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HIST 468: Recent American History

Provides access to scholarly governmental and non-governmental resources on U.S. History from post-World War II to the present.

Presidential Libraries

During their tenure in office, U.S. Presidents generate tremendous volumes of official papers and electronic resources reflecting the responsibilities of their respective presidencies. Before the Hoover Administration, the papers of many presidents can be found in the Library of Congress and other libraries across the U.S. Starting with the Hoover Administration, presidential records can be found in a series of presidential libraries around the U.S administered by the National Archives & Records Administration. Funding for these libraries is raised through private sector sources. General information about these libraries can be be found through the Presidential Libraries page on the National Archives website.

Presidential libraries are primarily used by presidential scholars. Information on statutes and regulations governing presidential records access can be found on the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978 page of the Presidential Libraries website. Besides their archival resources, presidential library facilities also feature museums that are open to the public. These museums provide exhibits on various aspects of individual presidents, their presidencies, and their personal lives. Each of these libraries has websites providing information about various programs and exhibits going on at their respective facilities and access to documents on events occurring during the presidencies of these individuals. These presidential library websites are listed below.

Presidential Records

Before creation of the presidential library system, presidential papers and materials were kept at the Library of Congress and in other sites. Some presidential papers have been digitized through the Library of Congress´ American Memory Project. Selected papers of additional presidents that have been digitized by other sources are also listed. Some examples of these resources include:

General

In order of presidency: