Facts About The Kennedy Library
Director, John F. Kennedy Library: Deborah Leff
CEO, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation: John Shattuck
Purpose: The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.
Its purpose is to advance the study and understanding of President Kennedy's life and career and the times in which he lived; and to promote a greater appreciation of America's political and cultural heritage, the process of governing and the importance of public service.
Official Name: John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library
Other Appropriate Name: John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Dedication: October 20, 1979; dedicated by President Jimmy Carter; 36 million people contributed to the Library's construction.
Administered by: National Archives and Records Administration, United States Government, Washington, DC
Visitors: Approximately 200,000 visitors and schoolchildren annually to the museum; 1,600 research visits; 40,000 participants in community events and educational programs.
Location: Columbia Point, overlooking Boston's harbor and skyline, in the Dorchester section of Boston, where President Kennedy's mother lived as a girl and attended school.
Architect: I.M. Pei and Partners, New York, NY
Building: One of Boston's most dramatic architectural statements. 135,000 square foot library/archive with 9 story white, precast concrete tower building, glass-enclosed pavilion, and 18,000 square foot museum with two 230-seat orientation theaters; 20,000 square foot Stephen E. Smith Center (dedicated in 1991) adjoining Library used for education programs and conferences.
Site: 9.5 acre park landscaped with pine trees, shrubs and wild roses reminiscent of the landscape of Cape Cod familiar to President Kennedy. Site includes Kennedy's 26' sloop Victura cradled on the lawn and oriented toward the entrance to Boston Harbor, coincidentally known as President Roads. John T. Fallon State Pier located adjacent to grounds, used by harbor cruise boats bringing visitors to the Library.
Accessibility: Entrance with automatic doors; introductory film captioned; video presentations captioned; sound enhancement in theaters for hard of hearing; expanded space for wheelchairs in theaters.
Historical Materials
Papers of President Kennedy: 8,400,000 pages
Total Manuscript Holdings: 34,000,000 pages
Still Photographs: 180,000
Audio Tapes: 1,000
Printed Materials: 70,000 volumes
Film/Videotape: 6 million feet
Collections of Papers: 330
Oral History Interviews: 1,800
Total Museum Objects: 15,000
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