Frequently Asked Questions

The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the first all-digital Presidential Library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The Presidential records of the Barack Obama administration came into NARA’s custody at the end of the administration, on January 20, 2017, and became subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on January 20, 2022. To view released Presidential records of any format, visit our Digital Research Room.

NARA maintains legal and physical custody of the records and artifacts. NARA will store and preserve the artifacts and all textual materials at the National Archives at College Park, MD.

NARA will support a robust, ongoing loan program of records and artifacts to the Obama Foundation for display at the Obama Presidential Center as well as other museums and cultural sites around the world.

Instead of a traditional research room or museum, we are making the Obama Presidential administration materials available in an online environment. Open Presidential records (both digitized and born-digital) are accessible online via the library’s Digital Research Room and National Archives Catalog; artifacts are available via the library’s Digital Artifact Collection. Virtual public programming and educational materials related to the collections are in development.

Not all materials are available online yet. NARA is actively digitizing and reviewing the paper records and physical artifacts to facilitate public access.

Like other museums and cultural institutions, an artifact collection catalog is an important tool for Obama Library staff in the daily management and care of the artifact collections. The Digital Artifact Collection allows the public to view this collection information and witness our progress as Obama Library staff are continually working to enhance our artifact information by cataloging, inventorying, digitizing, and researching the collection.

We are making open Obama Presidential records (both digitized and born-digital) available online via the library’s Digital Research Room and National Archives Catalog. Obama Presidential artifacts are available via the library’s Digital Artifact Collection.

Not all materials are available online yet. NARA is actively digitizing and reviewing the paper records and physical artifacts to facilitate public access.

No. Access is open to the public and does not require an account.

Yes. Files are available for download to your personal device from our website. We ask that you follow our Citation Guide and credit our materials in any future use

Cataloging our artifact collection and adding new content is a work in progress. The Obama Library staff are continually working to enhance our artifact information by cataloging, inventorying, digitizing, and researching the collection to add more context to our records for public access and exhibitions. Like other museums and cultural institutions, artifact information is important in the daily management and care of artifacts in the collection. This information is recorded and tracked in our collections information database. To make our artifact collection more accessible to the public, we’ve put a snapshot of this information online through the Digital Artifact Collection. With a long-term goal of providing full digital access to the collection, we invite you to explore the Digital Artifact Collection, where new content will be continually added as we process the artifact collection.

Presidential artifacts are inventoried and photographed, and the digitized images and content are added to our Digital Artifact Collection website on a rolling basis. Presidential records (textual, electronic, and audiovisual) are added to our Digital Research Room after the processing of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Not at this time. Obama Presidential records (both digitized and born-digital) are available online via the library’s Digital Research Room and the National Archives Catalog. Obama Presidential artifacts are available via the library's Digital Artifact Collection 

Not all materials are available online yet. NARA is actively digitizing and reviewing the paper records and physical artifacts to facilitate public access.

Guidelines for citations for records retrieved from the Barack Obama Presidential Library can be found here. 

Researchers should be aware that some materials in the Obama Presidential Library holdings may be subject to U.S. copyright law. Permission to reproduce copyrighted material must be obtained from the copyright holder. Researchers with specific questions about copyright law should obtain legal advice. Federal employees are not authorized to provide guidance with regard to copyright laws.

The copyright law does not apply to material in the public domain or material produced by government employees in the course of their official duties.

For artifact loan and donation inquiries, email obama.library@nara.gov and include “Artifact Collection” in the subject line to ensure your email is directed to the collections staff for a response.

Yes. Researchers can connect via email with Obama Presidential Library staff if they have questions about any of the library’s holdings. Visitors can use the Ask an Archivist form or email the library directly at obama.library@nara.gov.

• Textual (Paper) Records
  • More than 21 million pages of textual (paper) Presidential records 
• Audiovisual (AV) Records
  • Over 600 cubic feet of audiovisual recordings
  • Over 3 million digital photographs
• Electronic Records (email, computer files)
  • Over 250 TB
    • Over 300 million e-mail messages
    • Over 30 million other electronic records

No, not yet. Obama Presidential records are subject to the Presidential Records Act (PRA), which requires that records go through a line-by-line review before they are publicly released. Researchers submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that spur this review process.FOIA requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. When all legal requirements are met, Obama Presidential records are released to the public via the Digital Research Room.

Textual (Paper) Records

The textual record collections at the Obama Presidential Library are organized into two (2) major collections:

White House Staff Member Office Files (SMOF): These files are organized by the Office and Staff who maintained the files. Folder Titles (filenames) are maintained as closely as possible to how they were originally assigned.

White House Office of Records Management Files: The White House Office of Records Management is responsible for the filing and retrieval of records created during the administration. ORM (or WHORM) maintains the organization of records by subject code and case file ID number according to their general subject matter.

Electronic Records

Electronic records from the Barack Obama administration are preserved within NARA’s electronic record preservation system in groups called “Search and Access Sets” (SASes), based on the system that originally created the records. 

Exchange Email: Exchange was used as the White House email system over the whole Obama administration.

Worker and Visitor Entry System (WAVES): Records of visitor entry to the White House complex

White House Photo System: Digital images and their associated metadata

Computer Files: Files from White House computers, including home drives maintained by individual staffers and shared drives used across White House offices:

• CEA (Council of Economic Advisors) 

• NSC (National Security Council) 
• OA (Office of Administration) 
• OPD (Office of Policy Development) 
• PFIAB (President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board) 
• WHO (White House Office)

Campaign and Transition Materials

As per the Presidential Records Act (PRA), campaign and transition records are considered "personal records" rather than "*Presidential records." Campaign and transition materials are NOT included in our collection. For more information on the PRA, including an in-depth description of what is and is not considered a record, view the PRA guide.  

Joe Biden's Official Vice Presidential Records

Joe Biden's official Vice Presidential records are NOT housed at the Barack Obama Presidential Library. These records are at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC. For information on the records of Vice President Biden, please contact the Archival Operations Division:Archival Operations Division—Vice Presidential Materials
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, Room G-7
Washington, DC 20408
presidential.materials@nara.gov

Anyone may request access to Presidential records not yet available for public research by submitting a written Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Obama Presidential records are subject to the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978, 44 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2209. The PRA governs the official records of Presidents and Vice Presidents that were created or received after January 20, 1981 (i.e., beginning with the Reagan administration). The PRA changed the legal ownership of the official records of the President from private to public and established a new statutory structure under which Presidents, and subsequently NARA, must manage the records of their administrations. The PRA was amended in 2014, which established several new provisions.More information is available on NARA’s website and through its Guidance on Presidential Records publication.

The artifact collections at the Obama Presidential Library are organized into the following six series, which are also reflected in the National Archives Catalog: Barack Obama Artifact Collection (National Archives Identifier 63542091) 

• Domestic Gifts: items given to the President, First Lady, and First Family from members of the general public, both American and foreign, and accepted on behalf of the federal government 
• Head of State Gifts: items given to the President, First Lady, and First Family from foreign heads of state during the Obama administration and accepted on behalf of the federal government 
• Obama Family Collection: personal items associated with the Obama Family including articles of clothing, accessories, and jewelry 
• Obama Administration Collection 2009–2017: items associated with the Presidency of Barack Obama and the work and initiatives of the Obama administration including materials displayed or used by staff in the Obama White House, items transferred from other federal agencies, and White House holiday decor
• Pre-Presidential Collection: items associated with the political activities and career of Barack Obama prior to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, including his senatorial career and the 2008 campaign  
• Post-Presidential Collection: items donated to the Obama Presidential Library from members of the general public after the Obama administration

There is a long history dating back to the administration of George Washington, of U.S. Presidents and their families receiving gifts from private individuals and organizations from all over the world, including diplomatic gifts received as part of the administration’s foreign relations activities. The United States Constitution took up related concerns in Article 1, Section 9, the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits Federal officials from receiving gifts, emoluments, offices or titles from foreign states and monarchies without the consent of the United States Congress. Gift management was further articulated later under General Services Administration property management regulations and the Ethics in Government Act’.

 The variety of items received over the years is vast, ranging from fine art and all manner of custom creations to basketballs, household artifacts to dog collars; and even live animals, such as the famous gift of elephants offered by King Monghut of Siam in 1861 - and graciously declined - by then President James Buchanan.

Due to the First Family’s busy schedule and the high volume of gifts received, most gift items sent to the White House are not able to be personally reviewed by their intended recipient. Nevertheless, they are carefully reviewed by the White House staff and the National Archives with an eye towards preserving items with potential historical, evidentiary, or commemorative value for deposit with the National Archives at the end of the administration. The National Archives staff at the Obama Presidential Library then assume all responsibilities for stewardship, cataloging and access to the collection. 

Since the eras of George Washington and James Buchanan, practices have evolved for accepting these generous offerings for the most part “on behalf of the United States,” allowing the President and First Family to use and enjoy them as part of their official capacity during their time in office. Should they wish to retain a gift as their own property, rules and requirements were developed for a federal employee (including the President) to retain gifts personally, and the process that must be followed to legally do so. Several factors determine the appropriate administrative and legal process for retention, including the monetary value of the gift, whether the gift is from a foreign Head of State or a private domestic source, and compliance with ethical review, disclosure requirements, and approval (as needed) of Congress. At the end of the administration, gifts accepted on behalf of the United States and not personally retained become property of the United States Government and are turned over to the General Services Administration, or to the National Archives to be managed as federal property in the Presidential Libraries.

The White House Gift Unit, which is part of the Office of Presidential Correspondence, plays a crucial role in managing Presidential gifts. Established during the Eisenhower administration to help manage the increasing number of items presented to the Chief Executive and their family, the White House Gift Unit records each item for the official record, ensures that the gift donor has been appropriately acknowledged, and determines the fair market value and final disposition for the item in compliance with applicable federal laws and authorities. Gifts from foreign officials are managed in close partnership with the Department of State Office of Protocol in compliance with the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, and its associated regulations.  At the end of the administration, gifts accepted on behalf of the United States, and designated for deposit with the National Archives are received as part of the historical record of the President’s administration.

The founding of the Presidential Library system in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a model for the preservation and management of Presidential records and historic materials. As the 14th Presidential Library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Barack Obama Presidential Library continues this system for preservation, management, and access of Presidential records and historic artifacts. You can learn more about these laws and regulations by visiting the National Archives website at https://www.archives.gov/presidential-records/laws-and-regulations.

We love to learn more about the artifacts in the collection. If you have additional information, historical context, or information about an artist or maker, please contact us at Obama Library/ Contact Us.

President and Mrs. Obama DO NOT maintain an office at the Barack Obama Presidential Library. All general requests, including congratulatory or retirement letters, scheduling requests, or media inquiries, should be sent to the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama. Mail addressed to President or Mrs. Obama delivered to the Barack Obama Presidential Library will be returned to the sender.

Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
P.O. Box 91000
Washington, DC 20066

www.barackobama.com