About Us

 

About the Library

The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the 14th Presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), a federal agency.

Unlike other Presidential Libraries administered by NARA, the Obama Presidential Library is the first fully digital Presidential library. An estimated 95 percent of the Presidential records of the Obama administration were born digital, such as photos, videos, word-processing documents, tweets, emails, and other standard digital formats. NARA also received approximately 30 million pages of unclassified paper Presidential records.

The Obama Presidential records became subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on January 20, 2022. Records requested under FOIA are digitized, with the digitized records being processed for access review and requested records in any other formats (born-digital, audiovisual, etc.). 

Following digitization, NARA stores and preserves the original records and the Obama administration artifacts in a NARA facility that meets NARA's standards for archival storage. The dedicated staff at these locations will care for the records and artifacts.

Obama's Presidential records are administered in accordance with the requirements of the Presidential Records Act (PRA). NARA is committed to meeting all our obligations under the PRA and FOIA. The digitization and Presidential records review processes are separate and distinct.

For more information about the Obama Presidential Library, please see NARA's FAQ.

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About the Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Foundation is constructing the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side in Jackson Park. The Center is a privately operated, non-federal organization. The National Archives does not have a presence at this location. However, NARA and the Obama Foundation will work together to have records and artifacts on display at the museum at the Obama Presidential Center.