The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life. The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter's Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Carter Administration, including a reproduction of the Resolute desk. The Carter Library and Museum includes some parts that are owned and administered by the federal government, and some that are privately owned and operated. The library and museum are run by the National Archives and Records Administration and are part of the Presidential Library system of the federal government. Privately owned areas house Carter's offices and the offices of the Carter Center, a non-profithuman rightsagency. The building housing the library and museum makes up 69,750 square feet, with 15,269 square feet of space for exhibits and 19,818 square feet of archive and storage space. The library stacks house 27 million pages of documents; 500,000 photos, and 40,000 objects, along with films, videos, and audiotapes. These collections cover all areas of the Carter administration, from foreign and domestic policy to the personal lives of President and Mrs. Carter. The complex lies next to John Lewis Freedom Parkway, which was originally called "Presidential Parkway" in its planning stages.
History
Early in his administration, Carter indicated interest in having his presidential library be built in Georgia. The site chosen was in the Poncey–Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, on land that had been acquired by the state of Georgia Department of Transportation, for an interchange between two redundant highways that were cancelled by Carter when he was governor of Georgia, in response to the Atlanta freeway revolts. The Atlanta firm of Jova/Daniels/Busby was selected as architects, in cooperation with Lawton/Umemura/Yamamoto of Hawaii. During design and construction, Carter's papers were temporarily housed at the former post office building in downtown Atlanta. Construction commenced on October 2, 1984, and the library was opened to the public on Carter's 62nd birthday, October 1, 1986. Construction cost $26 million, funded by private contributions. A $10 million renovation of the museum began in April 2009 with completion on President Carter's 85th birthday in October 2009. The first director of the library and museum was Dr. Donald Schewe, who originally assisted with the transfer and processing of the Carter Administration materials at the end of Carter's term in early 1981. As of 2014, the current director is Dr. Meredith Evans, an Atlanta native who had held various leadership positions in special collections and libraries in institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis and George Washington University. The library and museum offers free admission to all students 16 and under. They can either go on a docent or self-guided tour. Together the library and The Coca-Cola Foundation have established funding for the library to provide transportation funds for all Georgia schools to use when bringing students to the museum for education activities.
