Public–Private Partnerships in the Preservation of Presidential Records

The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with private support foundations, administers 13 individual presidential libraries comprising the Presidential Library System. These privately constructed, publicly supported archives not only preserve official presidential records but through their museum displays offer visitors a glimpse into the life and times of specific presidents. Utilizing legislation, archival documents, and elite interviews to characterize governance and administration structures of these relationships, this study outlines the nature of current public–private partnerships within the Presidential Library System, as well as the potential departure from existing frameworks for future partnerships absent formalized guidance procedures.

In Defense of Presidential Libraries

The recent announcement by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Barack Obama Foundation that there will be no Barack Obama Presidential Library has received very little attention or scrutiny. This essay examines that decision and places it in historical context based on the author’s expertise gained through years of working within NARA at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and writing about the early history of NARA and the presidential library system. The essay explores the many ways in which the failure to build an Obama Library adversely impacts researcher access to important historical information, damages the quality of museum exhibits at a privately run Obama museum, threatens the presidential library system as we know it, and ultimately impairs our democracy.

Presidential Libraries and Museums: Opportunities for Genuine Reform

One of the goals of the summer 2006 issue of The Public Historian, which focused on the presidential library system, was ““to provoke discussion, especially on the issues that have not received sufficient attention or have been largely avoided”” (Larry J. Hackman, ““Introduction,”” p. 7). This essay responds to the lead article in that special issue, Sharon Fawcett's ““Presidential Libraries: A View From the Center.”” Craig warns against the potential for ““politicization”” that could result from greater centralized control NARA's presidential libraries. He argues that NARA has consistently failed to articulate to Congress the true funding needs of the presidential libraries for records processing; he suggests how these needs could be more effectively communicated to Congress and proposes a fiscal solution (earmarking a portion of endowment and trust funds) to address the records processing backlog. Craig also reflects on the role and function of library supporting foundations and advances the notion that NARA library directors should not be permitted to serve as the head of such foundations. Finally, he argues that before focusing on public programming and educational outreach, NARA needs to reinvigorate emphasis on the original purposes of presidential libraries-archival preservation and access.

Presidential Libraries: A View from the Center

This article is the author's reflection on the long-term viability of the presidential library system and how it continues to evolve to meet the needs of the twenty-firstcentury visitor and researcher. The reflections and assessments are based on the author's long association with this unique system from the time in 1969 when she started as an archivist at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library until her present position as the Assistant Archivist for Presidential Libraries.