In 1939, the Presidential Library system began with President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he donated all of his presidential papers to the federal government for safekeeping. President Roosevelt also donated part of his Hyde Park estate to the United States for use. Along with the Hyde Park donation, President Roosevelt's friends created a nonprofit corporation to raise money to create a library in Roosevelt's name. Roosevelt donated his papers because he believed that presidential records should be part of the nation's history and should be accessible to the American people. Roosevelt requested that the National Archives use his papers and other possessions and place them in his Presidential Library. Although Roosevelt floated the idea of presidential libraries, Herbert Hoover also has a library since there was enough to fit in his library. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before presidential libraries, presidents threw away their presidential papers at the end of their administration. Because presidents did not archive their own papers, most of the presidential papers of presidents before Roosevelt were lost or destroyed. Truman also pushed Congress to pass the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 which created an official system of federal libraries. The Presidential Libraries Act motivated future presidents to archive their own records and create their own libraries. Congress subsequently passed the Presidential Records Act of 1978 which declared all presidential records “documenting the constitutional, statutory, and ceremonial duties of the President” to be the property of the United States government. After the end of the presidential administration, all documents become the custody of the Archivist of the United States. These laws led to the creation of a total of thirteen presidential libraries. Each presidential library is located in a different location. Every president has his own library. The location of each library is decided by the President. the Archivist of the United States and some suggestions from the President's friends and family. Often there are also different proposals put forward by communities or universities that would like to host the library. Presidents often want the library in their hometown, however some presidents have chosen to have the library on a college campus. The President and/or his associates choose the architect along with a design team to build the library, however NARA provides certain standards to follow. Presidential libraries contain presidential documents such as presidential papers, personal writings, photographs, audio and film, books, biographies, manuscripts and anything else donated to the library pertaining to that specific President. Presidential libraries and all their internal features are fully accessible to the public. Each library has specific visiting hours and some libraries also have museums. Most, if not all, libraries also have online archives and special digital features. Some of the presidential libraries also have museums. Museums are usually located on the same property as the library. Presidential museums contain artifacts such as clothing, presidential calendars, and other things that belonged to that specific president. The largest presidential library and museum is the John F. Kennedy Library. The JFK Library includes permanent exhibits, special exhibits, museum artifacts, and interactive online and in-person features. The exhibitions.
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