Even though you may think that I would never be one who would make a visit to the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock Arkansas, you would not only be wrong, but you may even be surprised to find out that I actually enjoyed that visit there (at least much more than I did the drama of his presidency. The Clinton Presidential Library and Museum is located within the Clinton Presidential Center and Park. In what looked to me as though it was built in a previously run down and old part of the town of Little Rock, but even having said that, it was now a very nice area and a beautiful facility. The Center also includes the Clinton Foundation (Little Rock office) and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
The archival and museum holdings at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum are the largest within the Presidential Library system. Included in these collections are approximately 76.8 million pages of paper documents, 1.85 million photographs and over 84,600 museum artifacts. Official records, as well as donated materials, will be made available to researchers.
In addition to the archival collection and research facilities, the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum features exhibits, special events, and educational programs. Many of which we also spent time viewing. The museum includes replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. These were actually very interesting. They also had permanent exhibits utilize documents, photographs, videos and interactive stations. A time-line and alcoves highlight domestic and foreign policy, as well as life in the White House.
Beginning a tradition that continues to this day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt raised private funds and built a library, which he gave to the U.S. government for operation through the National Archives. In 1955, this process became law when the U.S. Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act. But I did in fact wonder about how much Saudi money went into helping build this particular library.
As one of the library's statements explained; "The American Presidency is part of a unique heritage that is yours to explore through archives, museums, and special programs, Presidential Libraries preserve the documents and artifacts of our Presidents and provide insight into the times in which these Presidents lived and served the nation."
This place even had a dining room that was on that particular day that we visited, being set up for some Mexican celebration event. So the bottom-line is... that I really did enjoy the library and thought it was very well done. Many people that we told about our visit here to Little Rock wondered if they had the infamous "Blue Dress" on display there. I am sure that for most, that was just a common joke by people, but the truth is that there was actually a section of the library that did deal with that situation through the impeachment of the President by the House of Representatives. In fact I have included a shot of that particular area in this blog post.
"It depends upon what the meaning of the word is means. If is means is, and never has been, that's one thing. If it means, there is none, that was a completely true statement." ~ Bill Clinton (In the 1998 grand jury testimony on Monica Lewinsky affair.)
