MISSION AND BACKGROUND OF THE PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

The Presidential library system is composed of nine Presidential Libraries and two Presidential Projects (the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff and the Bush Presidential Materials Project). These facilities are overseen by the Office of Presidential Libraries, a division of the National Archives and Records Administration, located in Washington, D.C. These are not "libraries" in the usual sense of the word, but rather repositories for the papers and historical materials of U.S. Presidents. In addition to making these materials available for the widest possible use by researchers, the libraries offer programs designed to give the general public a better understanding of the individual Presidents, the institution of the Presidency, and the American political system as a whole. Within the National Archives system, Presidential Libraries have been established for nine former Presidents: Herbert Hoover (West Branch, Iowa), Franklin D. Roosevelt (Hyde Park, New York), Harry S. Truman (Independence, Missouri), Dwight D. Eisenhower (Abilene, Kansas), John F. Kennedy (Boston, Massachusetts), Lyndon B. Johnson (Austin, Texas), Gerald R. Ford (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Jimmy Carter (Atlanta, Georgia), and Ronald Reagan (Simi Valley, California). Included among the holdings of the nine Presidential Libraries and the two Projects are: more than 260 million pages of textual materials, 5 million still photographs, 13.5 million feet of motion picture film, 68,000 hours of disc, audiotape, and videotape recordings, more than 280,000 museum objects. The Presidential Library system began in 1939, when legislation was passed accepting the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library as a Presidential archival depository. Following the example of the Roosevelt Library, all succeeding libraries have been constructed with private funds or funds from non-Federal agencies. A private, non-profit Presidential Foundation is formed to coordinate these efforts and to maintain an endowment to offset library operation costs. Once the library is constructed, the National Archives assumes responsibility for its operation and maintenance, in accordance with the Presidential Libraries' Acts of 1955 and 1986. In 1978, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act, abolishing the tradition of Presidential ownership of Presidential materials. Under the Act all Presidential records created after January 20, 1981, are the property of the United States. The Ronald Reagan Library was the first to operate under the provisions of this Act. The Nixon Presidential Materials Staff is part of the National Archives and Record Administration's Office of Presidential Libraries. The Nixon Project is responsible for preserving the historical materials of the Nixon Presidential administration and preparing them for public access under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974. The Nixon Project is located at the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland, and is open to the public for research. The Bush Presidential Materials Project is also part of the National Archives and Record Administration's Office of Presidential Libraries. The Bush Project maintains the historical materials of the Bush administration, and begins to prepare the materials for public access. The Bush Presidential Materials Project is not yet open for research. Once the permanent facility is completed in 1996, the Bush Project will become the George Bush Presidential Library. For additional information on the Presidential Library system, please contact: Office of Presidential Libraries (NL) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 Tel. (202) 501-5700 PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY LOCATIONS Revised 2/22/94 Herbert Hoover Library Parkside Drive, P.O. Box 488 West Branch, IA 52358 PHONE: (319) 643-5301 FAX: (319) 643-5825 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library 511 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538 PHONE: (914) 229-8114 FAX: (914) 229-0872 Harry S. Truman Library U.S. Highway 24 & Delaware Street Independence, MO 64050-1798 PHONE: (816) 833-1400 FAX: (816) 833-4368 Dwight D. Eisenhower Library Southeast Fourth Street Abilene, KS 67410 PHONE: (913) 263-4751 FAX: (913) 263- 4218 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library Columbia Point Boston, MA 02125 PHONE: (617) 929-4500 FAX: (617) 929-4538 Lyndon Baines Johnson Library 2313 Red River Street Austin, TX 78705 PHONE: (512) 482-5137 FAX: (512) 478-9104 Nixon Presidential Materials Staff National Archives at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 PHONE: (301) 713-6950 FAX: (301) 713-6916 Gerald R. Ford Library 1000 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109 PHONE: (313) 741-2218 FAX: (313) 741-2341 Gerald R. Ford Museum 303 Pearl Street, NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353 PHONE: (616) 451-9263 FAX: (616) 451-9570 Jimmy Carter Library One Copenhill Avenue Atlanta, GA 30307 PHONE: (404) 331-3942 FAX: (404) 730-2215 Ronald Reagan Library 40 Presidential Drive Simi Valley, CA 93065 PHONE: (805) 522-8444 FAX: (805) 522-9621 Bush Presidential Materials Project 701 University Drive, East, Suite 300 College Station, TX 77840 PHONE: (409) 260-9554 FAX: (409) 260-9557 Several libraries are located near the site of the President's home, visitors may also visit other Presidential landmarks. Herbert Hoover's birthplace cottage, the Quaker meeting house where his family worshipped, and the blacksmith shop owned by his father are easily accessible to visitors to the Hoover Library. President Roosevelt's Hyde Park home and his gravesite are adjacent to the Roosevelt Library, while the Truman home is down the street from the Truman Library. At the Eisenhower Library, visitors can see the President's boyhood home and the site where he and Mrs. Eisenhower are buried. President Kennedy's birthplace is half an hour's drive from the Kennedy Library, and the Johnson birthplace and boyhood home, as well as the Johnson Ranch, are an hour's drive from the Johnson Library. PUBLIC PROGRAMS AT THE PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES In addition to archival and museum activities, the Presidential libraries perform outreach and sponsor public programs. The staffs of each library work with educators in nearby communities to foster the use of source materials by students at local schools and colleges. Library conferences and symposiums examine a variety of topics, ranging from public affairs and domestic policy, to foreign affairs and world wars. Each library also serves to educate the general public by sponsoring lecture and film series on topics of historical or current interest. PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY ARCHIVAL ACTIVITIES The nine Presidential Libraries, the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, and the Bush Presidential Materials Project hold textual materials totaling over 250 million pages and almost 70,000 microform images. The most important textual materials in each Presidential library are the White House files. These records are created by the President and his staff in the course of performing the official duties of the Executive Office. All major issues of public policy are covered in these documents. In addition to the White House files, other significant holdings include the personal papers and historical materials donated by individuals closely associated with the President. These may include cabinet officials, envoys to foreign governments, personal advisors, political party associates, and the President's family and personal friends. A third body of textual materials held by each Library is comprised of the personal papers accumulated by the President before, during, and after, his Presidency. These include items such the records of Herbert Hoover as Secretary of Commerce, documents chronicling Franklin Roosevelt's tenure as Governor of New York, and information on Dwight Eisenhower's military career. The Truman, Johnson, and Ford Libraries also hold materials detailing the respective Presidents' term as a Member of Congress and, later, as Vice President of the United States. President Bush's Vice- Presidential records wil be an important part of the future Bush Library. Other types of records supplement the textual materials in the Presidential Libraries. Among their audiovisual holdings, the Libraries maintain 5 million still photographs; 13.5 million feet of motion picture film; and 68,000 hours of disc, audiotape, and videotape recordings. Photographs and films taken by White House photographers provide not only a record of major events of the administration, but a candid view of the President and his family. Several libraries have undertaken oral history programs, which have produced invaluable tape-recorded memoirs of individuals associated with the President and his administration. The libraries also have custody of over 280,000 museum objects. These include family heirlooms, items collected by the President or his family, campaign memorabilia, awards, and the many gifts given to the President by American citizens and foreign dignitaries. The latter range in type from homemade crafted items to finely executed works of art. These varied holdings make each Presidential Library a center for research on the President and his era. Taken as a whole, the holdings of the Presidential Libraries are a rich source of information on all aspects of the Presidency in recent American history. PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY BUILDINGS A copy of the architectural and design standards for Presidential Libraries as required under the Presidential Libraries Act of 1986 (PL 99-323, 44 U.S.C. Ch. 21), as well as the Presidential Libraries Program Statement for the development of a new library, may be requested from the following office: Office of Presidential Libraries (NL) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 Telephone: (202) 501-5700