ABOUT THE ARCHIVES

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Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin

Welcome to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library’s Archives. The Archives comprises approximately: 78 million pages of official records, 20 million email, 2 million photographs, and 12,500 videotapes documenting the life and career of the 42nd president of the United States.

The Clinton Library is the nation’s 11th presidential library, administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Library opened on November 18, 2004. Presidential Libraries are not libraries in the usual sense. They are archives bringing together the documents of a President and his administration. Presidential Libraries and Museums, like their holdings, belong to the American people without regard for political considerations or affiliations. Learn more about the Presidential Libraries History. The William J. Clinton Library is open to everyone. For hours of operation and how to begin research.

Clinton Presidential records are administered in accordance with the requirements of the 1978 Presidential Records Act or PRA (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22) and the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA (5 U.S.C., as amended). Records withdrawn under the statutes of the PRA remain closed for a period of twelve years following the end of the former president’s administration. Records withdrawn under the FOIA remain closed for longer and more variable periods of time. Clinton Records became subject to the Freedom of Information Act on January 20, 2006. Find more information about the FOIA.

The research room is open year-round, Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 4:30 and is closed on all Federal holidays. The research room is closed daily from 12:00-1:00 pm for lunch.  See special holiday hours for the research room on the Visit Us page. For questions about research, visiting the library, accessing videos, photos, documents, or audio please email us at clinton.library@nara.gov