Presidential library system facts for kids

This page is about the network of libraries in the United States. For other libraries, see Presidential Library.

Official seal of the presidential libraries

In the United States, a presidential library is a special place that keeps important papers, records, and items from a former U.S. president. These libraries also have museums with exhibits about the president's life and time in office. They are managed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Before the mid-1900s, presidents usually owned their papers. But Franklin D. Roosevelt (the 32nd president) decided to give his papers to the public. He even donated land for his library in Hyde Park, New York. Since then, laws have been made to make sure presidential documents are kept safe for everyone to see.

The newest library is for Barack Obama (the 44th president). It works a bit differently, focusing more on digital records. While NARA keeps the digital archives, a private group runs the physical center for displays.

What Are Presidential Libraries?
- Libraries Not Run by NARA
History of Presidential Libraries
- The National Archives and New Laws
What Do Libraries Hold?
List of Presidential Libraries
Other Presidential Collections
See also

What Are Presidential Libraries?

NARA Presidential Libraries Passport

For every president since Herbert Hoover (the 31st president), a special library has been built in their home state. These libraries hold documents, gifts, and museum exhibits about the president's life. They also offer public programs and events.

When a president leaves office, NARA starts collecting and organizing their materials. These are kept safe until a new presidential library is built and given to the government. The very first presidential library was for Franklin D. Roosevelt, opened in 1941. The George W. Bush Presidential Center opened in 2013.

NARA even has a "passport" to encourage people to visit all the presidential libraries. If you visit them all, you get a special crystal paperweight!

Libraries Not Run by NARA

Most presidential libraries for presidents since Herbert Hoover are run by NARA. However, some libraries and museums for earlier presidents are not part of this system. They are managed by private groups, historical societies, or state governments.

For example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is run by the state of Illinois, not NARA. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, was once privately owned. But in 2007, it officially became part of the NARA system.

Some presidents have their papers kept at universities or historical societies. For instance, Ulysses S. Grant's papers are at Mississippi State University. Plans are also underway for a Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota and a Warren G. Harding Presidential Center in Ohio.

History of Presidential Libraries

For a long time, presidents thought their official papers were their own private property. Some took their papers home, others even destroyed them. This meant many important historical documents were lost or scattered.

A very early example of a presidential collection was started by Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, the wife of President James A. Garfield. After he was assassinated in 1881, she added a library wing to their home in Mentor, Ohio. This site is now run by the National Park Service.

The National Archives and New Laws

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to give his papers to the government. He believed these papers were important for the country's history and should be available to everyone. He asked the National Archives to take care of them.

In 1955, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act. This law encouraged future presidents to donate their historical materials to the government. It made sure these important papers would be saved and available to the public. Under this law, private groups usually raise money to build the libraries. Once built, they are given to NARA to manage.

Before 1978, presidents still largely owned their papers. But after the Watergate scandal involving President Richard Nixon, Congress passed a law in 1974. This law said that materials from the Nixon White House belonged to the public.

Then, in 1978, the Presidential Records Act was passed. This important law made it clear that all official presidential records belong to the U.S. Government. When a president leaves office, NARA takes custody of these records. This law also allowed presidential libraries to continue as the main place for these records.

Later, in 1986, another law required private groups building new libraries to also raise money for an endowment. This money helps NARA pay for some of the library's maintenance costs.

Today, with more and more records being digital, and with the increased cost of building and maintaining these libraries, NARA believes future presidents might choose different ways to preserve their history. The Barack Obama Presidential Center is an example of this "new model," where the library's materials are fully digital and managed by NARA, but the physical center is run by a private foundation.

What Do Libraries Hold?

The 13 presidential libraries run by NARA hold a huge amount of history! They have over 400 million pages of documents, nearly 10 million photos, and millions of feet of film. They also have almost 100,000 hours of audio and video recordings. Plus, there are about half a million museum objects.

These collections make each library a great place to learn about the presidency. The most important items are the papers created by the president and their staff while in office. Libraries also display many objects, like family items, campaign souvenirs, awards, and gifts given to the president by people and foreign leaders. These gifts can be anything from handmade crafts to valuable artworks.

Libraries also keep personal papers donated by people connected to the president, like Cabinet members or family friends. Many libraries have also recorded interviews with people who knew the president, creating "oral histories." Some collections even include documents from before or after a president's time in office, like Dwight D. Eisenhower's military career papers.

Most presidents since Herbert Hoover are buried at their presidential library. Notable exceptions include John F. Kennedy (buried at Arlington National Cemetery) and Lyndon B. Johnson (buried at his ranch). Jimmy Carter plans to be buried near his home in Plains, Georgia. Gerald Ford is buried at his museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while his library is in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

List of Presidential Libraries

This table lists presidential libraries and related sites.

#	President	Library name	Location	Operated by	Logo/website
1	George Washington	Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon Opened September 27, 2013	Mount Vernon, Virginia	Mount Vernon Ladies' Association	_website
2	John Adams	Stone Library at Adams National Historical Park Opened 1870	Quincy, Massachusetts	National Park Service (NPS)	_website
3	Thomas Jefferson	Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello Opened 1994	Charlottesville, Virginia	Thomas Jefferson Foundation	_website
4	James Madison	The Papers of James Madison at Shannon Library Opened in 1937, digital April 28, 2010.	Charlottesville, Virginia	University of Virginia	_Montpelier
4		Montpelier Opened 1984	Montpelier Station, Virginia	The Montpelier Foundation	_Montpelier
4		James Madison Museum Opened 2013	Orange, Virginia	James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation	museum
5	James Monroe	James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library Opened 1966	Fredericksburg, Virginia	University of Mary Washington	_website
5	James Monroe	Highland Opened 1931	Simeon, Virginia	College of William and Mary	_website
6	John Quincy Adams	Stone Library at Adams National Historical Park Opened 1870	Quincy, Massachusetts	NPS	_website
7	Andrew Jackson	The Papers of Andrew Jackson at Hoskins Library Opened 1987	Knoxville, Tennessee	University of Tennessee at Knoxville	_website
7	Andrew Jackson	The Hermitage Opened 1894	Nashville, Tennessee	Andrew Jackson Foundation	_website
8	Martin Van Buren	Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Opened October 26, 1974	Kinderhook, New York	NPS	_website
9	William Henry Harrison	Berkeley Plantation Opened 1940s	Charles City, Virginia	Berkeley Plantation	_website
10	John Tyler	Sherwood Forest Plantation Opened 1970s	Charles City, Virginia	Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation	_website
11	James K. Polk	President James K. Polk Home & Museum Opened 1929	Columbia, Tennessee	James K. Polk Memorial Association	_website
12	Zachary Taylor	Zachary Taylor National Cemetery Opened 1928	Louisville, Kentucky	National Cemetery Administration	_website
13	Millard Fillmore	Millard Fillmore House Opened 1975	East Aurora, New York	Aurora Historical Society	_website
14	Franklin Pierce	Franklin Pierce Homestead Opened 1920s	Hillsborough, New Hampshire	State of New Hampshire	_website
15	James Buchanan	James Buchanan papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Transferred c. 1895–1897	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Historical Society of Pennsylvania	_website
15	James Buchanan	Wheatland (James Buchanan House) Opened 1930s	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	James Buchanan Foundation	_website
16	Abraham Lincoln	Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Opened in 2004	Springfield, Illinois	State of Illinois	_website
17	Andrew Johnson	President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library Opened 1993	Tusculum, Tennessee	Tusculum College	_website
17	Andrew Johnson	Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Opened 1993	Greeneville, Tennessee	NPS	_website
18	Ulysses S. Grant	Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library Opened October 15, 1966	Starkville, Mississippi	Mississippi State University Library and Ulysses S. Grant Association	_website
18	Ulysses S. Grant	Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site Opened 1989	Grantwood Village, Missouri	NPS	_website
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Opened 1916	Fremont, Ohio	Ohio Historical Society and Hayes Presidential Center, Inc.	_website
20	James A. Garfield	James A. Garfield National Historic Site Opened 1998	Mentor, Ohio	NPS and Western Reserve Historical Society	_website
21	Chester A. Arthur	Chester Alan Arthur State Historic Site Opened 1950s	Fairfield, Vermont	Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development	_website
22 and 24	Grover Cleveland	Grover Cleveland Birthplace Opened March 18, 1913	Caldwell, New Jersey	New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association	_website
22 and 24	Grover Cleveland	Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library Opened October 16, 1976	Princeton, New Jersey	Princeton University	_website
23	Benjamin Harrison	Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Opened 1970s	Indianapolis, Indiana	Arthur Jordan Foundation	_website
25	William McKinley	William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum Memorial/Gravesite opened September 1907	Canton, Ohio	Stark County Historical Society	_website
26	Theodore Roosevelt	Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library	Medora, North Dakota in planning	Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation	_website
26		Houghton Library Collection donated in 1943	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Harvard University	_website
26		The Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University Launched in 2009	Dickinson, ND	Dickinson State University	_website
26		Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site Opened 1923	Manhattan, New York City, New York	NPS	_website
27	William Howard Taft	William Howard Taft National Historic Site Opened 1970s	Cincinnati, Ohio	NPS	_website
28	Woodrow Wilson	Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Opened in 1990	Staunton, Virginia	Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Foundation	_website
28		Woodrow Wilson Center Chartered by Congress in 1968	Washington, DC	Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Foundation	_website
28		Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library Opened October 16, 1976	Princeton, New Jersey	Princeton University	_website
29	Warren G. Harding	Warren G. Harding Home & Memorial Opened in February 1926	Marion, Ohio	Ohio History Connection	_website
29	Warren G. Harding	Warren G. Harding Presidential Center Opened on May 12, 2021	Marion, Ohio	Ohio History Connection	_website
30	Calvin Coolidge	Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum Opened in 1956	Northampton, Massachusetts	Forbes Library	_website
30	Calvin Coolidge	President Calvin Coolidge State Historical Site Opened in 1957	Plymouth Notch, Vermont	State of Vermont	_website
31	Herbert Hoover	Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated August 10, 1962	West Branch, Iowa	National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)	_website
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated June 30, 1941	Hyde Park, New York	NARA	_website
33	Harry S. Truman	Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated on July 6, 1957	Independence, Missouri	NARA	_website
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home Dedicated on May 1, 1962	Abilene, Kansas	NARA	_website
35	John F. Kennedy	John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated on October 20, 1979	Boston, Massachusetts	NARA	_website
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum Dedicated on May 22, 1971	Austin, Texas	NARA and The University of Texas at Austin	_website
37	Richard Nixon	Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated on July 19, 1990	Yorba Linda, California	NARA and Richard Nixon Foundation	_website
38	Gerald Ford	Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Dedicated on September 18, 1981	Grand Rapids, Michigan	NARA	_website
38	Gerald Ford	Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Dedicated on April 27, 1981	Ann Arbor, Michigan	NARA	_website
39	Jimmy Carter	Jimmy Carter Library and Museum Dedicated on October 1, 1986	Atlanta, Georgia	NARA	_website
40	Ronald Reagan	Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Dedicated on November 4, 1991	Simi Valley, California	NARA	_website
41	George H. W. Bush	George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum Dedicated on November 6, 1997	College Station, Texas	NARA and Texas A&M University	_website
42	Bill Clinton	William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park Dedicated on November 18, 2004	Little Rock, Arkansas	NARA	_website
43	George W. Bush	George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedicated on April 25, 2013	Dallas, Texas	NARA and Southern Methodist University	_website
44	Barack Obama	Barack Obama Presidential Library	Digital, NARA facilities	NARA	website
44	Barack Obama	Barack Obama Presidential Center Scheduled to open in the mid 2020s	Chicago, Illinois	Obama Foundation and the University of Chicago	_website
45	Donald Trump	Donald J. Trump Presidential Library	in planning	NARA	_website
45	Donald Trump	Donald J. Trump Presidential Center in planning, no location or opening scheduled so far.	under consideration	not decided
46	Joe Biden	Joe Biden Presidential Center	TBA

Other Presidential Collections

Even for presidents who don't have a NARA library, their papers are often kept in other important places. For example, the papers of Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson are at Princeton University. Theodore Roosevelt's papers are at Harvard University.

James Buchanan's papers are at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Projects are also underway to collect and digitize the papers of presidents like Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.

Many presidents, especially those from before the NARA system, have their collections spread across different private and public archives. For example, before the Barack Obama Presidential Center is fully ready, his papers are stored in a facility in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. You can access them through the Freedom of Information Act.