Intro: Search and Research

 

How to Search DiscoverLBJ.org

The search page is the main access point for digital items and descriptive materials. It is still very much in development. Here are a few tips to find items:

- To pull up items from a specific date, format the search as "yyyy-mm-dd", including quotes.
- For a keyword search, enter your search term and then filter by clicking on the terms on the left.
- Not all collections have metadata in all of the fields; the Daily Diary, for example, has no subject keywords. All digitized items include Collection, Type, and Specific Item Type.
- Digitized typed documents will also be searched. In some cases, like the daily diaries, the search will be imperfect as the text cannot be read completely or accurately. 

Tags:
-- The Digital Item tag is applied to all digitized archival holdings.
-- Bio Pages are brief biographical summaries for oral history interviewees and creators of archival collections.
 -- Folder Title Lists have descriptive information for onsite collections, which for the most part do not include digitized material. To check a folder title list to see which folders have been digitized, search "Scanned" within the PDF.
 -- Subject Guides are topical guides to our holdings. There are many more available on LBJLibrary.net

Searching Specific Digitized Collections

 - Telephone conversations [9277 items, text and audio.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = Recordings and Transcripts of Telephone Conversations and Meetings

 - Oral histories [1705 items, text.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = LBJ Library Oral Histories

- Photographic contact sheets [27068 items, still images. No descriptive metadata other than dates.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = White House Photo Office Collection

 - Daily diaries [5252 items. No descriptive metadata other than dates.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Specific Item Type = Daily diary, and then the Collection (Lady Bird's, LBJ Presidential, or LBJ pre-Presidential)

- Mrs. Johnson's White House Diary [862 items, audio and text. 100% complete.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = Lady Bird Johnson's White House Diary AND Specific Item Type = Personal diary. Each item represents one day of the diary, and nearly all are composed of items from both the Audio and the Transcript series. 

- Mrs. Johnson's Speeches [199 items, text. Partial set]. To search, enter a search term and filter by Specific Item Type = Speech AND Contributor = Johnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007

- Lady Bird and LBJ's Courtship Letters [83 items, text. Transcribed.]. To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = Personal Papers of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson

- Meeting Notes [407 items in main collections.] To search, enter a search term and filter by Specific Item Type = Meeting notes, and Collection if desired

- The "X -File" [2 folders] See folders here

- The National Security Files collection includes many digitized folders. To search, enter a search term and filter by Collection = National Security Files, and Series if known. 

  Back to Top

Doing Research at the LBJ Library

This List of Holdings contains descriptions of our archival holdings, which are measured in linear feet. As a rule of thumb, one linear foot includes roughly 2,000 pages. A roll of microfilm holds approximately 1,000 pages. Folder title lists describe the contents of specific boxes in each collection.

Our archivists have assembled a number of subject guides about common topics that are designed to provide a starting point for researchers. They include a variety of archival collections but are not intended to be comprehensive. They are currently on our available Research Collections website and are also being added to this site.

The Library is open for research from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Reading Room is closed on national holidays. Researchers must contact the Library in advance to schedule a research appointment. Please visit LBJLibrary.org for more information about in-person research.

If you cannot visit the Library, we may be able to provide scans of folders for a charge of $.25/page. Please email [email protected] for details.

  Back to Top

Holdings Access and Usage

Materials in the Library are available on an equal basis to all researchers. However, some collections or parts of collections have not yet been processed and therefore are not open for research. In those cases, open folders are denoted on the folder-title lists. 

Furthermore, the Library is required to withdraw certain documents from processed manuscript collections in accordance with federal government regulations or with restrictions imposed by donors in their deeds of gift. Donor restrictions result in the withdrawal of a small number of documents, usually to protect individual privacy. Federal government regulations require the withdrawal of a larger number of documents, usually for reasons of national security.

Documents which have been withdrawn from collections are listed on withdrawal sheets, which are placed in the file folders made available to researchers. Researchers may request the review of donor restricted documents by writing to the Director of the Library. Declassification of security classified documents may be requested through mandatory review.

Please contact the LBJ Library for the most recent version of the Library's records. We hope to keep digitized items on DiscoverLBJ up-to-date when restrictions are lifted, but there may be delays. Scans posted here may not include newly released pages available at the Library.

Copyright

The United States copyright law (P.L. 94-553, effective January 1, 1978) extends statutory rights of authorship to unpublished works, which do not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to receive protection under the law. In general the law provides copyright protection for a term of the life of the author plus fifty years. Works already in the public domain and work prepared by U. S. Government employees as part of official duties are not protected by copyright.

Researchers are advised that copyright gives to the author the sole right of publication and descends to his/her heirs for the term of the copyright, regardless of the ownership of the physical embodiment of the work. Persons wishing to publish any documents, still photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, cartoons, or oral histories should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright. If names of the copyright holders are known to the Library, they will be furnished upon request. 

If you believe that a digitized item on this website is in violation of your copyright, please contact us at [email protected] so that we may remove it.

Statement on Potentially Harmful Content

The Catalog and web pages of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provide access to many millions of descriptions and digital copies of the permanent records of the United States federal government.

The Catalog and web pages contain some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. NARA’s records span the history of the United States, and it is our charge to preserve and make available these historical records. As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance.

The National Archives is committed to working with staff, communities, and peer institutions to assess and update descriptions that are harmful and to establish standards and policies to prevent future harmful language in staff-generated descriptions.

See NARA's complete statement and FAQ here. 

  Back to Top

Citing Archival Materials

Citations to LBJ Library materials should be specific enough to permit other researchers and Library staff to locate individual items. It is recommended that citations identify items by document type, sender and recipient (for letters and memos) or by title (for reports) or by place of origin and number (for cables), date, folder title, box number, collection, and Library name. Examples for specific collections:

White House Central Files (WHCF) 

A memo in the Executive Subject file:
- Memo, David Hornig to the President, 5/13/65, Ex ED 2, WHCF, Box 5, LBJ Library.
A letter attached to a memo in the General Subject file:

- Letter, James Webb to Joe Califano, 6/17/65, attached to Califano memo to the President, 6/18/65, GEN LE/FA 2, WHCF, Box 42, LBJ Library.

A photocopy of the first page of a document is used as a cross-reference in the WHCF. In most cases the original is the document of choice for citation. If the cross-reference is used:
- Cross reference, Memo, (unknown) to Douglass Cater, 9/22/66, Ex FA 2, WHCF, Box 6, LBJ Library.
See the White House Central Files collection description for more information on the cross-reference system.

National Security Files (NSF)

NSF consists of a number of sub-series, including: Country File, Vietnam Country File, Memos to the President, Agency File, and others. These files include numbered documents. It is very important to include the document number, sub-series file name, folder title, and NSF in citations.

- Cable, State 77828 to Lagos, 12/1/67, #30, “Nigeria, Vol. II,” Country File, NSF, Box 96, LBJ Library.
Memo, Charles Schultze and Henry Fowler to the President, 8/3/66, #41a, “Walt Rostow, Vol. 11,” Memos to the President File, NSF, Box 10, LBJ Library.
- Cable, Tel Aviv 4118, 6/13/67, #12a, “Middle East Crisis, Vol. 5, Tabs 151-169,” National Security Council History, NSF, Box 18, LBJ Library.

Selected other collections

Office Files of the White House Aides
- Memo, Manatos to McPherson, 3/5/65, “State of the Union,” Office Files of Bill Moyers, Box 42, LBJ Library.

Statements of Lyndon B. Johnson
- Speakers Notes, 2/8/65, “Remarks of the President on the 55th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America,” Statements of Lyndon Baines Johnson, Box 139, LBJ Library.

Meeting Notes
- Report, “Summary of Leadership Meeting,” 8/4/64, #3a, “August 4, 1964, Leadership Breakfast,” Meeting Notes File, Box 1, LBJ Library. 

Legislative Background
- Summary, “Summary of Truth-in-Packaging Bill,” no date, “The Fight Begins Again – 1965 (1 of 2),” Legislative Background, Truth in Packaging, Box 1, LBJ Library.

Task Forces
- 1965 Outside Task Force on Education, p. 32, Task Force Reports, Box 6, LBJ Library.

White House Social Files
- Letter, Allen Anderson to Lady Bird Johnson, 8/19/68, “Beautification – Anderson, AF,” White House Social Files, Alpha File, Box 82, LBJ Library.
- Menu, 2/14/67, “Dinner for Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (Richard Tucker & Nedda Casei performed),” White House Social Files, Liz Carpenter’s File, Box 32, LBJ Library.

House of Representatives and Senate Papers
- Memo, John Connally to Lyndon Johnson, 3/6/45, “Southwestern University,” 1954 Case Files Relating to War Department Matters, House of Representative Papers of Lyndon B. Johnson, Box 35, LBJ Library.
- Memo, Lyndon Johnson to Walter Jenkins, 8/15/59, “Elections Campaign-Texas Politics,” 1959 Subject Files, Senate Papers of Lyndon B. Johnson, Box 669, LBJ Library.
- Letter, Jake Pickle to Lyndon Johnson, 6/15/54, “Correspondence – J.J. Pickle,” Senate Political Files, Box 19, LBJ Library.

Vice Presidential Papers
- Agenda, NSC Meeting, 7/9/63, #1a, “National Security Council – 1962-63,” Box 5, Vice Presidential Security File, LBJ Library.
Letter, Sargent Shriver to Lyndon Johnson, 6/20/62, “Foreign Relations, Aid, Peace Corps (1 of 2),” Vice Presidential Papers, Box 195, LBJ Library.

Federal Records collections
- Transcript of Hearing held 7/29/67, “Transcripts and Agenda of Hearings,” Series 8, Box 3, Records of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission), LBJ Library. 
-Memo, Harold Howe to Douglass Cater, 6/18/67, “Legislation,” Records of the Office of Education, Department of HEW, Roll (or Reel) 7, LBJ Library.

Oral histories
- Transcript, Bess Abell Oral History Interview I, May 28, 1969, by T. H. Baker, page 27, LBJ Library.

  Back to Top