It’s not everyone who has access to a Presidential Library. I am fortunate to live in Atlanta, Georgia where we have the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. The library is located on John Lewis/Freedom Parkway. Such fitting names for the library; John Lewis a freedom fighter.
About the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Shortly after taking office as President, Jimmy Carter expressed interest in building a Presidential Library “someplace in Georgia.” The National Archives and Records Administration was invited to establish an office in the Old Executive Building to be staffed by archivists who could advise the White House staff on the preservation and arrangement of the twenty-seven million pages and other historical materials from the Carter presidency, prior to their movement to Georgia. As Carter’s presidency came to a close, a location search began for the Carter Library. After surveying a number of potential areas, today’s thirty-acre location was selected. The land, originally acquired to build an interstate highway, was owned by the state of Georgia. Ironically, the interstate plan was halted by then Governor Carter.
Continuously, the Jimmy Carter Library actively solicits material of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, major figures in the Carter administration, the Carters’ political or close personal friends, figures of secondary importance with significant aspects of the Carter administration, and President Carter’s family. Today, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library houses 40,000,000 pages, 1,000,000 photographs, 2,200,000 feet of film, and 2,500 hours of video.
My View:
It was a cold, rainy Fall day, but I was determined to visit. The library had been renovated and it was really well done. The rooms were colorful and artifacts from a rendition of the oval office, a Grammy award, and Nobel Peace Price. Who knew Carter had won a Grammy for spoken word. Listen to the volunteer, whom I met upon entering the library.
