Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library |
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| General information | |
| Location | Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°17′16″N 83°42′45″W / 42.28781°N 83.712516°W |
| Named for | Gerald R. Ford |
| Construction started | January 15, 1979 |
| Inaugurated | Dedicated on April 27, 1981 |
| Cost | $4.3 million |
| Management | National Archives University of Michigan |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) |
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a special place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's located on the campus of the University of Michigan. This library keeps important papers, photos, and recordings about Gerald Ford. He was the 38th president of the United States. The library is part of the National Archives and Records Administration's presidential library network.
Contents
History of the Ford Library
Why the Library Was Built
Gerald Ford started giving his papers to the University of Michigan way back in 1965. This was when he was a member of the United States Congress. He had studied at the University of Michigan, so it was his old school. As his time as president was ending, he decided to donate all his presidential materials too. He wanted a special library built on the university campus. The National Archives would help manage it.
Building and Opening Dates
Work on the library began on January 15, 1979. It opened its doors to the public on April 27, 1981. This library is unique because it's separate from its museum. Most presidential libraries have a museum right next door.
Library and Museum Locations
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is in Ann Arbor. But the Gerald R. Ford Museum is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids was Ford's hometown. It was also the area he represented in Congress. The museum is about 130 miles away from the library. Even though they are far apart, both places share the same director.
What's Inside the Collection
Types of Materials Stored
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library holds a huge collection of items. Most of these are papers from his time as president. They also include documents from his White House staff, covering the years 1974 to 1977. You can also find papers from Betty Ford, his wife. There are also materials from before and after his presidency. The library has research interviews and other important documents.
Numbers in the Collection
The collection is very large! It includes:
- About 25 million pages of documents.
- Around 450,000 photographs.
- About 3,500 hours of audio recordings.
- Around 3,500 hours of motion picture films.
- About 3,500 hours of video recordings.
All these items help people learn about Gerald Ford's life and his time as president.
See also
- List of U.S. presidential libraries
- Presidential memorials in the United States
