The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library is the first of the presidential libraries. It was conceived and built under President Roosevelt's direction during 1939-40 on 16 acres of land in Hyde Park, New York, donated by the President and his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt. The library resulted from the President's decision that a separate facility was needed to house the vast quantity of historical papers, books, and memorabilia he had accumulated during a lifetime of public service and private collecting.

The Library's museum contains extensive displays on the lives and careers of both President and Mrs. Roosevelt. Through the use of documents, photographs, historic memorabilia, and multimedia technology, the exhibits document that turbulent period of our nation's history from the Great Depression through World War II.