Dewey Decibel Podcast: Presidential Libraries, Then and Now

Episode 47 looks at the evolution of presidential libraries

February 14, 2020

Presidential libraries have changed significantly since President Franklin D. Roosevelt conceived the system as a means to preserve evidence of the presidency for future generations to study and appreciate. In Episode 47, Dewey Decibel celebrates Presidents’ Day through conversations with directors of two presidential libraries about those changes and more.

First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Paul Sparrow, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, about the beginnings of the presidential library system and how Roosevelt’s library has changed since it opened in 1941. Next, Morehart talks with Brooke Clement, deputy director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, about why the library decided to eschew a physical building and become the first all-digital presidential library.

If you have feedback for the Dewey Decibel team, email deweydecibel@ala.org. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, or what you’d like to see us cover. Follow us on Twitter and leave us a review on iTunes.

Tagged Under

Lyndon B. Johnson. Photo: Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

By the Numbers: Presidential Libraries

Stats about the collections of our Commanders in Chief

Meredith Evans holds a copy of the 1977 letter she mailed to President Carter when she was 4 years old. She wrote, “I would like to come to your house for my [birthday] party.” Photo: Pete Winkel

Bookend: Hail to the Librarian

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PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
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