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The Library

Built with private funds and then donated to the nation, the George W. Bush Presidential Library is comprised of the Presidential Archives and Museum.

Archives

Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library will house the official records of the Presidency of George W. Bush, featuring:

  • More than 60 million pages of paper records covering a vast array of policy topics
  • 80 terabytes of electronic information, including more than 200 million emails, making this by far the largest electronic records collection held by any presidential library
  • The Library will preserve and make these records available for future generations of historians, scholars, students, and interested citizens.

Using the archives as its foundation, the George W. Bush Presidential Library serves an important educational mission of informing Americans about critical public policy issues and, fundamentally, about how their government works.

Among other initiatives, the Archives will include The Freedom Collection. Until now, there has been no central repository for the archives of political dissidents struggling to bring freedom and opportunity to their nations. The Archives will provide a secure home and a place of study for these important papers—another compelling reason for scholars and journalists from around the world to visit the Center.

Museum

The Museum will tell the story of President and Mrs. Bush’s leadership, bringing to life the enduring American ideals that freedom is universal; all life is precious; to whom much is given, much is required; and results matter. Visitors, young and old, will be inspired to engage and serve in their communities.

The Museum will chronicle the challenging decisions the President and his Administration made, including the circumstances and information available and the core principles that guided each decision. These case studies will be presented so that visitors can consider each situation and reach their own individual conclusions in much the same way as if they were in the White House.

The Library and Museum will also house an exact replica of the Oval Office, complete with a southeastern exposure and Texas Rose Garden situated and designed to evoke its famous Washington counterpart, inviting visitors to experience the unique world of “Life in the White House,” America’s home.