smithsonian's general operating budget is derived from direct Federal appropriations. The Federal appropriation and authorized Federal workforce support four core functions that are central to the Smithsonian's mission. These include:

Choosing the Future

• caring for and conserving the National Collections;

• sustaining basic research, both on collections and in other areas of traditional - strength;

• informing the public, through exhibitions and other educational and outreach programs, about the collections and the results of research; and

• maintaining and securing facilities.

In addition, the Federal appropriation covers a proportionate share of administrative costs, based on the percentage of programs and activities that are supported through the Federal budget versus those that are supported with nonappropriated funds.

About one-tenth of the Smithsonian's general operating budget is derived from unrestricted Trust funds. This 10 percent represents a "critical margin" of flexibility that has enabled the Institution, over the years, to address priorities that Congress and other funding agencies have been unable to fund. Based on policies approved by the Regents in the late 1970s, there are four primary uses of the Institution's unrestricted Trust funds. These include:

• providing supplemental awards in four traditional Smithsonian activities: scholarly studies, special exhibitions, collections acquisitions, and educational outreach;

• sponsoring fellowships that give young scholars the opportunity to conduct research on the National Collections;

• compensating senior management officials; and

• funding development costs.

In addition, unrestricted Trust funds also support a proportionate share of administrative expenses, serving to supplement the Federal appropriations that also support these costs. Finally, for various historical reasons, some Smithsonian programs rely heavily or exclusively on unrestricted Trust funds, including the Archives of American Art, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Office of Folklife Programs, and Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center.

Other sources of operating funds include government grants and contracts and restricted Trust funds that, depending on their source, purpose, and applicable restrictions, are used for operating, construction, and endowment purposes.

Choosing the Future

From its inception the Smithsonian has benefited greatly from its relationship with the United States Government. From a relatively small public investment, an enormous reservoir of goodwill toward the Institution has developed among the American people-goodwill that flows to the Federal Government as well. As a result, the Institution has generally enjoyed good relationships with both the executive and legislative branches of government, even when other entities have been subject to budget reductions.

During the six-year period from FY 1988 to FY 1993, Federal appropriations for the Smithsonian's operating purposes increased by 47 percent, or an average of 8 percent per year (see Exhibit 1). However, a major proportion of each annual increment appropriated has been earmarked for specific purposes, such as the new National Museum of the American Indian, new global change research programs and cultural diversity initiatives, and new major scientific instrumentation. As is true in many organizations dependent on public funding, these and other factors have had the effect of eroding the operating budget by a cumulative amount of at least $30 million, or a minimum of 8 percent per year, over the last six years.

As a consequence, many positions that perform critical functions, such as collections care and facilities maintenance and repair, are being held vacant for lack of funds. In addition, essential scientific equipment can no longer be replaced, and the purchase of books and serials for the library has been sharply curtailed.

At the same time that Federal sector support for core program functions was eroding, the Institution's unrestricted Trust fund income was declining (see Exhibit 2). In FY 1991 and FY 1992, the weak national economy, along with decreased visitor attendance, resulted in decreased revenues from the Smithsonian's various income-producing activities. After almost boundless growth during the 1980s, unrestricted Trust fund income fell to pre-1987 levels. The Smithsonian magazine, the largest single source of unrestricted Trust fund income, suffered decreases in advertising revenues at the same time that operating costs increased. Other facilities, including museum shops, food service concessions, mail order operations, and the Smithsonian Institution Press, experienced dramatic downturns, although some retail activities showed a degree of recovery in FY 1992 and are projected to remain stable in FY 1993.

One consequence of the decline in unrestricted Trust fund income has been the fall in allocations to the Institution's supplemental awards program to pre-FY 1987 levels (see Exhibit 3). These allocations have been further reduced by the increasing numbers of employees brought aboard the Trust payroll in the late 1980s. During this period, when Federal government salary ceilings made it difficult to attract bureau directors and other senior managers, the Institution resorted to Trust appointments. Today virtually all the Institution's senior officers are Trust employees. Naturally, as the unrestricted Trust fund budget assumed salaries and benefits expenses formerly paid from the Federal appropriation, it provided less in the way of fiscal flexibility. For example, even with 42 fewer positions

Choosing the Fusure

FY 1993, or a 10 percent reduction in Trust fund employment, roughly 72 percent of projected Trust fund income will still be devoted to salaries and benefits.

It is now clear that, in the absence of major structural changes, each component bureau and office of the Institution will continue to find itself in a state of financial imbalance and with few financial management options. Conditions will only worsen dramatically as costs continue to increase and the Federal appropriation and unrestricted Trust fund income both remain flat or decline. In the aggregate, programs and operations supported with Federal appropriations are already $30 million behind where they were in FY 1987, and even with actions taken to balance the unrestricted Trust fund budget for FY 1993, expenses for programs and staffing added during the growth period of the late 1980s continue to exceed projections of unrestricted Trust income.

Therefore the Smithsonian Institution, like many other public and private sector organizations, has undertaken a comprehensive and systematic financial restructuring that has multiple, complementary goals. These include:

• sharpening programmatic goals and priorities;

• abolishing programs that are no longer central to the Smithsonian's mission;

• eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies;

• examining the appropriateness of the source of current funding for each program and function and realigning sources as necessary;

• identifying permanent reductions for FY 1993 totaling nearly $14-15 million in Federal programs and operations and nearly $10 million in unrestricted Trust fund activities;

• correcting major structural imbalances;

• investing selectively and on a cost/benefit basis in potential new auxiliary activities; and

• seeking expanded levels of giving from individuals. The ultimate aim is the establishment of a new financial equilibrium.

Choosing the Future

THE SIX PRIORITIES

The Smithsonian's primary goal during this time of limited finances is to allocate the resources available in a manner that will strengthen the Institution, its leadership role, and its potential impact over time. By clarifying the mission of the Institution, areas for investment of additional funds and areas for decreased funding can be identified. Funding choices are being guided by the Secretary's six priorities for the Institution, outlined in his message at the beginning of this document.

Care and Conservation of Collections and Facilities

The Smithsonian Institution holds many of the Nation's treasures. Its collections of art, artifacts, and specimens have great value to current and future generations, and their management is critical to the fulfillment of the Smithsonian's original charter. The dedication of resources to collections management, including the registration, storage, preservation, exhibition, restoration, and security of the objects held by the Smithsonian, is a recognized priority.

Collections management is a complex field. Research and knowledge about the conservation of objects expands each year. The issues associated with collections management have also grown in complexity and now include repatriation and tax legislation. An important issue in the planning for the new National Museum of the American Indian, for example, is the return of Indian remains and funerary objects to appropriate individuals and tribes. Each collections management initiative considered by the Smithsonian includes extensive associated costs. The Smithsonian is currently conducting a major inventory of its collections and their condition. This inventory will support the development of a multi-year plan for collections management priorities.

To correct its chronic shortage of collections storage space, the Institution has developed a Master Plan for a Collections Center in Suitland, Maryland. The Museum Support Center in Suitland currently provides 600,000 square feet of storage space, primarily for storage of collections belonging to the National Museum of Natural History. Millions of objects and specimens are now being prepared and relocated to the Museum Support Center in a move that in volume, variety of collections, and distance of transfer is unprecedented in the museum world. The Paul E. Garber Facility, a set of metal prefabricated buildings with little or no environmental control, is also located at Suitland and currently houses objects from the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of American History. Buildings in the Garber complex sustained damages costing $1-2 million in a tornado that touched down the early morning of November 23, 1992.

The proposed Collections Center will build upon the Museum Support Center concept, reduce the need for reliance on the less than satisfactory Garber Facility, and accommodate

the Smithsonian's needs into the 21st century. Construction of this facility in the coming decades will permit collections to be moved from their present sites with potentially adverse and unstable environmental storage conditions to secure sites where they will also be available for research and education.

Beyond sheer physical care of collections, the Institution also has a responsibility for the management and accessibility of information about them. The development of appropriate information systems, at the Institution and museum levels, is important to connecting collections, research, and stewardship activities and to linking the Smithsonian's work to that of other museums and research institutions. Further, accessibility to information about its collections is one of the Smithsonian's major responsibilities to the public. The best in modern information technology must be effectively applied to increase the availability of knowledge about these collections.

To remain a vital educational and research center, the Smithsonian must also enrich its holdings. These responsibilities require a sustained investment of Smithsonian resources. In the field of art, for example, works are increasingly expensive because of exponential increases in their value. The Smithsonian can no longer compete with major private museums or private collectors in the art market; and some artworks are now prohibitively expensive for the National Collections. Even borrowing objects from other museums for research or exhibition purposes is becoming difficult because of the increased cost of insurance.

At the same time, the Smithsonian is aiming to diversify its collections. A special emphasis in the past few years has been acquiring key works by traditionally underrepresented groups. The National Portrait Gallery, for example, has been seeking portraits of ethnic groups and occupations not formerly included in its permanent and archival collections. In addition, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is hoping to acquire more objects from Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia. These efforts to diversify collections generate additional sets of costs, including travel.

Its buildings and grounds are also artifacts the Smithsonian holds in trust for the Nation. The Smithsonian maintains over five million square feet of space in more than 200 buildings. A few buildings are new; others are more than 100 years old. Many of the older buildings, including the Arts and Industries Building, the Castle, some structures in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Renwick Gallery, and the Patent Office Building housing the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery appear on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Other buildings of the Smithsonian are part of the National Register of Historic Places. Only with proper planning, operation, and maintenance of all of the Smithsonian buildings can the diverse programs of the Institution be offered now and in the future.

The need for restoration and expansion of the Smithsonian facilities is acute. Exhibition space, for example, is subject to great wear and tear, as millions of visitors come

to view the exhibits each year. To accommodate existing research and public programs and essential behind-the-scenes activities, all facilities require refurbishing. By investing in facilities maintenance, the Institution seeks to slow the rate of deterioration of its buildings and thus slow the rate of new repairs. Further details about the Smithsonian's capital program, which addresses all aspects of facilities construction, maintenance, and repair, are included in the final section of this document.

The Exhibition Program

As the world's largest museum complex, the Smithsonian receives approximately 30 million visitors a year. On any given day those visitors learn about an incredible range of topics, from the "History of Flight" to "African Cultures" to "Zoo Animals" to the "Art of Ancient China" to "Insects and Spiders" to "American Landscape Painting." The preparation and maintenance of the Smithsonian exhibitions is a critical, continual, and costly endeavor. Still, retaining a vibrant, broadly appealing exhibition program, even during these times of limited resources, is a priority of the Smithsonian.

Exhibitions are the Institution's primary means for sharing its collections with the public. Short-term exhibits offer many opportunities for creativity and outreach. The greater challenge comes in renovating permanent exhibitions to keep them up to date and interesting to the broadest possible audience. To accomplish these renovations, Smithsonian curators must be active in their academic fields and resourceful in adapting recent research for presentation to the public.

The recent renovation of the exhibit of the First Ladies' gowns in the National Museum of American History is an example of such creativity. This collection had been on continuous display for 75 years. Because the gowns had deteriorated, conservators recommended that many no longer be displayed and that others be rotated regularly with different items from the collection. Because the gowns could no longer be the focal point, the emphasis of the exhibit was shifted to portray the gradual development of the First Lady's political role and public image. This approach allowed daytime clothing to be featured, including many items never before seen by the public. Other materials incorporated in the new exhibit, now called, "First Ladies: Political Roles and Public Image," included White House invitations, programs, calling cards, and campaign items. The reopened exhibit has been very popular. Not only are the First Ladies' gowns now protected from further deterioration, but the new exhibit has increased appeal and is encouraging new scholarship in women's history on the First Ladies' role.

To prepare exhibitions that will reach broader audiences, the Smithsonian carefully examines demographic trends. The 1990 census, for example, counted 250 million Americans, a 10 percent increase over 1980. Of particular interest for the Smithsonian is the increasing diversity of the American population. Higher immigration rates, expanding minority populations, and an aging of the population are trends that demand shifts in

exhibition and outreach techniques. The Smithsonian recognizes its responsibility to present exhibitions that are sensitive to group identities and balanced in their view of society.

One recent effort to reach broader audiences is the renovation of the Freer Gallery of Art, which will reopen to the public in May 1993 following a multi-million-dollar construction project. The project renovated and added exhibition space to allow for the complete reinstallation of the Freer's collections of Asian and American art. The Gallery will present a continuing calendar of public programs showcasing the living arts of Asia and the pluralism within individual Asian societies.

The aim of the Smithsonian's exhibition program is to help audiences learn about recent advances in knowledge and understand changing perceptions of our world. New approaches in exhibition design and interpretive strategies are increasing opportunities for audience participation in the exhibit experience. Interactive videos, for example, invite visitors to pursue specific interests or to test their knowledge. Planning, mounting, and updating exhibits requires a curatorial and exhibition staff with diverse and innovative ideas. Ongoing in-service training helps ensure continued staff development. Even with a strong, well-trained staff, however, funding limits curtail the Smithsonian's ability to upgrade exhibits and employ new techniques in information technology.

Major Research Programs

Research has always held a fundamental place in the life of the Smithsonian, undergirding many of its activities. Over one and a half centuries, the Smithsonian has developed research strengths in several interrelated areas: the history and present state of the universe; the complex of living systems forming the earth's different environments; and human cultures, past and present. Retaining momentum in these research programs, in which the Institution has a strong tradition and comparative advantage, will continue to be a priority.

The Institution's unparalleled National Collections provide Smithsonian researchers with numerous opportunities for conducting vital research. Smithsonian researchers have, for example, made excellent progress in enriching human understanding of the development of many species through study of the specimens held by the National Museum of Natural History. The National Zoological Park conducts vital research on preventing the extinction of threatened species. The National Air and Space Museum studies the social impacts of technology. The cultural, economic, industrial, and social history of the United States is the focus of research at the National Museum of American History, and the special art collections held by the National Museum of African Art, the Sackler Gallery, and the Freer Gallery offer unique research opportunities not available in other museums in the United States. The Smithsonian's research staff at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have conducted ground-breaking research in such areas as astronomy and astrophysics, tropical biology, and ecosystems. In all these areas of study, the Smithsonian benefits from

its stewardship of lands and waters dedicated to research, its highly specialized equipment, and its expert research staff.

Smithsonian research priorities will continue to be selected for their contributions not only to science but to world issues today. The Institution cannot allow momentum to be lost in projects such as the development of inventories and descriptions of the world's past and current biota, study of the consequences of the environmental destruction in the tropics and the Chesapeake Bay, investigations that help prevent extinction of threatened species like the golden lion tamarin, measurement of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface, and examination of chemical methyl bromide at high altitudes to increase understanding of ozone destruction.

The Smithsonian is also uniquely equipped through its exhibition and other programs to present its research findings and increase public awareness of both the research process and its results. Through its fellowship and internship programs, the Smithsonian contributes to the training of future generations of scholars. Many of these programs enable the Institution to increase its number of Smithsonian scholars.

Given the value and impact of these major research programs, the Smithsonian has determined that momentum must be maintained. Cutting back would mean immediate loss of the cutting edge. Yet research is a costly endeavor. Expensive equipment quickly becomes obsolete, and fieldwork must often take place in isolated regions. The Institution has slowly begun to rebuild the critical infrastructure of laboratory and scientific equipment in selected areas. Still, developments in technology often mean that needs far exceed the funding available for upgrading and replacing needed scientific equipment. To ensure that wise choices are made from among the competing scientific instrumentation needs, the Institution has initiated a five-year equipment replacement and enhancement plan.

Information sharing is also critical to maintaining the Smithsonian's momentum in its major research initiatives. For today's scientist, for example, access to the rapidly expanding literature and research in other major institutions are as important as adequate equipment. A major burden encountered in recent years has been the escalating subscription costs for many of the journals Smithsonian scholars need and the new costs of access to data services that speed communication among scholars. The Institution has tried to make limited funding stretch as far as possible by canceling some of the lesser-used journals and relying on interlibrary loan for access to them. Without timely access to necessary journals and other research findings, however, Smithsonian scholars will be seriously disadvantaged in such critical areas of research as global warming and embryo transfer.

At the same time that the cost of conducting research is increasing, the need for the research conducted by Smithsonian scholars grows. The national and international public is increasingly concerned about environmental changes that diminish natural environments and resources, including water, croplands, and energy sources. Understanding the worldwide impact of the loss of species and exploring the increasing concentration of certain gases such

as carbon dioxide and methane in the earth's atmosphere are only two examples where Smithsonian research has made valuable contributions. The Smithsonian alone cannot save the many endangered species of the earth or complete all the studies necessary to understand global warming trends, but the Institution's fundamental research must continue to make a critical contribution.

Mandated Responsibilities

Each year, the Smithsonian conducts internal reviews and audits of its operations. The resulting information enables the Smithsonian to better comply with internal and external requirements and to continually improve its service to the public. Three areas of special concern, externally mandated but also seen as internal priorities, that have been identified are environmental management, safety, and access for people with disabilities.

In recent years, Congress has earmarked resources for environmental management and safety programs. Staff members are now available to assess most environment, fire, and safety hazards in the workplace and public areas of Smithsonian buildings and to identify changes to buildings or work practices that will protect employees who are exposed to hazardous conditions. Among many areas requiring health and safety improvements are two very costly endeavors: asbestos abatement and hazardous waste removal. Stringent new laws regarding hazardous waste removal now apply to the normal use of chemicals in the sophisticated research laboratories found at various Smithsonian sites. To protect employees, visitors, and the environment in the future, the Smithsonian also views the development of safety management and training programs at several of its sites as critical.

The Americans with Disabilities Act and internal studies conducted at the Smithsonian have identified a need for improved access to Smithsonian exhibits, programs, and facilities. The Smithsonian recognizes its responsibility to expand its Accessibility Program and has sought funding to provide contractual interpreters for deaf visitors and reader services for visitors who are blind or cannot read printed materials. As important as these immediate needs, however, is training for Smithsonian staff on new developments in design of accessible exhibitions, programs, and facilities. Increasing access to the Smithsonian for individuals with disabilities requires resources to alter all exhibitions, programs, and facilities.

Gender and racial-ethnic equity in employment is also an important priority at the Smithsonian. As of September 1992, the Smithsonian employed 3,620 men and 3,135 women. The total workforce of 6,755 was 58.7 percent Caucasian, 33.1 percent African American, 4.6 percent Hispanic, 2.9 percent Asian American, and 0.7 percent American Indian. Of the 313 Hispanics, 140 (44.7 percent) were employed in Panama.

The Smithsonian is committed to attracting a culturally diverse staff, particularly in educational programming and exhibit development, and to increasing the number of women and minorities in the senior and professional ranks. Since 1991, the Special Recruitment and

Employment Initiatives Branch has assisted in recruiting minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, especially for executive- and upper-level administrative, professional, and curatorial positions. The Smithsonian has also recognized its responsibility to "educate" its own potential professional work force. Some offices and museums are using summer internships for high school and college students, especially minority students to encourage interest in Smithsonian and museum careers.

Over the last few years, progress has been made in achieving gender and racial/ethnic equity throughout the Smithsonian work force. As the size of the work force decreases, however, special care will be required to ensure that these gains are not eroded.

The Administrative and Service Base

Without an adequate administrative and service base, the Smithsonian will be unable to carry out its mission through collections and facilities management, research, and exhibitions or to meet its mandated responsibilities. Obviously this base must be a continuing priority.

To prepare for downsizing Smithsonian programs and operations, the Institution reviewed its organizational structure, looking for ways to enhance administrative effectiveness. Structural and procedural changes, some immediate, others scheduled for later phases, were recommended to strengthen and streamline the organization. The review prompted clarification of the roles and responsibilities of various managers, changes in some reporting structures, consolidations of several offices, and actions to reinforce certain administrative services, including personnel, planning, budgeting, accounting, and information systems. Some of these changes, now being implemented, are described in greater detail in the following section.

Strengthening of information systems continues to be an area of special emphasis at the Institution. Increasingly complex research, education, and business demands for information exceed the capabilities of the Institution's existing technologies. Pressing needs include replacement of aging personal computer equipment, access to current research information through high-speed networks such as Internet, and the improvement of the systems that store and process information about the collections. Institution-wide planning is under way to identify system needs and the means of attaining them.

The Institution has also introduced Total Quality Management (TQM) principles in its financial and administrative services. The TQM philosophy encourages increased productivity through continuous improvement in customer services. Under the guidance of quality improvement teams, the Smithsonian hopes to maximize programs and services to the public, use scarce budget and human resources more wisely, and increase employee involvement and satisfaction.

The new financial system currently under development will be a major enhancement of the Institution's fiscal management. It will serve as the central source of the Institution's financial information and will meet Institution-wide information and reporting needs. The strengths of the system include its ability to handle a high volume of transactions and its sophistication in producing flexible reports, screens, and user aids.

The Smithsonian will also make increasing use of assessment and evaluation to strengthen its overall management. New techniques will complement existing systems and round out approaches already in use. With useful feedback on programs and processes, managers and decision makers will be able to initiate adjustments and improvements where they are needed.

Outreach and Educational Programs

The Smithsonian's final priority during this period of downsizing and streamlining of operations and programs is to retain, to the fullest extent possible, its key outreach and educational programs. Efforts to widen and diversify the Smithsonian's audience and programs and to educate all its visitors and the American public will continue and be refined.

As a major repository of cultural symbols, the Smithsonian, as Secretary Adams has written, cannot remain isolated "within its monumental buildings along the National Mall, merely contenting itself with the audiences, constituencies, and disciplinary approaches it already serves and waiting for the storm of change to subside." Instead, "a readiness to encourage and respond to diversity is key." Today's growing underserved populations expect representation of their interests, contributions, and cultural history in the Nation's largest museum complex. The Smithsonian has actively responded by pursuing development of the National Museum of the American Indian, for which it has received planning authorization. The Institution is also proposing two, new major programmatic initiatives—the National African American Museum Project and the Institute of the Americas. These three new entities will provide many opportunities for research and programs about underserved cultures.

Through its exhibitions, scholarly and public symposia, publications, educational programs, traveling exhibitions, and radio and television productions, the Smithsonian has always sought to increase its audience, not only in sheer numbers but in diversity. Individual museums on the Mall have in recent years planned exhibitions and programs that highlight the unique contributions various cultural groups have made to American society. For those unable to visit the Mall, the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service has expanded and diversified its offerings, thus making exhibits concerning the art and social history of various cultural groups available throughout the Nation.

By enhancing use of the Institution by culturally diverse groups and service to all the American people, the Smithsonian not only fulfills its public responsibility but is itself enriched through better knowledge of and improved connections with all the cultures of our Nation and with the international community. These various endeavors are costly, but the

Smithsonian's broad public responsibilities cannot be sacrificed even in difficult financial times.

To meet these public responsibilities, the Smithsonian recognizes that it must have a culturally diverse staff and close ties with diverse cultural and educational institutions. The Institution's efforts to recruit minorities for employment have already been mentioned.

In addition, in 1986, Secretary Adams established the Smithsonian Cultural Education Committee (CEC) to advise senior administrators in clarifying objectives, identifying issues, and developing strategies to advance cultural diversity and equity at the Smithsonian. Composed of professional and public sector membership from across the country, the CEC has become a significant resource, with cultural equity in employment and collaboration with diverse cultural and educational institutions as its main focus.

Among other cultural diversity initiatives being undertaken at the Smithsonian is collaboration with Asian American organizations to create a national collections data base network of Asian American museums and historical societies. Successful planning and execution of this project will have the additional benefits of identifying potential exhibition programs and administrative and curatorial staff. In addition, the recently established Smithsonian Task Force on Latino Issues, a multi-disciplinary group made up of prominent Latinos from inside and outside the Institution, is reviewing employment and programmatic initiatives regarding Latinos. Its report, due in April 1994, will include recommendations for improving these initiatives.

The Smithsonian also has an important role as an educational institution. As a major research center and as a National trust for an unequaled collection of treasures from the arts, humanities, and sciences, the Smithsonian provides formal and informal learning experiences to individuals both young and old from many different cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds.

Because of a national need for improved educational practices and the Smithsonian's distinctive ability to help meet that need, the Institution has selected precollege educational initiatives as an area of emphasis. The educational departments of Smithsonian museums offer a vast range of school tours and related structured experiences to students annually. For example, the Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery work closely with community groups, locally and nationally, in developing public programs that expand the public's awareness of Asian cultures beyond the focus of specific exhibitions. Pilot programs at the National Air and Space Museum bring students, their families, and their teachers to the museum for demonstrations, tours, and short talks, stressing learning as a family experience.

Through a central unit, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Smithsonian creates models for sharing institution-based research, collections, and learning with schools and school systems nationally. The programs offered include professional development courses for teachers, internships and other learning experiences for students,

and classroom materials tied directly to the school curricula. Other outreach programs, such as the Smithsonian Associates' Program, meet needs for continuing education through courses, workshops, study tours, seminars, performances, and media programs. The Smithsonian magazine appeals to a diverse audience with articles on environment, conservation, history, sciences, and the arts. Evaluation of the impact of these many educational programs will guide decisions about future efforts at the Smithsonian.

THE REALLOCATION AND RESTRUCTURING PLAN

The vision of the Smithsonian Institution's future presented in this edition of Choosing the Future is significantly different from all previous planning documents. Rather than presuming growth in funding and programs, the Smithsonian leadership acknowledges that declining resources, both in Federal appropriations and in unrestricted Trust income, demand an alternative view of the future.

Still, the fiscal plight of the Smithsonian has also offered it an opportunity to seize upon. The reallocation and restructuring plan presented here demonstrates the Smithsonian's commitment to clearly defining its mission; to revitalizing its research, exhibition, and educational programs even with limited resources; and to improving its planning processes, both operational and strategic, through increased evaluation and Total Quality Management approaches, now and in the future.

Over the course of its almost 150 years, the Smithsonian has expanded its programs many times over. Now, for the first time, the prospect is one of contraction rather than growth. As the Secretary stated in his opening message, "growth, where it does occur, will most likely require compensating reductions on the basis of a careful, ongoing reassessment of priorities." Permanent downsizing and restructuring, while difficult and painful, offer the Institution an opportunity to review how its financial resources have been and should be allocated to support its priorities. The deliberations that produced this plan are described below. They have already proven invaluable to the Institution in clarifying its vision for the future. The actual reallocation and restructuring will likewise strengthen the Smithsonian, its leadership role, and its potential impact over time.

In the past, the time frame represented in Choosing the Future has spanned a five-year period. Given the extensive nature of the changes proposed, the plan presented in this year's prospectus concentrates on the first three years of that period. Its three major phases are: Phase I, the allocation of the FY 1993 Federal appropriations; Phase II, adjustments to FY 1994 Federal request and the development of FY 1994 general unrestricted Trust fund budget; and Phase III, the FY 1995 request to the Office of Management and Budget and plans for the FY 1995 general unrestricted Trust fund budget. Decisions for Phase I are complete; the details of Phase II and III will be forthcoming as internal studies of the available options are completed.

The Planning Process

During early 1992, as the severe imbalance between available financial resources and those required to continue the Institution's vitality became obvious, the Smithsonian's leadership recognized that it would have to make permanent, Institution-wide reductions for the first time in the Institution's history. The challenge was, and continues to be considerable. The decentralized nature of the Institution and its lack of experience in budget

reduction added to the difficulty of the task. Since May 1992, however, the Smithsonian's senior managers have established standards to guide the reallocation and restructuring process, developed a communications plan to inform the internal and external communities about the process, determined program areas for reduction and/or restructuring through reviews with each assistant secretary and each bureau and office director, and analyzed the impact of each proposed reduction. Through extensive consultation with others in the Smithsonian, the senior managers prepared a reallocation and restructuring proposal, including outyear cost projections that will serve as the basis for the Institution's multi-year plan (Exhibit 4). The six priorities of the Institution as described by the Secretary have provided the framework for the reduction target choices.

The reallocation and restructuring process has also been guided by several major standards. First, financial equilibrium must be attained through a closer match between resource allocations and institutional priorities. Toward that end, a worst-case scenario was developed for both the Federal and Trust budgets. The view taken was that the size of the reduction target would remain at the worst-case, regardless of the outcome of the FY 1993 Federal appropriations process. Simply to balance the budgets for another year was not viewed as a viable corrective measure for the structural imbalance that exists.

Another standard for the process was that a full-scale review of all programs must be conducted, using a process that would provide ample opportunity for participation by affected parties throughout the Institution. Programs were reviewed with respect to centrality to the Institution's mission, quality and effectiveness, and optimum funding requirements. Reductions across-the-board were not the aim; in fact, the management team clearly expressed the intent that while some programs might be reduced or eliminated, others might be strengthened.

The final standard was that all communications must be open and honest. Formal communications from the Secretary dealing either directly or indirectly with the financial condition of the Institution were issued frequently to keep the community informed and to discourage misconceptions. Likewise, special attention has been directed to the management of the human side of the pending changes through such mechanisms as training for managers about reduction-in-force processes.

To reach the difficult decisions about reallocation, each bureau and office prepared scenarios projecting a 10 percent increase and a 10 percent decrease in its FY 1993 appropriations in comparison to their FY 1992 budget level. These scenarios served as the basis for discussions, at the program level, between managers and their respective assistant secretary, and within the Smithsonian management. Bureau and office directors also commented on the effects of potential reductions in funding for areas of the Smithsonian outside their own. In addition to individual bureau discussions with management, bureaus commented on two drafts of the proposed plan and presented impact statements before the draft was put in final form.

Phase I: Allocation of the FY 1993 Federal Appropriation

As a result of the appropriations process, the Smithsonian faced a $5.8 million shortfall in mandated costs in its operating budget from the amount it requested for FY 1993. Anticipating the shortfall, the Smithsonian had already chosen not to distribute the reduction on an equal percentage basis to all bureaus and offices but to impose small but reasonable reductions in selected programs to accomplish internal restructuring while imposing larger reductions on other programs based on priority determinations. The Institution's reallocation and restructuring plan has now been approved by Congress.

The reallocation and restructuring plan developed by the process already described applies a targeted reduction of $14.02 million or approximately 5 percent, to the FY 1993 Federal appropriations. Approximately one-third of this amount has been redistributed throughout the Institution for shortfalls in required funding to cover mandated costs, and the balance has been reallocated in a manner that supports the priorities of the Institution. This approach affords flexibility to the bureaus and offices in the areas of mandated increases. At the same time, it gives management the opportunity to begin the restructuring process in earnest. In limiting the reprogramming to 5 percent, the plan allows restructuring to proceed in an orderly fashion over a multi-year period.

As part of Phase 1 of the restructuring, two programs are to be eliminated as they are presently constituted: the American Studies Program and the Smithsonian Institution/Man and the Biosphere Program. The Institution will honor the American Studies Program's current agreements with cooperating universities. The function of the Smithsonian Institution/Man and the Biosphere Program will be incorporated into an existing Smithsonian bureau (yet to be determined) and will continue to operate on grant funds.

The restructuring compensates for two Institution-wide reductions included in the FY 1993 appropriation: the 50 percent absorptions of the FY 1993 legislated pay raise ($2.88 million) and the new senior pay system ($400,000), and the 0.85 percent across-the-board reduction required in almost all appropriation accounts in the Interior Appropriations Act ($2,534 million). With the flexibility provided in the FY 1993 appropriation and the base resources reprogrammed as part of the restructuring process, the Institution has been successful in absorbing these reductions without significant base erosion. Restoration of funding in these areas amounts to $5,814 million.

A major component of the reallocation and restructuring plan is the establishment of a chargeback system for central Institution-wide services for exhibitions and program support from the Office of Plant Services (OPlantS). The plan provides for the chargeback system by permanently reprogramming funding ($1.1 million previously included in the OPlantS base) to individual bureaus and offices which use the services of OPlantS. The goal of the chargeback system is to reduce the overall cost of supporting exhibit construction and other minor facilities services costs by requiring clients to better plan and more efficiently allocate from their own budgets their use of OPlantS' services. This reprogramming from OPlantS to

other bureaus and offices will be based on an analysis, currently under way, of the usage of these services over the past three years.

Another major component of the reallocation and restructuring plan is consideration of two separate funds, one to support the upgrade and replacement of scientific research and laboratory equipment and the other to support information resources development, with a special focus on the collections management support needs. As the Institution has grown over the years, and particularly as available funding has decreased, the competition among individual bureaus and offices for research equipment, collections management, and computer hardware and software development has become more intense. Given the priority of these areas to the Institution and the amount of funding they represent, Smithsonian management concluded that the allocation of funding received by individual bureaus for these particular functions requires a more comprehensive and rational review process. These proposed Institution-wide funds ($1,186 million for small scientific research equipment and $1.15 million for information resources development/collections management) will ensure that funding is available for the priority needs in these two areas. Internal steering groups will identify priorities both within and among bureaus based on approved five-year plans and will oversee the annual allocation of each fund. This review and allocation process, together with the availability of Institution-wide funds, will establish a more effective vehicle through which the nonrecurring needs of the bureaus and offices can be addressed in an open and logical manner. The concept of one fund for each of these purposes will also assure that the Institution's purchasing power for scientific equipment, information systems, and collections management is not, once again, dissipated.

Finally, a new position management system is being developed that will centralize creating and filling vacancies. Such a system will rationalize the critical link between budget and personnel, provide greater accountability, generate a more functional and reliable information base, and permit positions that cannot currently be filled to be redistributed in the restructuring process. Currently, some positions go unfilled for extended periods of time for lack of funding, while some are filled without regard to long-term needs. A position management system will improve the balance between salary and other expenditure costs, create opportunities to fill positions at lower levels when vacancies occur due to retirement or for other reasons, and identify duplicative functions across offices.

Phases II and HI: FY 1994 and FY 1995

The Smithsonian's reallocation and restructuring plan extends for five years, well beyond FY 1993. As the initial reallocation and restructuring occur and are evaluated, other opportunities for improvement will certainly arise. Decisions about additional restructuring will be reflected in adjustments to be made to the Smithsonian's FY 1994 request and in the development of its FY 1994 general unrestricted Trust fund budget. Extensive changes will be incorporated into the FY 1995 request to the Office of Management and Budget and FY 1995 general unrestricted Trust fund budget planning. Funding and allocations for FY 1996 and FY 1997 are expected to remain at about the FY 1995 level. This five-year plan also

assumes that the Smithsonian will continue to seek Federal assistance in meeting the rising costs of mandated expenses over time.

The details of Phase II and III are not yet complete, but a number of studies are identifying opportunities of further financial savings and long-term restructuring.

Because a large proportion of the unrestricted Trust fund operating budget is tied up in personnel costs, particularly in higher cost senior positions, the Institution has limited flexibility for reducing this budget to address shortfalls in projected income. Even within the Federal budget, personnel is a major cost item. Among employment-related costs the Smithsonian must cover are legislated pay increases, workers' and unemployment compensation, and health insurance.

Reducing the work force is clearly one means of realizing financial savings, but it encompasses many difficulties in a long, convoluted, and often disruptive process. From a humanitarian perspective, downsizing through attrition is obviously preferred, although this means does not often yield vacancies in a timely or effective manner. The use of incentives for severance or retirement, however, can help achieve savings where they are most needed. The Institution has considerable flexibility in developing severance and retirement incentives for Trust-funded employees, and an incentive package for severance and retirement circulated to all employees in October 1992 produced considerable savings from the Trust-funded incentives package. Incentives for Federal employees are more limited.

The expansion of the proposed chargeback system for certain central administrative services will be another component for Phases II and III. Additional study is determining which administrative functions should be provided centrally, which should be delegated, and which should be shared. Among the services being considered for delivery through a system of chargebacks include those provided by the offices of Design and Construction, Exhibits Central, and Printing and Photographic Services.

The structure and management of individual units are also under review. Studies at the National Zoological Park, the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Office of Folklife Programs, and the International Center will inform decisions about their changing roles and needs for the future.

Consideration is being given to federalizing parts of the Archives of American Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Office of Folklife Programs, and the Visitors' Information and Associates' Reception Center, all currently operated with Trust funds. Each bureau considered for increased federalization is critical to meeting the Institution's core responsibilities to the public. With an augmentation in Federal appropriations, their programming could be even more effective.

Independent of the special reviews undertaken to support the reallocation and restructuring planning process are a number of customary and ongoing institutional and

program-level studies. Their results will also be reviewed as part of the ongoing planning process for Phases II and III. These reviews focus on examination of the process and cost of mounting exhibits, the future of the Experimental Gallery, the Smithsonian publications and information media, the Institution's progress in implementing the recommendations of a Fund-Raising Task Force, and the management of the Office of Protection Services. Review findings are likely to identify additional areas for realizing resource savings and for beneficial restructuring.

THE CAPITAL PROGRAM

The Smithsonian's capital program, encompassing accounts for the repair and restoration of buildings, for construction, and for construction and improvement at the National Zoological Park, has historically been presented as a separate component within the Smithsonian budget. These projects represent considerable sums and long-term investments in facilities that make all Smithsonian activities and programs possible. As the Secretary explained in this opening message, many capital projects planned and scheduled will now, in the current financial context, be subject to lengthy delays or dropped altogether. The following summary presents only those projects clearly related to the mission and priorities of the Institution that are likely to be continued in the following years. (See Exhibits 5 and 7.)

Repair and Restoration of Buildings

The Smithsonian's responsibility for its museum buildings and other facilities requires a continuing program of repair and maintenance—which the staff accomplishes in part with funds from operating budgets—and renovations and restorations. The objectives of the federal Repair and Restoration program are to provide efficiently operated, safe, and accessible facilities for research, education, and care of collections. Maintenance and preservation of facilities to ensure their long-term operation are essential to the Institution's programmatic responsibilities and reflect its concern for the condition of its buildings, many of which appear on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Repair and Restoration of Buildings (R&R) account and a portion of the Zoo Construction account provide Federal appropriations for building repairs, restoration, and remodeling to bring buildings into compliance with life-safety and health regulations and to replace or renovate major building equipment or components. This effort is substantial because the Institution's buildings and facilities consist of 15 museums and galleries in Washington, D.C., and New York City; the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.; facilities at Suitland, Maryland, and New York City for the preservation and storage of collections; centers for biological research, conservation, and education in the Republic of Panama, on the Chesapeake Bay, and at Front Royal, Virginia; a center for astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Whipple Observatory on Mt. Hopkins near Tucson, Arizona.

In past years, funding for maintenance, repair, and preservation of buildings has not kept pace with need, resulting in a currently identified backlog of $226 million in R&R requirements. To make progress in eliminating the backlog, the R&R program will require at least $35 million of annual funding (other than the Zoo) throughout the next ten years.

During the next five years the Institution will address a number of major problems including:

• installation of fire detection and suppression systems required throughout Smithsonian buildings to meet current fire codes;

• removal or containment of dangerous substances, such as asbestos, remaining in many buildings;

• modification of Smithsonian buildings to increase accessibility to disabled persons;

• repair or replacement of roofs, skylights, and windows at several buildings; and

• replacement of electrical systems and of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at the Air and Space, American Art and Portrait Gallery, American History, Arts and Industries, Natural History, and Smithsonian Institution (Castle) buildings.

The Federal R&R account consists of two subaccounts: Repairs, Restoration, and Code Compliance; and Major Capital Renewal.

Repairs, Restoration, and Code Compliance

This subaccount funds routine R&R, including general repairs; facade, roof, and terrace repairs; fire detection and suppression projects; access, safety, and security projects; utility system repairs; and advanced planning and inspection for such projects. During the next five years, the Institution will seek funding to eliminate the backlog in these projects.

Major Capital Renewal

During the next five years, a number of the Institution's historic buildings will reach the age at which the Institution must undertake cyclical renewal of building components and systems such as the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems. The majority of the HVAC equipment is now more than 25 years old and requires replacement to avoid system failures. Unless the Smithsonian pays extraordinary attention to the specific needs of its older buildings now, it increases the possibility that equipment and systems failure may require the closing of significant portions of buildings dedicated to exhibitions, collections storage, and research activities. The Institution has undertaken a significant portion of this cyclical renewal, but further analysis of the condition of the Smithsonian's older buildings served to increase the estimated backlog.

Projects in this category involve replacing major building systems and components that have outlasted their useful lives. Complete replacement ensures long-term operation and preservation of the building. Modifications of the building also improve energy efficiency, meet fire detection and suppression requirements, and correct hazardous conditions. By grouping these tasks together, the Institution saves money and avoids repeated disruption to building activities. The Institution must relocate staff and collections from the areas under construction to prevent damage and to allow staff to continue working during the construction period.

Construction

The Smithsonian has a growing requirement for physical plant expansion and modification to support program needs, particularly in the area of collection storage and care. Plans for facility development in the coming years represent a major investment in the continuing vitality of existing programs, including collections management, research, public exhibitions and education, and other services.

The magnitude of the collections, alone, held by the Smithsonian, is estimated to be 138 million objects and specimens. Providing adequate and appropriate space for these collections emerge repeatedly as the most critical collections management priority. Because of the severe lack of adequate space, objects are stored in potentially dangerous conditions. These agents of damage range from environmental and biological factors, to theft, vandalism, neglect, carelessness, and natural disasters.

Many of the museum buildings are not adequately constructed to provide the quality of space needed to protect collections from these agents of damage. Building constraints include inadequate building closure and antiquated plumbing and electrical systems. To compensate for their inadequacies, many museum buildings require additional environmental monitoring equipment. Museums are provided with advanced leak detection, fire detection-fire suppression systems, lighting controls to reduce light damage to the collections, and sophisticated security systems.

Placing collections in space not intended for their storage and placing non-collection items in collections storage areas, even temporarily and out of necessity, have both harmed the collections and limited their accessibility to staff and researchers. Because storage areas are so crowded, objects are often placed wherever space can be made. Some objects are located on top of storage cabinets, for example, rather than inside them. Lack of adequate storage has forced museums to restrict their acquisition of new collections, even to the point of declining worthy bequests. As a consequence, off-site storage has become increasingly critical to the Institution.

The highest purpose in the Institution's capital expansion program is to meet the requirement for adequate and appropriate space in which to house, care for, and study the collections. The staff has developed a comprehensive plan to satisfy space needs for the care

of its diverse collections for the next 20 years. Components of this program include the Suitland Collections Center, the Air and Space Extension, and Cultural Resources Center of the American Indian Museum. The National Museum of Natural History East Court Building will also help alleviate storage space problems in that museum after the renovation of major building systems is complete.

The Smithsonian must also provide space for exhibitions and public activities associated with displaying current collections, such as the Museum of the American Indian (Custom House and Mall Museum) and the Air and Space Extension, and meet expectations for new programs such as the African American Museum. The National Museum of Natural History East Court Building will also increase exhibition space by returning galleries now used to house collections and staff activities to public use.

A final purpose of the Smithsonian's capital program is to reduce reliance on leased space for technical and administrative support, with acquisition of a Smithsonian-owned Service Center building near the Mall.

Realization of these plans will support the Institution's mandate to maintain responsible custody of the artifacts of history, culture, and natural and physical environments that it holds in trust, conduct cutting edge research, and contribute to the educational and cultural foundation of our society. The following sections present the key elements of the planned construction program over the next ten years.

Collections Care, Exhibition, and Public Space

Suitland Collections Center

The central feature of the Institution's plan to resolve collections storage, care, and study space deficiencies is development of a complex of buildings on the site of the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland (Exhibit 6). Eventually the complex will extend to the adjacent Paul E. Garber Facility as well, after air and space artifacts are relocated to the proposed Extension discussed below. The recently completed Master Plan for the Suitland properties confirms that buildable land exists to accommodate the estimated three million square feet of storage, collections management, conservation and collections-based research support space that will be needed in the next 20 years. The Institution has now established an initial sequence of construction on the site, beginning with the Cultural Resources Center of the National Museum of the American Indian. The second building will provide housing and support for collections of the National Museum of American History and seven art museums. Subsequent phases will accommodate archival and library collections and continue development of long-term space requirements for collections in history, art, and the sciences. Construction of the Suitland Collections Center will provide sufficient space for storage, care, and study of most of the Institution's existing collections, as well as those expected to be collected over the next 20 years.

National Air and Space Museum Extension

The collections storage, care, and exhibition needs of the National Air and Space Museum present a particular challenge that cannot be met through development of storage facilities at Suitland. The Institution has therefore focused on a different solution for these collections. Existing air and space collections are presently stored in overcrowded conditions in old and deteriorated buildings with little climate control. However, it is not just the inadequacies of these facilities that cause problems. The enormous size of many contemporary aircraft and spacecraft prohibits the Museum from adding them to the collections. It is physically impossible to transport many important artifacts to the existing Paul E. Garber Facility buildings, and the buildings are not big enough to accommodate them even if staff could get them there. Thus a separate facility is planned for air and space collections at a nearby airport. In addition to providing improved storage, care, and access for the collections, the National Air and Space Museum Extension will also resolve a significant limitation on the Museum's ability to display large artifacts. The Extension will allow the Museum to use these objects to convey to the public, in simple displays, recent developments in the history of aircraft and spacecraft technology and applications exemplified by these artifacts. Legislation is currently pending in Congress to authorize the Institution to plan and design the Air and Space Museum Extension.

Cultural Resources Center

The Cultural Resources Center of the National Museum of the American Indian is a third vital component to the Institution's plan to improve capacity for collections storage and care. The Institution plans to construct a facility adjacent to the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, to provide proper housing and study for the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian. The one million cultural artifacts in the Heye Collection are now densely warehoused and largely inaccessible in the Bronx storage facility in New York, and library, film, and archival collections are located elsewhere in the city. In addition to conservation, preservation, and collections-related research and training activities, the Suitland building will provide space for exhibits preparation and other nonpublic functions, thus freeing space in the future Mall Museum for public activities. Completion of the building will provide a "home" for the Museum's collections and space where Native American visitors can interact with them in appropriate settings, create a focal point for tribal and international outreach programs, and establish vital support functions for the public programs in the Mall Museum, in keeping with the Museum's mandate as outlined in the authorizing legislation.

The Mall Museum will provide a focus for exhibitions and public programming of the National Museum of the American Indian. The Institution will construct the museum building on the last remaining site on the Mall, the area bounded by Third Street, Maryland Avenue, Fourth Street, and Jefferson Drive. Completion of the museum building will allow establishment of a fully functioning museum authorized by P.L. 101-185.

National Museum of Natural History, East Court Building

The Natural History Building on the Mall is the center of numerous activities that support the Institution's basic mission to care for and conduct research using a wide range of collections in the natural sciences, to communicate and promote understanding of the sciences through exhibitions and educational programs, and to perform other public service activities. In recent years, to accommodate staff growth, the Museum has compressed collections and closed several exhibit halls. The relocation of part of the collections to the Museum Support Center will alleviate some of the space problem in the Museum, but not enough to maintain optimal conditions for the Museum's many programs, particularly over the next decade during renovation of the building systems. The East Court Building will provide essential staging space to house the Museum's programs and collections during this renovation and allow redistribution of staff and collections areas at the end of the construction period. The long-term benefit will be improved care of and access to the collections and the return of space to exhibition and other public activities.

African American Museum

In 1990, the Institution convened an advisory committee to provide guidance to the Smithsonian's study of the form and substance of a potential institution dedicated to the study and exposition of African American history, art, and culture. Interest in such a museum has been expressed by a number of influential citizens and museum associations. The Smithsonian's Board of Regents has indicated its support in principle for the committee's unanimous conclusion that there should be a free-standing African American museum at the Smithsonian and that the museum should be housed in the Arts and Industries Building.

As currently envisioned by the Institution, the African American museum would be dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of African American historical and cultural material reflecting the breadth and depth of the experiences of persons of African descent living in the United States. The museum would embrace broad perspectives, such as diversity within the African American experience and the historical and cultural roots of racial perceptions, that would contribute to the understanding of the total American experience. Through research, exhibitions, and formal and informal educational programming, the museum would play a strong role in public education. The museum also would provide a central focus to collaborative collecting efforts across the country through a shared collections data base that would document museum collections and make them more accessible to scholars and the public. Legislation is now pending before Congress to authorize the new museum. It is contemplated that funding will come primarily from non-appropriated sources.

General Post Office Building

In 1984 Congress authorized the transfer of the General Post Office Building from the General Services Administration to the Smithsonian, contingent upon the Institution's receiving funding to renovate it for museum use.

America's first native-born professional architect, Robert Mills of South Carolina, designed the original wing. Mills also designed the Patent Office Building, the Washington Monument, and the Treasury Building. The General Post Office Building, bounded by Seventh, Eighth, E, and F Streets in Northwest Washington, D.C., is the fifth oldest public building in die city. It has never undergone renovation or restoration.

The Institution is concerned about the long-term preservation of this historic landmark. In addition to old and deteriorated building systems and exterior components, a number of hazardous conditions require early renovation. While the Smithsonian has done some preliminary planning, the project is on hold pending a review of construction priorities in light of current fiscal constraints.

Technical and Administrative Support

Service Center

Approximately 15 years ago, the Smithsonian consolidated a number of scattered, special purpose, warehouse and light industrial support activities in a single leased location at 1111 North Capitol Street, N.E., in Washington, D.C. Two factors have prompted the Institution now to acquire a replacement for this leased facility. First, the current lease expires in the fall of 1994. Second, a thorough review of Institution support activity space requirements indicates that a larger Service Center is now needed to accommodate the current operations and certain administrative functions in other leased spaces. Such a facility would continue the policy of reserving space on the Mall for public programs and research, while reducing dependency on leased space.

Once Congressional authorization for the project is received, the Institution will solicit proposals for land and its development or the renovation of an existing building to meet Institutional needs. Convenience to the Mall will be a key factor in site selection. The cost of the land and construction of the Center is estimated at $60 million. Of this, a portion will be advanced from the Institution's Trust funds, and the balance will be obtained from private lending sources. These funds will be repaid over 30 years from a combination of appropriated and Trust funds now used for leased space at the existing Service Center and other locations, and additional appropriations. Acquisition of a Smithsonian-owned Sendee Center will result in long-term cost savings and operating efficiencies by reducing lease costs, while still providing critical support to the Institution's programmatic activities.

National Zoological Park, Construction and Improvements

In keeping with its 1889 charter, the National Zoological Park (NZP) endeavors to "administer and improve" the Zoo for "the advancement of science and instruction and recreation of the people" (20 U.S.C. 81). The National Zoological Park complex includes 163 acres in Rock Creek Park (Washington, D.C.) and its 3,150-acre Conservation Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. Since 1890, exhibition and public educational functions have centered at the Rock Creek Park location. Conservation, research, and breeding

functions take place at both Rock Creek and Front Royal. This section surveys the construction and improvement projects anticipated over the planning period for both locations.

National Zoological Park

Aquatic Exhibits

The Zoo's aquatic exhibits will include a full range of fish, aquatic mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The exhibits will concentrate on freshwater animals. Together with the invertebrate exhibit, which opened in May 1987, the proposed aquatic exhibits will fill the last gap in the Zoo's presentation to the public of representatives of all the major animal groups. Previously, the Zoo emphasized terrestrial animals almost exclusively despite the facts that more than 60 percent of the world's vertebrate animals are fish and that the general public knows little about aquatic animals. The theme of Living in Water—the cradle of life on Earth—will be illustrated by new aquatic exhibits and an exhibit complex that will provide an excellent opportunity to educate and entertain the general public about a wide range of engaging and important groups of animals.

The aquatic exhibits will include four components that, together, will fully embody the BioPark philosophy. The Amazonia Exhibit, which opened to the public in November 1992, displays aquatic mammals, a diversity of fishes, invertebrates, birds, and amphibians, as well as vegetation in a natural habitat, a tropical river. As an extension of the Amazonia Exhibit, the Zoo is constructing an 8,000-square-foot Amazonia Gallery to educate the visitor about global problems and tropical biology through close-up views of the complex web of cooperation and competition among plants and animals. The Aquatic Trail, a cluster of exhibits near the Amazonia Exhibit, will focus on conservation efforts for sea otters and penguins. In addition to the aquatic exhibits planned through FY 1994, the Zoo's Master Plan includes further aquatic habitats.

Grasslands and Forests Exhibitions

During the coming decade the Zoo proposes to develop exhibitions representing three distinct ecological and geographic areas. Each will be populated by a variety of appropriate animals and will emphasize the botanical elements of important ecosystems. The American Grasslands exhibition will present two major habitats, the North American Prairies and the South American Grasslands. The African Grasslands exhibition will present the African Savannah Grasslands and the African Desert Grasslands. It will include a nocturnal exhibition and trails designed to create the illusion of being in Africa. There will also be a Desert exhibition, and a Forests exhibition will feature three major habitats: West African Forests, Southeast Asia Forests, and the Sulawesi Forests.

Children's Facility

Beginning in FY 1997, the Zoo plans to construct a Children's Facility that will provide programming for children and their families. The building, to be known as the Rabitat, will include both an indoor and an outdoor activity garden with natural animal

exhibitions, a human-size game maze, and a sensory garden maze. Rabitat will combine fantasy with a natural environment to help children learn about a habitat and the animals that share it.

Master Plan (12-Year Update)

A master plan is an essential road map for institutional growth and change. Opportunity and innovation prompt detours, but the main objectives of the master plan guide resource planning and internal and external communication. The NZP Master Plan was last revised in 1986. Most of the major elements—the realignment and landscaping of Olmsted Walk, the Aquatic Trail, and the Grasslands exhibitions-are scheduled for FY 1993-1996. The Zoo plans to develop a new Master Plan by 1998. This Master Plan is especially crucial given the Zoo's evolution as a BioPark.

Window on Life

NZP's primary mission is education. Its main resources are the collection of living animals and plants and associated interpretive programs. But these are available to all of the visiting public and may not offer sufficient detail, interactive opportunity, or flexibility for advanced educational efforts. To meet this need, the Zoo proposes constructing Window on Life, a biological learning center for students of all ages and for their teachers. This Center will have classrooms for group instruction and teacher training and laboratories in which specially talented students may conduct original research. Window on Life will anchor long-term mentoring programs and minority outreach programs by providing a scholarly commons for students and teachers who lack a place for contemplation and collegia! interaction. The overall goal is to facilitate scientific, primarily biological, literacy in Washington area young people.

NZP Bridges

The National Zoo has three bridges across Rock Creek. The oldest, built in the early 1900s, is the stone bridge leading to the Blue Road. The next oldest is the bridge to Beach Drive. NZP's third bridge, the Harvard Street Bridge, crosses both Rock Creek and Beech Drive. It was constructed in 1964. The Zoo plans to survey these bridges in 1997 to ensure their structural compliance with all applicable highway safety and use standards and to begin renovation in 1998. The degree of the renovation will be dependent on the findings of the engineering survey.

Blue Road

The so-called Blue Road dates from the early 20th century. Approximately one-half mile in length, much of it rises above the jogging-bike path next to Rock Creek and relies upon a stone retaining wall for support. Years, use, and water damage have undermined sections of this road, creating a potential safety hazard. The Zoo will contract to develop an engineering plan for resurfacing and reconstruction and repair as necessary. The Blue Road is not part of the public circulation system but is an essential part of its internal circulation. providing access for emergency vehicles, including the Zoo's veterinarians and police, to portions of the Zoo along the Creek and to the research facilities near Adams Mill Road.

Conservation Research Center

Maintenance Facility

To improve operations, security, and accessibility, the Zoo will consolidate into one area the maintenance trade shops that serve the Conservation and Research Center. The Zoo will renovate and modify a group of supply buildings to serve as the new trade shops and to provide parking for the Center's motor pool operations and off-site employees. The Center will use the space the present shops vacate for expanded research laboratories and student housing.

Multi-Purpose Animal Facility

This proposed new facility will provide needed additional space to support research and breeding programs for small to medium-sized endangered species of mammals. This facility will utilize the same passive solar heat/natural light that has proven so successful in the small animal facility devoted to conservation and improved animal health.

Conservation Research Laboratory

This facility will house a remote sensing center, a sound analysis laboratory, physiological and genetic research laboratories, a specimen storage area, a classroom, and offices for research scientists. The proposed facility will provide the additional space needed to support the Conservation and Research Center's expanding programs in biodiversity research conservation training.

Animal Quarantine Expansion

Limited animal quarantine facilities require major expansion to accommodate growing programs in reintroduction and endangered species rescue while emphasizing veterinary care and control of disease.

Into the 21st Century

The projects detailed in this capital program section are those that, following full consideration of the current financial context, the Smithsonian believes are feasible. Beyond FY 2000, the Institution will continue to require new facilities to meet its multi-dimensional program needs.

CONCLUSION

The Smithsonian's history and mission, its complexity and decentralized nature, and the diversity and lack of anticipated growth in any of its funding sources are all significant influences on the choices the Institution makes for its future. Immediate choices about the role of the Institution are represented in the Smithsonian's reallocation and restructuring plan, which has been approved and is currently being implemented. Long-term choices will result from a new strategic planning process to be undertaken by the Institution over the coming year.

The Smithsonian takes seriously its commitment to the American people to care for its collections and facilities, to mount and update exhibits, to conduct vital scientific research, to meet mandated responsibilities and reach underserved publics, and to design and deliver exemplary educational programs. The reallocation and restructuring described in this document are critical for the Institution to fulfill its commitment to the public, retain its strong national presence, and choose its future.

Exhibits

ON l-H

>"

to

•;- o

V

>

ca

3

o

u

ca

3 3

c

E

ca

en

z o

H

Li.

o u

D

O oo

<

U

z

M

Q Z

w

H <

I

z w

H

En I

00

On

rH

o u

z

p z

D

H on

O

& H

Q ffl

H U

—

H

C/J

a z

H W

Z

00

c o

^^

z o

H

0

MH

en

Z

CP £12

en Z 0

a 5

OCN ON

I 2

55

X

z <

z o

en H

en

en o

< o

O =

^ § o ^ ,

z

5 z

D a

CO

03

CD CO O-

2

OCT D z 2

i-2 2

S - E ' lu <■..

II

CO0

o

CO

**—

o

CM CO

co

0-

2cc tr°-oo

D z o>

bo»

I- H >

— cc i

WW

M

C0 O

z Q

CO

»^

o

CO 05 D) CO

z o

8

D?

DC 0. oo

O 05

Zcr

2:

I

n

CO 0

Uj

I

CO

Si

mm OX

g8

OD.

<ujOl

;—' I 0_

b-JQW

WOO-CO

ffl

I X

LU

DC c

Q. E

—i > CO

< o en

O — u_

° s ' E 8

< o

z o

CM CD O) CO

a.

DC c

0. E —J > 03

< o 2>

2 5.2

O — LL

1 "O , ° £ '

g 2CT

< o

2 O

CO CD CD CO 0-

CC c

< g

a. E

—I > CO

< o2

O — LL

1 "° i

o ffl <*

N c O)

_j O 05

PS

< o

zo

o "3-

CD O)

CO

a.