Presidential library (United States)

The Presidential Library is a historic system of libraries, archives, and museums designed to collect and preserve artifacts and documents related to US presidents so the American public can study and enjoy them. In the early history of the United States, presidential documentation and artifacts were assumed to belong to the president and often freely distributed when the president left office. This allowed valuable historical artifacts to pass into the hands of private collections and historical organizations or be lost or destroyed.

To preserve these artifacts, President Franklin D. Roosevelt donated personal documents to the federal government and asked that they be maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration. President Harry S. Truman followed this example and urged Congress to pass the Presidential Libraries Act. This provided federal funding for maintaining museums and archives dedicated to each president’s administration. In the modern era, fifteen presidential libraries are maintained by the Office of Presidential Libraries, a subset of the National Archives. The Office of Presidential Libraries is also responsible for developing new presidential libraries and collecting historical documents from the incumbent presidential administration.

Background

The Presidential Library system is commonly traced back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During his presidency, Roosevelt realized that he had accumulated large quantities of official and unofficial paperwork. He noted that while some of this paperwork might appear unremarkable in the present, documentation from the office of the President of the United States would hold historical value. In the past, many artifacts of previous presidencies, including important records, had been lost or sold.

In many cases, the presidential records that were preserved were distributed among members of the administration of the president’s heirs at the end of the president’s term. For this reason, many presidential artifacts from administrations earlier than Roosevelt’s are in the hands of private organizations. These include libraries, private collections, and historical societies. The Library of Congress acquired some of these important artifacts, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

Roosevelt believed that documents associated with a presidency were of strong historical significance and should be available to the public, not sold to private collections. For this reason, Roosevelt donated the personal and professional documents concerning his presidency to the federal government in 1939. Roosevelt asked that the documents be managed by the National Archives and administered like a library. This is commonly considered the beginning of the first Presidential Library system.

President Harry S. Truman decided that he would follow the example set by Roosevelt. However, Truman believed that a more formal system would eventually be necessary. He pushed Congress to act on the matter, and in 1955 it passed the Presidential Libraries Act. This Act established a system in which presidential libraries would be privately established and then maintained by the federal government. It also encouraged future presidents to donate their historical artifacts to the government, ensuring they would remain safe and publicly accessible. Though each library was constructed with private funds, they were maintained by the National Archives.

Overview

In the early days of presidential libraries, donating presidential artifacts and documentation was entirely voluntary. Legally, the artifacts from a president’s administration were considered his or her property to be distributed or kept as the president decided. However, when Congress passed the Presidential Records Act of 1978, it recognized that presidential records were the property of the US government and were to be distributed by the archivist of the United States.

Though presidential libraries may contain books, documents, and other forms of historical records, they are not the same as traditional libraries. The public is not allowed to check out important historical artifacts from a presidential library. Instead, these libraries function as a combination of a museum and a historical archive. They are areas and administrations dedicated to preserving historical artifacts while allowing those artifacts to be accessed by the public. This enables people to study presidential artifacts and documentation without having any powerful political or academic affiliations, acknowledging that such resources should belong to the American people.

In the twenty-first century, the fifteen presidential libraries required constant upkeep, maintenance, and administration. Such care is paid for by the federal government and private endowments, allowing greater resources to be allocated to the library system. The facilities are maintained by the Office of Presidential Libraries.

The Office of Presidential Libraries is officially responsible for establishing any policies related to presidential libraries, including acquiring, preserving, and using historic materials or artifacts. It is responsible for developing new presidential libraries and housing new artifacts until a suitable presidential library can be established. This office also oversees the budget and management of presidential libraries, ensuring that funds allocated to the libraries are used effectively. Finally, the Office of Presidential Libraries is responsible for coordinating with the incumbent presidential administration and any previous organizations for acquiring and storing presidential materials.

Presidential libraries have been created for Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, James Earl Carter, Jr., Ronald Reagan, George H.W Bush, William J. Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald J. Trump. These facilities are located across the United States, ensuring many Americans easy access to presidential artifacts. Some of these facilities are museums dedicated to that president’s administration called presidential centers. The digitization of presidential libraries began with the Obama administration, allowing increased public access and decreasing the cost and burden of physical storage of presidential documents and artifacts.

Bibliography

Lantzer, Jason S. “The Public History of Presidential Libraries: How the Presidency Is Presented to the People.” University of Michigan Library, Apr. 2003, hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3310410.0006.101. Accessed 25 May 2024.

“Learn About Presidential Libraries.” National Archives, 28 Sept. 2023, www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about. Accessed 25 May 2024.

“Living a Legacy: FDR and the Roots of the Presidential Library System.” Arts and Culture, U.S. National Archives, artsandculture.google.com/story/EwWBqo5I9DguIg. Accessed 25 May 2024.

“Office of Presidential Libraries.” National Archives, 28 Sept. 2023, www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/office.html. Accessed 25 May 2024.

“Presidential Library History.” National Archives, 28 Sept. 2023, www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/history.html. Accessed 25 May 2024.

Sloss, Lauren. "5 Presidential Libraries That Offer Culture, History and ‘Labs of Democracy.’" New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/travel/presidential-libraries.html. Accessed 25 May 2024.

“What Is a Presidential Library?” FDR Library and Museum, 2021, www.fdrlibrary.org/what-is-a-presidential-library. Accessed 25 May 2024.