It has been just more than a year since the Libertarian Party Historical Preservation Committee was formed, and it has been an incredible journey. I have been privileged to travel to many state conventions and talk to many of you about the progress of this project and future plans, and during this time, have become aware that there are many treasures in the possession of our long-time members. If you have something from our early history, the Committee invites you to bring it with you to the National Convention in New Orleans June 30, 2018-July 3, 2018 and visit our booth where will have some scanning equipment to capture these images from the past so that everyone can learn from and enjoy them.
It is just a few volunteers staffing this booth, so we cannot handle great quantities, but we would love to share in the experience of select items you could bring. These could include (but is certainly not limited to):
- Newsletters
- Campaign materials
- Buttons
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Photographs
We are particularly interested in items from the 1970s as that part of our history is in danger of being lost. If you have National Party items that you wish to donate, we may be able to take them or at least advise you of archives that would receive your treasurers. We cannot take large quantities of items (we have a modest storage locker in Parker, Colo.) but rare items can find their home in the national party archives.
Unfortunately, we cannot take possession of any state party items. We can assist in getting a limited amount scanned, though, and if these are items in danger of being thrown away, try to find a home for them. The committee encourages every state to have its own historical preservation effort, and we provide the hosting site for these records at LPedia.org — which is a collaborative crowd-sourced electronic archive of all things Libertarian Party. Volunteers at the booth would be happy to give you a brief preview of items that are already located in the LPedia archives.
Please visit our booth even if you don’t have any items to show off, as we will have some selected items for you to view and enjoy, including the original typed “Statement of Principles” created by John Hospers for the 1972 convention and a monitor playing some selected old footage that was right on the brink of disintegrating when we rescued and preserved it. That is not all. Elizabeth Nolan, the widow of the Libertarian Party’s primary founder, David Nolan, had graciously donated David’s personal files to the Party and some of those items will also be on display. The David Nolan Archive is truly the DNA of our early history.
We hope to see you there! Also, if you would like to help us fund this project, earmarked donations are gratefully accepted here.
In liberty,
Caryn Ann Harlos
Chair, Libertarian Party Historical Preservation Committee
caryn.ann.harlos@lp.org
