This November date will not be Ferriero’s first trip to Boca Grande. One of his many duties as Archivist was recruiting and hiring Directors of the Presidential Libraries. In 2017, he visited President George W. and Laura Bush on the island with his proposed candidate, whom they approved for the position over a lovely lunch. On his last day in office in 2022, Ferriero was called by President Bush, who wished him well and suggested he take up painting in retirement.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), created in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is best known as the home of our country’s founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It is also the repository of military and naturalization records, and is responsible for managing the 15 Presidential libraries. The archival holdings include more than 13.5 billion pieces of paper, 41 million photographs, and 725,000 artifacts – in short, NARA is the nation’s record keeper.
Ferriero trained as a librarian and worked first at M.I.T. for 31 years, then moved to Duke University as Director of Libraries. Before the presidential appointment to NARA, Ferriero was named Andrew Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries, responsible for integrating the four research libraries and 87 branches, creating the largest public library system in the United States.
He was committed to transforming NARA to the principles of Open Government, and is credited with digitization of the archives to make materials accessible to the public, embracing social media to reach a broader audience, and leading the agency through the COVID pandemic.
When asked about the importance of libraries, Ferriero said they are “a safe place of discovery, reflection, and growth. Librarians are special people who thrive on ensuring these qualities. We are investing in the business of creating a literate society.”
We are excited to welcome David Ferriero to our courtyard.
Please register for this program below. If you prefer to register by phone, please call our office at (941) 964-0211 during business hours, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
