UC Press Blog

With the opening of the Obama Presidential Center to the public on Friday, June 19, 2026, we thought it timely to revisit the history of presidential libraries. The Public Historian (TPH), which UC Press publishes in collaboration with the National Council on Public History (NCPH), has published extensively on the topic, including a 2006 special issue "Presidential Libraries: Programs, Policies, and the Public Interest," and a 2018 roundtable, "The Future of the Presidential Library." We invite you to read these and the other selections below from the journal's archive for free online for a limited time.

Special Issue:
Presidential Libraries: Programs, Policies, and the Public Interest
The Public Historian, Summer 2006, Volume 28, Issue 3

Roundtable:
The Future of the Presidential Library
The Public Historian, May 2018, Volume 40, Issue 2

Articles/Reviews:

Presidential Libraries and Museums: Opportunities for Genuine Reform 
R. Bruce Craig
The Public Historian (2006) 28 (4): 75–84.

Is There “Noncontroversial” History at Presidential Libraries?
Benjamin Hufbauer
The Public Historian (2006) 28 (4): 85–86.

Vietnam. Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Brian Robertson
The Public Historian (2023) 45 (4): 122–127.

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Allison Horrocks
The Public Historian (2023) 45 (3): 105–112.

Review: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Patrick Haughey
The Public Historian (2010) 32 (4): 160–168.

We invite you to read the content above for free online for a limited time. To secure ongoing access to TPH, please subscribe to the journal, ask your library to subscribe, and/or become a member of the National Council on Public History (NCPH) to receive access to TPH, as well as other member benefits.