I have a thing for Presidential Libraries. It doesn’t matter who the president was, when he was in office, or what politics he espoused. If he was a President of the United States and has a library to visit, then I”m there, not so much because of the man himself, but because of the insight into the history of the times that he and his administration represents. 

     The Presidential Libraries are not libraries in the downtown on-the-corner sense; rather, they are a combination of  archives and museums, a repository of artifacts and documents available for study and discussion. Operated by the National Archives, the libraries and their holdings are declared  to belong to the American people. The idea of a Presidential Library was conceived by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his second term as a way to preserve and protect for future generations the vast amount of presidential papers, gifts, mementos, and other materials he had accumulated while in office.  (Up until that time, previous presidential papers had been lost, destroyed, or sold for profit — hmmm — not totally unheard of even in recent times.)

     Roosevelt raised private funds for his initiative, and then turned everything over to the US Government to be administered through the National Archives. In 1955, Congress institutionalized this policy through the Presidential Libraries Act, amended in 1986. The tradition of an archival library of former presidents continues — at least so far (although current government firings and significant funding reductions are impacting both the preservations of the archives and the operations of the Presidential libraries. Check for times and availability before you go to visit.)

     There are officially 13 Presidential Libraries (for which you can obtain a stamp in a Library “Passport” to record your visit at the Library’s admission desk.)  So far, I have visited 8 of those existing 13. In addition, the National Archives and Records Administration also operates three other Presidential collections which I have also visited: Washington at Mt. Vernon, VA, John Adams at the Boston Library, and Jefferson at Monticello, VA. Like any visitor, I have my own opinions on which are “the best and the worst,” according to my own standards, of course.

     I’ll begin with Roosevelt’s, which is at his home in Hyde Park, NY. It was the first such library and the only one to have been used by the sitting President. It is impressive, and beautiful, probably because Roosevelt was a wealthy aristocrat, as well as being a formidable leader in formidable times. The Kennedy Library, located at Columbia Point outside of Boston, is impressive on the outside, having been designed by noted architect I.M. Pei, but a bit shallow on the inside, in part because of the very short tenure of the 35th president, but also because “Mama Rose” narrates her son’s life within the larger context of the Kennedy family.

     By all accounts, the most visited Library is the Ronald Reagan Library opened in 1991 in Simi Valley, California. Without question, it is stunning in both setting and design, but it seems to me to be more about “Ronnie and Nancy’s love story” and their finely-curated image forged  along their journey from Hollywood to Sacramento to the White House.  A portion of the fallen Berlin Wall, however, is a noteworthy monument to what was arguably Reagan’s greatest  achievement as President.  

     Personally, though, I prefer the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, which has much, much more to offer in the way of historical record and honest reflection. It underwent a $15 million renovation in 2016, and today presents, unabashedly, a staggering collection of  papers, tapes, films, photographs and gifts related to one of the most completely documented, complicated, and troubled administrations in American history. Remember, this was the administration of the moon landing, Watergate, Vietnam and trade with Red China. 

     But my favorite Library is Bill Clinton’s in Little Rock, AK, and for some of the same reasons as Nixon’s. The archival and museum holdings here are also among the largest in the Presidential Library system, and the candor with which it is ALL presented and available to the public (including the scandals of Whitewater, Travelgate, Monica Lewinsky) shows a rare willingness to be totally open by a living politician. But beyond the historic collections, as a writer, the uniformity of the Library’s design and theme has enormous appeal to me. First of all, the building is done in a steel and glass modernist design which cantilevers from downtown out over the Arkansas River, echoing his campaign slogan of “Building a bridge to the 21st century.”  The building is also the first silver certified LEED design (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), later upgraded to platinum (2009), meaning that it is fully sustainable, made of renewable materials and totally energy and water efficient. It is a design wonder and perfectly suited  to its downtown Little Rock location.

     Of course I have been to the libraries of my “home-boys’” in Texas often, and I mostly  appreciate them for their design and their research facilities. The George H. W. Bush Library on the campus of Texas A & M University in College Station is a sprawling marvel. While a rather modest library of artifacts, it is an incredible facility for research and study facilities for national and international conferences including housing for participants and scholars. The LBJ Library on the University of Texas campus in Austin is, likewise, a Mecca for scholars and historians.  The 10 story building houses documents and materials recording LBJ’s 40 year political career, most notably his pivotal contributions to Civil Rights. I especially love the remarkable sense of humor shown in all the proudly displayed foreign gifts that characterize his unique features and foibles. 

     Finally, when we were in Dallas recently, I got to visit the George W. Bush Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University. I was never a big fan of “Bushie” at the time of his presidency, but the library, which focuses on the key decisions and significant issues of his administration, made me realize in retrospect what monumental events occurred during W’s presidency: 9-11, the Iraq War and Saddam Hussain, Hurricane Katrina. The “Steel of American Resolve,” a section from the World Trade Center that dominates the 9-11 area of the Library (photo above), along with photos and other artifacts including the bullhorn The President used in lower Manhattan after the attack, is a moving reminder of that terrible event. Overall this Library is a humble, respectful and factual record of an ordinary man suddenly in charge of a nation in extraordinary times.  

     The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the 14th Presidential Library to be administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Unlike all others, this is the first fully digital Presidential Library. An estimated 95 percent of all the records of the Obama administration were born as digital records and so they are stored and preserved as such. The more accessible Obama Presidential Center is currently being constructed on Chicago’s South Side by The Obama Foundation and is scheduled to open in 2026. 

     The Presidential Libraries offer an accessible and informative view into American history through the lens of the times and the events of the era. That view is perhaps more important and urgent today than ever before. The Spanish philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”(1905). The Presidential Libraries of the United States provide a valuable link to our collective past and a tacit warning about the failure to learn the lessons from our mistakes. We need to heed that warning.