About Presidential Materials
Throughout the long history of the United States, presidential records have some of the most diverse preservation of any of the United States' government documents. Presidential records were not the property of the federal government until the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
Presidential materials have seen wide duplication and distribution through a variety of formats: bound volumes, microfilm, photocopies, and now digitization. Collections may be populated with original manuscripts, copies, duplicates, or have substantive gaps. Digital collections are not all-encompassing.
This guide will help you access resources and institutions that provide access to presidential records.
Below are some general links that will orient you to the systems of preservation and access to presidential records. The guide's other tabs offer direct links to archival and digital collections for each American president.
- USU Library CatalogMany presidents' papers were published in bound editions. Search the Library's Catalog for materials about U.S. Presidents and their Administrations. To find only documents printed by the Federal Government, limit your formats "to Government Document" and "Electronic Government Document" (press control when clicking to select both).
- Public Papers of the President (1957-2012)Availalble in print. This USU catalog record will provide you with the call numbers for your desired volume of this government document collection.
- Public Papers of the President (1929-present)This link provides access to the online version of the Government Publishing Office's collection of presidential materials. Includes official statements and speeches from the President.
- Compilation of Presidential DocumentsThis links to the digital official publications released by the White House Press Secretary. Published in print as part of the Federal Register. Published online daily. Date range: 1992-current.
- Library of CongressThe Library of Congress's Manuscript Division holds records from 23 presidents. Some materials have been digitized. Finding aids and Indexes are available for all collections. Date range: 1789-1929 with some gaps.
- National Archives - Presidential LibrariesThe National Archives and Records Administration administers 13 presidential libraries through the Office of Presidential Libraries. Visit this link to learn more about the systems and the libraries.
- The American Presidency ProjectHosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, this website is "the only online resource that has consolidated, coded, and organized [presidential materials] into a single searchable database." Date range 1789 - current with gaps. This resource does not include all presidential administration records.
- White House WebsiteThe current White House website. Note that websites change frequently. Websites for past administrations are archived in their final form by the National Archives (see next link).
- Archived White House WebsitesThe National Archives provides access to the last iteration of each administration's website.
Your Librarian
FDLP Designation
“This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)”
