“Ask the Archivist” Opens a New Door to Obama-Era History
By Francis Page Jr.
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July 23, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — History is usually introduced with a velvet rope, a glass display case and a respectful reminder not to touch anything. At Chicago’s newly opened Obama Presidential Center, however, history is being invited to pull up a chair and answer questions.
The Obama Foundation and the National Archives and Records Administration have launched “Ask the Archivist,” a public-access program that places a National Archives archivist on-site at the Obama Presidential Center Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Every Thursday from July 23 through October 8, 2026, visitors may stop by between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Central Time to learn how presidential records are preserved, researched and made available to the public.
That may sound like a niche opportunity reserved for scholars wearing elbow patches. It is not. The program welcomes curious visitors, students, teachers, journalists, family historians and everyday citizens who want to better understand how the decisions of an administration become part of the nation’s permanent record.
“The National Archives have been a tremendous partner to us as we work to illuminate the work of the Obama Administration at the Obama Presidential Center,” said Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett. She added that “Ask the Archivist” represents another way to make President Barack Obama’s work “accessible and transparent to the public.”
That word—accessible—is especially important. The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the nation’s first fully digital presidential library. An estimated 95 percent of the administration’s records were created digitally, including emails, photographs, videos, documents, social-media posts and other electronic files. NARA also received millions of pages of paper records that must be preserved, reviewed and digitized before broader public release.
Dr. Kenvi Phillips, director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, said the partnership allows Center visitors to do more than admire artifacts. They can also speak directly with archivists about the digital holdings and learn how to search for materials connected to the Obama years.
That is a meaningful upgrade from simply reading a museum label. Archivists are the patient detectives of democracy. They organize enormous collections, protect fragile materials, review records for public access and help researchers locate the historical needle inside a digital haystack.
The partnership also reflects the unusual structure of the Obama legacy institutions. The Obama Foundation operates the privately funded Presidential Center and Museum, while NARA retains custody of the official presidential records and manages the digital Barack Obama Presidential Library. NARA-owned artifacts and records may be loaned to the Center for public exhibition, connecting the physical museum experience with the federally maintained archive.
For Houston-area educators, students, civic organizations and journalists, the significance reaches well beyond Chicago. Released Obama Administration records can be explored online, making the collection a national classroom available from a school library, newsroom or living-room laptop. The archive offers opportunities to study policy, leadership, communications, civil rights, public service and the workings of American democracy.
“Ask the Archivist” reminds us that preserving history is not about locking the past away. It is about giving people the tools to examine it, question it and carry its lessons forward.
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Visit Obama.org for information about the Obama Foundation and Presidential Center. Explore released presidential records and digital resources at ObamaLibrary.gov. Branch details, hours and directions are available through the Chicago Public Library.
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