The Presidency

Administration Web Pages  Biography   First Ladies  Inaugural Addresses  Presidential Libraries  Publications  The White House  Additional Material

Gallery of United States Presidents

Administration Web Pages

• Barack Obama
• George W. Bush
• William J. Clinton

Biography

• For holdings in the State Library, check the State Library Catalog under the subject heading "Presidents - United States - Biography"
• POTUS (Presidents of the United States, sponsored by the Internet Public Library) Biographical information, cabinet members, political issues of the day, election results etc.

First Ladies

• The White House site includes pictures and biographies of all the First Ladies.
• For holdings in the State Library, search State Library Catalog under the subject heading "Presidents Spouses - United States - Biography"

Inaugural Addresses

• Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States.

Presidential Libraries

• National Archives links to Presidential Libraries

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Publications

• Directives

Directives are top level documents that reflect actual presidential intention as opposed to the public statement of purpose. Directives are issued through the National Security Council. Many current directives are still classified. Different Presidents have given them different names:

• Kennedy and Johnson: National Security Action Memoranda (NSAM)
• Nixon and Ford: National Security Decision Memoranda (NSDM)
• Carter: Presidential Directives (PD)
• Reagan: National Security Decision Directives (NSDD)
• Bush, George: National Security Directives (NSD)
• Clinton: Presidential Decision Directives (PDD)
• Bush, George: National Security Presidential Directives (NSPD)

Many directives are available through the Presidential Directives and Executive Orders Website maintained by the Federation of American Scientists. The Library of Congress has posted a finding aid titled Presidential Directives and Where to Find Them on their Website.

• Executive Orders and Proclamations

  Executive Orders are issued under statutory authority. These are official documents by which the President manages the operations of the federal government.  Proclamations are most often used as broad ceremonial or policy statements of general interest.

  • Paper Holdings and Locations :1945 - 1989, Codification of Presidential Proclamations & Executive Orders, 1945 - 1989. [GIS Ref AE 2.113:945-89]
  • Microfiche Holdings and Locations :1779 - 1983, CIS Microfiche collection in balcony fiche cabinets. Use CIS Index to Presidential Executive Orders and Proclamations [GIS Ref  KF 70.A55] for indexing and microfiche identification.
  • Online Versions :1945 - 1989, Codification of Presidential Proclamations & Executive Orders, 1945 - 1989. (sponsored by the National Archives).
  • Executive Orders Disposition Tables (sponsored by the National Archives).
  • Guide to Locating Executive Orders and Proclamations (sponsored by the University of Florida, Levin College of Law).
  • Note : Executive Orders and Proclamations are included in the Federal Register, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and Public Papers of the Presidents.
     

• Press Briefings

  • Press Briefings
  
  

• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States

  This is a cumulative version of Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, containing public messages, speeches, and statements of the President. Published approximately twice a year.  Holdings and Locations :
   

  • 1929 to 1933, 1945 - 1983 on 5th floor of the State Library stacks classed in GS 4.113:
  • 1984 to present on 5th floor of the State Library stacks classed in AE 2.114:
  • Online Versions : 1991- (George H.W. Bush-present)

   

• Signing Statements

          Signing statements are written comments issued by a President at the time of signing legislation. They are published in the Weekly Compilation of
          Presidential Documents and later in the annual Public Papers of the President. They are also online at the American Presidency Project

• Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

These are issued each Monday containing statements, messages, speeches and other Presidential materials released by the White House during the proceeding week. No longer published in paper as of 11/01/2000.  Holdings and Locations :

• 1966 (v.2:1) - 1985 (v.21:13), on 5th floor stacks under GS 1.114
• 1985 (v.21:14) - 2000 (v.36:43) on 5th floor stacks under AE 2.109:
• Online Versions : 1993 - present

The White House

Current activities as well as, history and photos of the White House are included in the White House web site.For materials at the State Library, search the State Library Catalog under the subject "White House - Washington, DC."

Additional Material

In the Library:

Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt, each Administration is given its own classification number in the federal documents collection. Additional  material may be found in the 5th floor stacks under these call numbers.

• Franklin Roosevelt Pr 32
• Harry S. Truman Pr 33
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Pr 34
• John F. Kennedy Pr 35
• Lyndon B. Johnson Pr 36
• Richard M. Nixon Pr 37
• Gerald R. Ford Pr 38
• Jimmy Carter Pr 39
• Ronald Reagan Pr 40
• George Bush Pr 41
• William J. Clinton Pr 42
• George W. Bush Pr 43

Online Resources:

The American Presidency Project is sponsored by the Univ. of California Berkley.  It is a comprehensive site including text of presidential debates, Saturday Radio addresses, party convention addresses, inaugural addresses, state of the union addresses and standard Presidential publications.

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Prepared by the Government Information and Reference Services Unit, page revised 01/2008.