Last updated: 3/18/2011
2313 Red River StreetAustin, TX 78705
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Mark Updegrove
phone: 512-721-0158
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Tina Houston
phone: 512-721-0206
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Judy Allen
phone: 512-721-0183
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Barbara Biffle
phone: 512-721-0185
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Sandy Cohen
phone: 512-721-0217
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Regina Greenwell
phone: 512-721-0214
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Michael Macdonald
phone: 512-721-0199
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Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum in Austin, TX is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.
Lady Bird Johnson spearheaded the effort to create a presidential library for her
husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson. In response to her efforts, the University of Texas regents proposed to build not only the presidential library and museum, but also to establish the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dedicated in 1971, the library houses the extensive records from LBJ's career as a public servant. The LBJ Library and Museum is one of ten presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA).
The LBJ library is seen as a trend-setter among presidential libraries in several respects. Unlike all the other presidential libraries, the LBJ library charges no admission thereby meeting one of LBJ's stipulations. LBJ had the foresight to recognize that the museum could not accomplish innovative projects and programs on the government payroll. Therefore, he created an endowment for the museum through the LBJ Foundation. In addition, the Friends of the LBJ Library was established to sponsor special activities and exhibitions. Through this outside support, the museum mounts at least two major exhibitions each year on a variety of aspects of American history, not necessarily related to the LBJ era. The board and staff have
expanded the mission of the institution beyond the term of the 36th president to include all of American history.
Under the federal governance of NARA, the LBJ Library has access to the National
Archives. In mounting their historical exhibitions, the library has brought a number of
critically important historical documents to Texas, such as the Magna Carta, the Emancipation Proclamation, and documents ending the Civil War and World Wars I and II. Many of these exhibitions have traveled to other presidential libraries after their debut in Austin.
The museum collection of 50,000 historical objects is divided into the following broad categories: personal items that belong to LBJ or the Johnson family, gifts from the American public, editorial cartoon collection, political campaign memorabilia collection (from 18th
century through the present), portraits and busts of famous political figures, and of course, the famous Head of State gifts which includes such highlights as the Roman portrait of a young boy (1-3 B.C.), Diego Rivera painting, Tang dynasty horses, folk art from around the world, oriental carpet collection, and textile collection.
The 46 million official documents from LBJ's public life are divided into the pre-White House years and the White House years. Some topics covered are Vietnam, foreign relations, the Dominican crisis, the six-day war in the Middle East, and Civil Rights, as well as the establishment of the Poverty Program, Medicare, Elementary & Secondary Education Act, and Higher Education Act.
Other archival collections include the papers of John Connally, Drew Pearson, Alvin Wirtz, Wright Patman, General William Westmoreland, Clark Clifford, and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). The oral history collection tracks LBJ from childhood to death, and includes input from over 1,000 individuals associated with LBJ personally or professionally. The over one million feet of audiovisual material include motion picture footage, film from the 1960s, video tapes, and dictaphone tapes of LBJ on the telephone. The photography collection consists of 600,000 still photographs and 500,000 photographic negatives that span the life of LBJ.
Docent program,Distinguished speaker series,Symposia,Scholarship grants
The museum publishes catalogues on a regular basis. They are available through the
museum shop.
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