Curt Smith on the History of Presidential Libraries

Curt Smith, lecturer of presidential rhetoric at the University of Rochester, and author of Windows on the White House: The Story of Presidential Libraries, lays out the history of presidential libraries in the United States, beginning with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, which opened in 1941. There are now 13 presidential libraries, dating back to Herbert Hoover all the way up to the most recent, George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which opened in 2013.

Before writing the book, Smith, a former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush, visited all of the the libraries to get a sense of the character of each, as well as understanding the tradition that chronicles American presidential history back to the 1920s. Each of them evokes the individuality of the presidents themselves and acts as an opportunity to tell the story of the administration as seen from the inside. It's a side that is not often heard during their presidency Smith says. The opponents of an administration can often drown out the narrative that they want to represent, whereas the presidential library represents their own forum for dealing with the legacy of their time in office.