CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Arrangement and Content of Lists

Research Services

Other Resources

Finding Aids

Access to Materials

Loan Policies

Copyright Law

Citing Library Materials

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute

Recent Acquisitions

Manuscript Collections

Federal Records

Microfilm

Interview Transcripts

Eleanor Roosevelt Oral History Transcripts

FDR Collections in Other Repositories

FOREWORD

It seems to me that the dedication of a
library is in itself an act of faith.
To bring together the records of the past
and to house them in buildings
where they will be preserved for the use of
men and women in the future, a
Nation must believe in three things.
It must believe in the past.
It must believe in the future.
It must, above all, believe in the capacity of
its own people so to learn from
the past that they can gain in judgment in
creating their own future.
...This latest addition to the archives of
America is dedicated at a moment
when government of the people by
themselves is being attacked everywhere.
It is, therefore, proof - if any proof is
needed - that our confidence in the
future of democracy has not diminished in
this Nation and will not diminish.



Franklin D. Roosevelt

Remarks at the dedication of the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
June 30, 1941

 

This is a list of holdings of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. Included are the President's personal and family papers, papers covering his public career at the state and national level, those of Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as those of many of his associates in public and private life.

The Library, a gift to the American people from the President, had its beginnings in 1939 when Franklin Roosevelt turned over to the Government 16 acres of the family estate at Hyde Park. The nation's first presidential library was completed in 1940, and soon thereafter material began arriving from Washington.

It is now the permanent repository for some 385 separate collections comprising over 17 million pages of manuscript, 130,000 photographs, plus hundreds of sound recordings, and thousands of feet of motion picture film. These are supported by 44,000 books covering the life and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Most of these papers were available to the public in 1951, only six years following the President's death, an action without precedent in our nation's history. Today there are nine presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library's standing as a center for historical education and research is a tribute to the President whose vision made it possible and to the work of former directors and staff members who have gathered a most remarkable assemblage of historical material.

Cynthia Koch
Director

INTRODUCTION

This is the list of holdings of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library as of February 2003. As new materials are received, and formerly closed portions of present holdings are opened, notice of such changes will appear in Prologue , a quarterly publication of the National Archives, and the relevant learned journals. Researchers may also inquire about the status of materials by letter to the Director of the Library.

Materials in the Library are grouped by type: manuscripts, microfilm, and oral history transcripts. Where manuscript or microfilm entries consist of personal papers, they are listed alphabetically under the name of the person. Entries also identify the person's position or relationship to the Roosevelts, or the pursuits most reflected in his papers. Papers of organizations appear alphabetically under the name of the body that created the materials. Records of government agencies are listed alphabetically under a separate category entitled "Federal Records." Where appropriate, the inclusive dates of available material are given. If there is a National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) entry, it is also noted. Those collections for which special restrictions exist are also indicated.

The size of manuscript holdings is listed in linear feet, at about 2,000 pages per foot. Amounts of less than a linear foot are shown as " -1." Microfilm holdings are given in number of reels. Oral history transcripts are noted by the name and identification of the persons interviewed and the number of pages in the transcript.

It is suggested that persons wishing to use the Library's materials make advance application to the Director of the Library. This will allow the researcher to complete the necessary form prior to arrival, and will also enable the staff to determine the scope and bearing of available materials on the topic. In completing the application form, please supply detailed information on your research topic. If a topic is changed, or additional topics are added, please indicate this in writing. On occasion, the archivist may not feel there is sufficient material at the Library to warrant a special trip, and advance application may save the researcher time and money.

Library material may be used only in the Research Room which is open from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on federal holidays. Regulations governing the use of materials are outlined in National Archives General Information Leaflet No. 2, " Regulations for the Public Use of Records in the National Archives."

The Library has a clean Research Room policy, permitting only writing implements into the room. Typewriters, personal computers and tape recorders may be used for taking notes. All other paper, books, briefcases, notepads, coats and handbags must be left in a designated area outside the Research Room. The Library provides note paper and note cards.

Photocopy reproduction services are offered for a fee. Prepayment is required for all orders. The Library accepts all credit cards. Limited self-service copying is available on a machine located in the Research Room.

The Library will provide answers to specific questions received by mail, fax or e-mail if the information desired is reasonably brief and pertinent to the Library's archival holdings. Photocopies of specific documents or entire folders may also be ordered by mail or fax. However, the Library cannot undertake substantial research for a requester. (Fax number is 845-486-1147, e-mail address is roosevelt.library@nara.gov ).

In addition to manuscripts, the Library has a variety of other resources available to aid the researcher. At the heart of the Library's collection of 45,000 volumes is Roosevelt's personal library of 15,000 books and pamphlets. From boyhood he collected books on history, economics, government, public affairs, and travel. Also housed in the library are his special collections of books on the history of the Navy, the history of Dutchess County, British and American literary classics, early juveniles, and ornithology.

Basic reference works and monographs on the Roosevelt era are available in the Research Room. The Library also has a large collection of monographs, dissertations, government publications, periodicals, and pamphlets. The archivists can provide information on the use of these materials.

The audiovisual collection includes still pictures, motion pictures, and sound recordings. The 130,000 still photographs range from professional portraits to candid snapshots. Subjects include the Roosevelt family, their friends and colleagues, and historical naval photographs. The 700 reels of motion picture film contain professional and amateur footage, newsreels, movies by government agencies, television filmclips, and videotapes. Sound recordings of President and Mrs. Roosevelt, their associates, government agency productions, and news programs total 4,000 items. They are open for research. The Library can provide copies of most such items for a reproduction fee. A finding aid for audiovisual holdings is available in the Research Room.

Finding aids to the Library's manuscripts are available in the Research Room. They are designed to help the researcher find material of interest to him and should be read carefully.

Each collection in the Library is described by a finding aid. The smaller collections usually have one-page descriptions that provide basic information about each collection, including biographical data on the individual who collected the papers, a brief description of the papers, restrictions on access, and information on copyright. Most of the larger collections have more detailed finding aids. The most common is the shelf list, which indicates by folder or box the organization of the papers. For several of the more significant or frequently used collections (e.g., the President's Official File and the President's Personal File), the shelf list is alphabetically indexed. For some collections, or substantial portions of them, there are card indexes for individual documents.

In addition to these finding aids, the archivist in the Research Room will be happy to furnish further information if asked.

The Library makes every effort to provide the researcher with all the materials he requests. However, certain collections contain material which is closed, either by stipulation of the donor or by government regulations. Some collections may be made available only if the researcher obtains the donor's permission. Information on the restrictions on each collection is available in the finding aid. In addition, collections which require permission for access, or which have a significant quantity of closed material, or which have not been processed and are not available for research as of February 1, 2003, are so described in this publication. Researchers who are interested in using these collections are urged to write the Director of the Library in advance for more information on their status.

Comparatively few documents in most collections are now closed, either because of donor restrictions or security classification. In order fully to inform researchers about closed material, each file from which documents have been removed will contain a document control card, listing all security classified or donor restricted documents. The staff of the Library continuously reviews closed material, with a view to opening as much as possible. Information on the progress of this review will be provided each researcher at the Library, and is published in Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives . A complete listing of all items opened since 1985 is available in the Research Room.

Under the provisions of Executive Order 12356, a researcher may request mandatory review of U.S. security classified material more than ten years old. The review is made by the government department or agency which originally imposed the restriction. The archivist on duty can provide information on either review program.

Only those materials listed in the section " Federal Records" are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The Library loans oral history transcripts, finding aids for manuscript collections and selected microfilms. As many as three items may be borrowed at one time. No further loans will be made to the same researcher until previously loaned items have been returned. Original documents and files are not available on loan.

Loan requests should be made by the researcher's library to the Director using a standard interlibrary loan form. Items will be sent directly to the researcher's interlibrary loan institution. A request list may be submitted, and three items at a time will be sent until the list is exhausted.

Loans are made for a period of four weeks. Renewals are available upon written or telephone request at (845) 486-7770 if the particular item is not in demand by another researcher.

Transcripts of oral histories include a copy of the deed of gift that specifies restrictions, including copyright and photocopying restrictions. It is the researcher's responsibility to abide by these restrictions.

The United States Copyright Law (P.L. 94-553, effective January 1, 1978) extends statutory rights of authorship to unpublished works, which were previously protected by literary property rights under common law. Such works do not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to receive protection under the law.

In general, the law provides copyright protection for a term of the life of the author plus 70 years. Unpublished and uncopyrighted works created before January 1, 1978, are covered as of that date by this same provision and are protected at the minimum until December 31, 2002. Works already in the public domain and works prepared by the U.S. Government employees as part of official duties are not protected by copyright.

Researchers are advised that copyright gives to the author the sole right of publication and descends to his heirs for the term of the copyright, regardless of the ownership of the physical embodiment of the work. Persons wishing to publish any unpublished writings included in the papers of the Library should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright. Permission to reproduce copyrighted materials in the Library's still photograph, motion picture, cartoon, and oral history collections must also be obtained from the copyright holder.

If names of the copyright holders are known to the Library, they will be furnished upon request. Some individuals who have given their papers to the Library have dedicated their literary property rights or have transmitted their copyrights to the government.

The Copyright Law provides for " fair use" of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder. Fair use encompasses scholarship and research, although the extent of such use is bounded by limitations on quotation and reproduction.

Accurate citations from Library sources will assist the researcher who is using the material, and the Library staff, when asked for cited materials. Citations should include the type of document (e.g. letter, memo, etc.), name of sender and recipient, date, file number (where appropriate), and the collection in which it is filed. Citations should end with reference to the Roosevelt Library. The Library does not object to abbreviated forms.

Citations of material from microfilm or oral history transcripts should mention that fact. Box numbers should not be used because collections are often reboxed and the numbers change. The following examples illustrate the above format:

Letter, Franklin D. Roosevelt to R. Walton Moore, February 18, 1939, Official File 20 (Department of State), Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.

Memorandum, Hull to Morgenthau, Dec. 5, 1940, Morgenthau Diaries, vol. 236, pp. 15-17, Roosevelt Library.

Press Conference No. 508, December 5, 1940, Press Conferences, XIII, 287, FDR Library.

Transcript, Hilda Smith oral history interview, p. 76, Roosevelt Library.

Letter, Hopkins to Roosevelt, Jan. 5, 1933, microfilm of Harry L. Hopkins papers, Roosevelt Library.

THE FRANKLIN AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, a private, non-profit organization, is funding a program of small grants-in-aid for historical research on the " Roosevelt years" or clearly related subjects. Research grants, not to exceed $2,500, are awarded to doctoral and postdoctoral candidates for projects based primarily on the collections of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year. Awards will be announced twice a year, in the spring and fall. Applicants for research grant should write:

The Assistant Secretary
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
4079 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, New York 12538

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RECENT ACQUISITIONS

The additional papers contain correspondence by Eleanor Roosevelt, 1951-1962 as well as Miss Corr's personal correspondence about Mrs. Roosevelt, primarily after Mrs. Roosevelt's death in November 1962.

The papers consist primarily of personal correspondence and materials relating to his lectures and writings. Additional materials concerning his various art projects and activities also are included.

The papers consist of Roosevelt family correspondence, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John Roosevelt's business papers as an employee of Bache and Company, and personal correspondence, 1957-1981.

WILLIAMS, AUBREY - Papers (4 Feet)

Additional papers of Aubrey Williams, 1950-1962, donated in 2002. The Library received approximately 8,000 pages of additional papers of Aubrey W. Williams, a New Deal economic adviser to President Roosevelt and executive director of the National Youth Administration from 1935-1942. The materials primarily concern Williams' later political interests, including his efforts to abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee and his activities in promotion of civil liberties and racial integration. Also included are personal correspondence and writings, correspondence with Eleanor Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, and personal financial information concerning his various business and farming activities.

MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

The size of manuscript holdings is listed in linear feet, at about 2,000 pages per foot. Amounts of less than a linear foot are shown as " -1."

FEDERAL RECORDS

The size of manuscript holdings is listed in linear feet, at about 2,000 pages per foot. Amounts of less than a linear foot are shown as " -1."

MICROFILM

Microfilm holdings are given in number of reels.