Obama Presidential Library Draws Public Attention

Many things are given to United States presidents, whether they ask for them or not. The usual suspects are gifts, symbols, and the physical appearance of someone who is a full decade older than they are. One of the less discussed but most impactful endowments made to former chiefs of office is the establishment of a presidential library.

The long-awaited Obama Presidential Library is set to open in June. Located in Chicago’s Jackson Park, the institution has generated significant local and national attention throughout its development and marketing.

The library is the fourteenth to be administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) since the agency’s creation under Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is the first of these specialized institutions to be entirely digitized and currently holds over thirty-five thousand artifacts related to the Obamas’ time in the White House. 

While the establishment of a new library is typically a boon for local neighborhoods and communities, the nature and scale of a presidential library have raised some concerns among the public. These concerns primarily focus on gentrification and how the organization plans to address this pervasive, well-documented issue. 

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So far, the organizers have demonstrated an interest in protecting local community and business interests. Some examples of their efforts include shifting a parking garage underground to avoid blocking neighborhood gardens' access to sunlight, contracting a local chef to run the cafeteria kitchen, and prioritizing cooperation with racially diverse businesses. Only time will tell whether these measures will prove effective at keeping the resources generated by the library mostly within the community it serves. 

Other issues have been raised regarding the library’s physical design and architecture. One notable characteristic is a distinct lack of windows, a decision made to protect the library's more delicate materials. Sunlight and other external factors can cause damage over time to certain items.

Another criticism of the architecture is specific to the museum building. This component of the compound has been adorned with a passage from Obama’s speech marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches. Some have noted that stretching the text across two sides of the building has made it much harder to decipher. 

Questionable architectural choices aside, the opening of this library will allow patrons to develop a deeper understanding of recent American history, particularly the Obama presidency. Presidential libraries demonstrate how integral cultural heritage institutions are to the education of local and national communities. While they may be vulnerable to bias due to political interests, they offer patrons the opportunity to discover and examine a wide range of materials with political, economic, and cultural significance. 

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