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Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Coordinates: 42°17′16″N 83°42′45″W / 42.28781°N 83.712516°W / 42.28781; -83.712516
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Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located in Michigan
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located in the United States
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
General information
LocationAnn Arbor, Michigan, United States
Coordinates42°17′16″N 83°42′45″W / 42.28781°N 83.712516°W / 42.28781; -83.712516
Named forGerald R. Ford
Construction startedJanuary 15, 1979
InauguratedDedicated on April 27, 1981
Cost$4.3 million
ManagementNational Archives
University of Michigan
Technical details
Size50,000 square feet (4,600 m2)
Website
Ford Library

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a repository located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[1] The library houses archival materials on the life, career, and presidency of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States.[2] The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administrations presidential library system.

History

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While a member of the United States Congress, Ford began donating his congressional papers to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, his alma mater (B.A. 1935), in 1965.[3] As his presidency drew to a close, Ford offered to donate his presidential materials to a presidential library that would be built on the university's campus and administered by the National Archives.[3] Construction of the library started on January 15, 1979, and it was opened to the public on April 27, 1981.[4]

The Ford Library is currently the only National Archives presidential library that is physically separate from its presidential museum, although both sites share a common director. The Gerald R. Ford Museum is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ford's old congressional district and hometown, 130 miles west-northwest of Ann Arbor.[3]

Collection

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The majority of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library collection is made up of presidential and White House staff papers from 1974-1977. Papers from Betty Ford, additional pre- and post-presidential papers, research interviews and papers, as well as various Federal records are also included in the collection. In total, there are 3,500 hours of audio, 25 million pages of documents, 3,500 hours of motion picture film, 450,000 photographs, and 3,500 hours of video housed in the collection.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum". Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Gerald R. Ford Library". Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "BHL 75th Anniversary Collections". Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  4. ^ a b "About the Gerald R. Ford Library". Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
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