About the Presidential Libraries

The Presidential Library system is composed of 16 Presidential Libraries, including an archival repository for the records of each Presidential administration since Herbert Hoover. These Libraries are overseen by the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Presidential Libraries offer research and access to archival records and artifacts, exhibitions, educational offerings, and public programming. View locations and contact information. 

About the National Archives and Records Administration 

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) holds the records of the United States Government. At the National Archives, “records” can include any type of document (textual or electronic), as well as photographs, sound and video recordings, and even 3-dimensional artifacts created or received by the Executive, Legislative, or Judicial branches of government. Some records are personal, such as census schedules that describe how people lived, or a personal letter tucked into a soldier’s Civil War pension file, while others illustrate how the government works, such as a memo to the President discussing a policy decision. Still others represent the social and cultural activities of an era, such as a patent drawing, a photograph produced under the Works Progress Administration, a gift presented to the President by a foreign head of state, or a dress worn by the First Lady.

The Presidential Library System

Presidential Libraries are archives and museums, bringing together the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliations. Presidential Libraries and Museums, like their holdings, belong to the American people.

Many Presidential papers and records had been lost, destroyed, sold for profit, or ruined by poor storage conditions. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a better alternative. 

Learn more about the Presidential Libraries History

Congress legislated this policy, passing the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955. Through archives, museums, and public programs, Presidential Libraries continue to preserve the documents and artifacts of our Presidents, helping us learn about our nation and our democracy.  

Holdings Overview at Presidential Libraries

The Presidential Libraries maintain over 600 million pages of textual materials; nearly 20 million photographs; over 20 million feet of motion picture film; nearly 100,000 hours of disc, audiotape, and videotape recordings; over 500 TB of electronic data, and close to 750,000 museum objects. These varied holdings make each library a rich source of information and a center for research on the Presidency.

The most important textual materials in each library are those created by the President and his staff in the course of performing the official duties. In recently established Presidential libraries, these documents can also be in electronic form. Researchers will also find that each library contains a rich audiovisual and photographic record of a President at work. Taken together, these historical materials form the substantive record of public policy in each administration. Libraries also house numerous museum objects which may include family heirlooms, items collected by the President and his family,  campaign memorabilia, awards, and the many gifts given to the President by American citizens and foreign dignitaries. These gifts range in type from homemade items to valuable works of art. Curators in Presidential libraries and in other museums throughout the country draw upon these collections for historical exhibits.

Other significant holdings include the personal papers and historical materials donated by individuals associated with the President. These individuals may include cabinet officials, envoys to foreign governments, political party associates, and the President's family and personal friends. Several libraries have undertaken oral history programs that have produced valuable tape-recorded memoirs. 

A third body of materials comprises the papers accumulated by the President prior to, and following, his Presidency. Such collections include documents relating to  Roosevelt's tenure as Governor of New York and Dwight Eisenhower's long military career.