America’s pyramids: Presidents and their libraries

The establishment of Presidential Libraries funded by US taxpayers is spinning out of control. This article examines the purpose of Presidential Libraries by first explaining what happened to presidential papers before the presidential library system was established. The library system has evolved since it was established for the papers of FDR & insiders advocate the libraries as extremely valuable. Academic historians, the most serious users of the libraries, are divided about the role and success of the libraries. Instead of a single library dedicated to each president, there is a need for a single Presidential Archives that would focus on the records & their value, lessening the interference of family members, & consolidating records near Washington, DC, under the closer scrutiny of government, citizens, & the media. E. Larsen