Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Library Collections
  3. Records of the National Archives and Records Administration: Records of the Harry S. Truman Library: Library Visitor Registers (Record Group 64)

Records of the National Archives and Records Administration: Records of the Harry S. Truman Library: Library Visitor Registers (Record Group 64)

Dates: 1957-1982

Registers of the Harry S. Truman Library

These records consist of twenty-four books signed by visitors to the Harry S. Truman Library. Along with their signatures, most of the visitors listed their places of residence or the organizations they represented. A few of the signatures are those of famous persons, such as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter.

[Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: 1 linear feet, 9 linear inches (Approximately 3,200 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Documents created by the United States Government employees in the course of their official duties are in the public domain.
Processed by: Shannon Lausch, David Clark (2011).
Updated by: Cassandra Schimpf (2017) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.


[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

AGENCY HISTORY NOTE

The Records of the Harry S. Truman Library are included among the Records of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Record Group 64. From the time of the Library's establishment in 1957 until 1985, the Library was part of NARA's predecessor agency, the National Archives and Records Service (NARS), which in turn was part of the General Services Administration. NARA was established as an independent agency in 1985.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The Library Visitor Registers consist of twenty-four books signed by visitors to the Harry S. Truman Library from April 1957 to December 1982. The books had spaces for visitors to write the date, their names, and their places of residence, or the names of the organizations they represented.

The twenty-four books contain about 40,000 signatures. It appears that the books were typically signed by visitors who entered the administrative entrance of the Truman Library, and not necessarily by visitors to the museum. From 1957 to 1972, former President Truman maintained an office near the administrative entrance, which was used by visitors who wanted to meet Mr. Truman or talk to members of his staff. Tourists, archival researchers, and guests of the Library Director may also have signed the books.

The books include the signatures of many notable people, including Harry S. Truman (April 12, 1957), John F. Kennedy (November 19, 1959), and Jimmy Carter (September 2, 1980).

Other records of the Harry S. Truman Library include the Director's Reading File, the Director's Office File, and the the Director's Trip and Speech Files.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Container Nos.

 

Series

1-4

  LIBRARY VISITOR REGISTERS, 1957-1982
Truman Library visitor registers, arranged in chronological order.
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

FOLDER TITLE LIST

LIBRARY VISITOR REGISTERS, 1957-1982

Box 1

  • Book 1, April 12, 1957-March 11, 1958
  • Book 2, March 12, 1958-August 13, 1958
  • Book 3, August 13, 1958-April 18, 1959
  • Book 4, April 18, 1959-September 29, 1959
  • Book 5, September 29, 1959-May 10, 1960
  • Book 6, May 11, 1960-August 3, 1960
  • Book 7, August 3, 1960-April 3, 1961
  • Book 8, April 3, 1961-August 17, 1961

Box 2

  • Book 9, August 17, 1961-March 30, 1962
  • Book 10, March 31, 1962-September 20, 1962
  • Book 11, September 20, 1962-June 15, 1963
  • Book 12, June 16, 1963-December 4, 1963
  • Book 13, December 4, 1963-June 26, 1964
  • Book 14, June 27, 1964-March 9, 1965
  • Book 15, March 9, 1965-August 15, 1965

Box 3

  • Book 16, August 26, 1965-May 12, 1966
  • Book 17, May 12, 1966-April 22, 1967
  • Book 18, April 24, 1967-July 25, 1968
  • Book 19, July 26, 1968-February 19, 1970
  • Book 21, June 23, 1971-December 22, 1972
  • Book 22, December 26, 1972-April 4, 1977

Box 4

  • Book 23, April 11, 1977-March 18, 1981
  • Book 24, October 25, 1980-December 29, 1982
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Agency History Note | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]