Clarke Middle School students visiting the Russell Library
The University of Georgia Libraries acquired the Richard B. Russell Memorial Library in 1973 through the combined efforts of the Richard B. Russell Foundation, Inc., Georgia General Assembly, and University System of Georgia. Dedicated in 1974, the Russell Library originally housed the collections of Senator Russell and his contemporaries in the Georgia congressional delegation. In 1982, the Russell Library established a formal collection policy for acquiring the records of Georgia elected officials and political figures, federal appointees, and political parties and related groups. The Library rebranded as the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies in December 1994. In January 2013, it assumed responsibility for the Georgia Capitol Museum in Atlanta.
The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies serves as a center for the study of American politics. With specific emphasis on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Russell Library seeks to document the dynamic relationship of politics, policy, and public life through the archival records oral histories, and material culture of individuals and organizations. The Russell Library also develops public programming and educational materials that encourage and facilitate research and scholarship and provides learning opportunities for the communities it serves.
A department of the University of Georgia Libraries, the Russell Library reports to the Associate University Librarian for Special Collections. The Richard B. Russell Foundation provides supplemental financial and advisory support. The University Librarian is an ex- officio member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and the Russell Library Director makes an annual report to the Foundation.
For more information, please read the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies Collection Development Policy.