Presidential Libraries Road Trip
Join us on a Presidential Road Trip! In honor of Presidents Day, we are virtually traveling the country to bring you a series of Citizen Archivist missions featuring records from the Presidential Libraries across the National Archives.
We’ll make a new stop each day on our Road Trip, unlocking a different Presidential Library tagging and transcription mission. Use the links below to learn more about each Library and contribute as a Citizen Archivist! Every contribution will help make these records more searchable and discoverable in our Catalog.
New to the Citizen Archivist program? Learn how to register and get started.
Already have an account? Login here.
Questions? See our FAQ below.
February 6: John F. Kennedy Library
Welcome to the Presidential Library Road Trip! Kick off the first day of our virtual Road Trip by transcribing and tagging records from the John F. Kennedy Library located in Boston, Massachusetts.
February 7: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
On day two of our Road Trip we arrive at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. What records will you find as you tag and transcribe records from the 32nd president's administration?
February 10: Jimmy Carter Library
On day three we virtually travel all the way to Atlanta, Georgia to the Jimmy Carter Library. How many records will you tag and transcribe today?
February 11: William J. Clinton Library
Are you ready to transcribe and tag records from our 42nd president? Today our virtual Road Trip arrives at the William J. Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn about how to transcribe Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records in our FAQ section below.
February 12: Harry S. Truman Library
We travel to Independence, Missouri to begin transcribing and tagging records from the Harry S. Truman administration. What interesting records will you find on this stop of our virtual Road Trip?
February 13: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
Stop number six on this virtual Road Trip heads west to Abilene, Kansas home to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library. Join us and explore the variety of records we've selected for you to tag and transcribe.
February 14: Lyndon B. Johnson Library
Our virtual Road Trip heads to Texas! Join us in transcribing and tagging records from the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas.
February 18: George H.W. Bush Library
We're staying in Texas to virtually visit the library of the 41st President George H. W. Bush. Help us tag and transcribe records found in the George H. W. Bush Library in College Station, Texas.
February 19: George W. Bush Library
On our final stop in the great state of Texas we virtually visit the George W. Bush Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas. How many records will you help us transcribe and tag?
February 20: Richard Nixon Library
On the 10th stop of our virtual Road Trip we arrive in Yorba Linda, California, home to the Richard Nixon Library. Help us tag and transcribe records from the Nixon administration.
February 21: Ronald Reagan Library
Traffic was heavy in Los Angeles, but this is a virtual Road Trip, so we didn't need to decide between the I-210 and the I-5 to arrive at our next stop in California. Join us and transcribe and tag records found at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.
February 24: Herbert Hoover Library
On day twelve of our virtual Road Trip we head to West Branch, Iowa, home to the Herbert Hoover Library. Explore the records of the 31st president, including a variety of motion picture films! Learn about tagging films in our FAQ section.
February 25: Barack Obama Library
Today we virtually visit the newest Presidential Library, the Barack Obama Library. This brand new library will be the first fully digital Presidential Library. Help us make the Obama administration photographs more discoverable by tagging details and features.
February 26: Gerald R. Ford Library
Our 14th and final stop on the virtual Road Trip finds us in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the Gerald R. Ford Library. How many records can you tag and transcribe from the Ford administration?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You will need to have an account in the National Archives Catalog to contribute transcriptions, tags, and comments. Visit our Register and Get Started page for step-by-step instructions. Check out our Resources page for instructions and videos to help you with your work as a Citizen Archivist. For the Presidential Road Trip we recommend that you review the video How to Tag and Transcribe Records and What Makes A Good Tag?
As you transcribe, you work is autosaved. When you have finished with the page, click Publish and Close. Your transcription has been added to the Catalog and shortly all the words you typed will be searched every time someone conducts a search at catalog.archives.gov.
The most useful contribution for films are tags. We encourage you to watch the film and add descriptive details found within the films as you watch. You can tag the names of people you see in the film, locations, features and anything else you see on screen. All of these details make these films more discoverable in our Catalog.
Check out our guide What Makes A Good Tag to help understand what details and features you should look for when tagging films.
Some of our presidential records include a cover sheet or more with Freedom of Information Act [FOIA] information. You can skip the cover sheet(s) and begin your transcription work with the actual record.
We're excited that you are enjoying this special Citizen Archivist project. We always have a variety of tagging and transcription missions available to work on. Visit our Missions page to see what's currently featured. Additionally, you can always tag, transcribe, and comment on any digitized record in the National Archives Catalog. To learn how to search through the more than 115 million pages of digitized records, watch our video Searching the National Archives Catalog to Find Records to Transcribe.
Presidential Libraries can be found across the country, from Massachusetts to California. Plan your visit today. We look forward to welcoming you!
While you're there, but sure to pick up your Passport!
The Passport to Presidential Libraries is a program that gives visitors an opportunity to purchase a special keepsake booklet they can take with them on their travels to Presidential Libraries and Museums across the nation. A visitor receives a commemorative stamp from the library at the time of the purchase and can collect stamps from every Presidential Library visited in the future. Once they collect stamps from all Presidential Libraries, they may visit any of the Presidential Libraries for a special gift.
The Passports can be purchased at any of the thirteen Presidential Museums. The Passport retails for $5.00.
Still have questions? Check out our FAQ page for additional information.
What are other Citizen Archivists talking about on History Hub?
- Did the military branches have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) where they would send pregnant enlisted folks to a military site a thousand miles away from their home in order to have a baby?
- Rev. War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10478, for Robert Tharp, Georgia: 8th line up from the bottom, "Count Gillaspey was **** his men on horses" ; 4th line up from bottom, "Derby and Clark and**" and 2nd line up
- Seeking help transcribing a letter from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant, File W 14925, Stephen Homer, Mass. NAID 54915289: what are words before signature "James Gregory + Son"?
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- Evariste A. Talbot