The most important thing to me is my family. I would like to think that my large collection of books was sold off and the money went to take care of my family to keep them healthy.

When I am dead and gone what happens to my earthly belongings won’t matter to me one way or another. If you really love your family members let them profit from the sale your belongs so that they can make it through life. They might need the money to pay for care in their old age.

I think my family is much more important to take care of than someone scribbling notes in the margin of one of my old books in a library. They won’t know who Ed Porter was and they would care less if they knew. They would probably twirl their finger around and say big whoop, so what else is new.

Collections of books and other items go from one generation to another. We are the custodians of these items for just a little while and when we are dead and gone, another generation of Americans get to own and enjoy these items for a while.

Want to give God a good laugh, tell him what you have planned for your library. In this life we are in charge of nothing! God is in control of everything! When we get to big for our britches and think we control our future is when God can turn our whole world upside down. The loss of a job, sickness, disaster by fire or nature and you can loose everything over night. God gives to us and he sure can take it away real fast if we cut him out of the picture. A lot of Americans have experienced this fact during the last few years. Something to ponder isn’t it?

Enjoy what you have for a while, thank God for letting you be the custodian and remember that these things belong to Him as we sure can’t take it with us when we die.

Books are like manuer, you need to spread them around and allow people to read, learn, and grow to be all that they can be.

I realize that my opinion might not be very popular at the moment, but I try to face reality. Wanting something to happen and getting something to happen are two entirely different things. The lesson is yours to ponder.

Random thoughts: Touch base with Mark Snell’s George Tyler Moore Center. Let them make suggestions. Ditto for Marszalek’s Grant organization.

There is the Army museum system:
http://www.militarymuseum.org/armylinks.html
– worth a call.

Meanwhile, future library space is a-building at the The National Museum of the United States Army.
http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf.aspx?pgID=868

And then there’s Carlisle Barracks,
http://www.carlisle.army.mil/

Good luck. My father has his own collection of unique emigre Russian publications that willgo in the dumpster some day…

might I suggest finding a small but dedicated Historical Society who will make your library a key and seperate part of their collection. Look around–there are many; But there are also many historical societies who are more interested in keeping themselves afloat than historical preservation, so on that front beware.