Presidential Libraries are Focus of C-SPAN's New Presidential History Series
Press Release · Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Press Release
September 5, 2007

Presidential Libraries are Focus of C-SPAN’s New Presidential History Series

“Presidential Libraries:  History Uncovered” to debut this Friday, September 7 at 8 pm ET

Washington, DC…The first weekly segment of C-SPAN’s new series, produced with extensive assistance from the National Archives, will air on Friday, September 7. As the nation prepares to elect a new president in 2008, “Presidential Libraries:  History Uncovered” will offer a “behind the scenes” look at the modern American presidency, featuring the most authoritative experts and historians, and never-before-seen resources from the National Archives twelve Presidential Libraries.

Viewers will journey behind the exhibit halls of the Presidential Libraries to see the evolution of the modern presidency with extensive use of never- or rarely-seen film, video, private home movies, sound recordings, photographs, documents and artifacts collected from inside the Libraries' vaults. In addition, more than 1,000 rare recordings, identified for this series from the various Libraries' holdings, will be digitized by C-SPAN and made publicly available via the Internet.

“The National Archives is very grateful to C-SPAN for recognizing the value and unique contributions that Presidential Libraries make to our collective memory. C-SPAN has culled our holdings and has unearthed new materials that will delight and inform viewers,” said Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein.

"C-SPAN's distinct style and long experience producing history programs, combined with the resources of the National Archives Presidential Libraries will result in unique history programming for our viewers," said C-SPAN President Susan Swain.

Covering Presidents Hoover to Clinton, the 12-part “Presidential Libraries:  History Uncovered” series will air every Friday night at 8 p.m. ET, from September 7 through November 30, 2007.

Each live, two-hour program on location from one of the Presidential Libraries will include archival materials, interviews, and viewer call-in segments with respected experts such as curators, archivists, historians and other "witnesses to history." Live segments will take viewers where the public cannot go -- into the archives of each library where rare artifacts are preserved. Each program re-airs on C-SPAN later the same night at 11 pm ET (8 pm PT).

Richard Norton Smith, a nationally-recognized presidential historian who has served as the director of four National Archives Presidential Libraries, is a consultant to C-SPAN for this series and will take part in all twelve programs in both live and taped segments.

“Presidential Libraries:  History Uncovered” segments will be broadcast from the National Archives Presidential Libraries:

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, IA – September 7, 2007

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY – September 14, 2007

Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO – September 21, 2007

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, KS – September 28, 2007

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, MA – October 5, 2007

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, TX – October 12, 2007

Richard Nixon Presidential Library, College Park, MD & Yorba Linda, CA – October 19, 2007

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, MI – October 26, 2007

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, GA– November 2, 2007

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA – November 9, 2007

George Bush Presidential Library, College Station, TX – November 16, 2007

William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, AR – November 30, 2007

About the National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration, an independent Federal agency, is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 1934, its mission is unique —to serve American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives meets a wide range of information needs, among them helping people to trace their families' history, making it possible for veterans to prove their entitlement to medical and other benefits, and preserving original White House records. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries, and on the Internet at www.archives.gov.

About the Presidential Libraries

The National Archives and Records Administration operates twelve Presidential Libraries, representing U.S. Presidents from Herbert Hoover through Bill Clinton. These are not libraries in the usual sense. They are archives and museums, preserving the written record and physical history of our presidents, while providing special programs and exhibits that serve their communities. Described by President Reagan as “classrooms of Democracy,” Presidential Libraries belong to the American people and provide insight into the times in which these presidents lived and served the nation. More information about the Presidential Libraries is available online.

About C-SPAN

C-SPAN, the political network of record, was created in 1979 by America's cable companies as a public service. C-SPAN is currently available in 91.7 million households, C-SPAN2 in 84.5 million households, and C-SPAN3 in 13 million households nationwide. For more information, visit: www.c-span.org.

Note to Editors: Video and sound clips from the series are available online at www.C-SPAN.org/presidentiallibraries. Still photos or a DVD with video clips are available by contacting C-SPAN at 202-626-7958.

# # #

For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

07-131

Top of Page