Summary
The Creation of
Presidential Records
Information as of July 30, 2024. Prepared by Meghan M. Stuessy, Analyst in Government Organization and Management, and
Jamie Bush, Visual Information Specialist.
Volume of Presidential Records
For more information about the Presidential Records Act, see CRS Report R46129: The Presidential Records Act: An Overview, by Meghan M. Stuessy.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Libraries: Frequently Asked Questions", May 14, 2024,
https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/frequently-asked-questions.
The Presidential Records Act (PRA) denes presidential records as "documentary materials, or any reasonably
segregable portion thereof, created or received by the President, the President's immediate staff-, or a unit or individual
of the Executive Office of the President whose function is to advise or assist the President, in the course of conducting
activities which relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the constitutional, statutory, or other official or
ceremonial duties of the President."
What are presidential records?
What Executive Office of the President (EOP) components create
presidential records?
The National Archives and Records
Administration administers 15
presidential libraries. The volume of
records materials has changed over
time from analog records to
electronic records.
Textual Records (Cubic feet)
Non-Textual Audio-Visual Records
(Cubic feet)
Electronic Records
(Terabytes)
The term presidential records includes any documentary materials relating to the political activities of the President or members of the
President's staff- if such activities relate to or have a direct effect upon the carrying out of constitutional, statutory, or other official or
ceremonial duties of the President. Personal records of a purely private or nonpublic character (such as diaries or journals) are not
considered presidential records.
Certain components create presidential records, while others create federal records. Presidential and federal records are accessible
under different statutory mechanisms.
Presidential Records Act (PRA)
44 U.S.C. §§2201-2209
• White House Office
• Office of the Vice President
• Office of Policy Development
• Council of Economic Advisors
• National Security Council
• President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
• President's Intelligence Oversight Board
• National Economic Council
• Office of Administration
Federal Records Act (FRA)
44 U.S.C. Chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of the United States Trade Representative
• Council on Environmental Quality
• Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
Cubic feet Terabytes
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Hoover
Roosevelt
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter
Reagan
Bush
Clinton
Bush
Obama
Trump
Candidates, Presidents-elect, and their
do not create presidential
records. However, their communications
between agencies or components of the
EOP (e.g., transition briefing materials,
agency working les) may be captured
under the FRA or PRA.
The President leaves office and
no longer creates presidential
records.
After entering office, the President and
components of the EOP create
presidential records. However,
under Title 44, Section 2201(3)(C) of the
U.S. Code, materials relating exclusively
to the President's own election to the
presidency or to the election of
individuals to federal, state, or local
office, are not presidential records.