Barack Obama on Presidential Library

Barack Obama's Presidential Library is unique as it is the first all-digital Presidential Library, administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The Obama Foundation made the significant decision not to construct a physical facility to house the textual and audiovisual records and artifacts for NARA. Instead, the focus is on providing funding for the digitization of records to ensure they are available online via a Digital Research Room and the National Archives Catalog. NARA retains legal and physical custody of the original materials, which will be stored and preserved at an existing NARA facility that meets archival standards, while a robust loan program will support the privately operated Obama Presidential Center museum component in Chicago.

This departure from the traditional brick-and-mortar library model supports the modern reality of born-digital records, aligning with public expectations for free and online access. The President and his foundation selected Chicago’s South Side for the Obama Presidential Center, which includes the museum, foundation offices, and community facilities, emphasizing investment and civic participation in the neighborhood where he began his public service. While the Foundation is responsible for building and operating the Center, NARA will not have any federal staff presence there, focusing its resources on the digital repository.