How did the Presidential Library System come into being?
• A dramatic increase in the amount of Presidential papers during his administration led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to seek the advice of prominent historians and public figures to plan a method for keeping not only his White House files, but also his earlier papers, book collection, and memorabilia. • Roosevelt announced plans for a new type of facility, a Presidential library, on December 10, 1938. • An organization was chartered to raise private funds for the construction of the building to be situated on Roosevelt’s Hyde Park estate. • On July 18, 1939, Congress passed a joint resolution accepting the new facility and agreeing to operate it as part of the National Archives. • The Roosevelt Library was dedicated on July 4, 1940. The library became the model for subsequent Presidential libraries. • Succeeding libraries have been constructed with private and other non-Federal funds. A private, non-profit organization is formed to coordinate these efforts and provide support for l
