Presidential archivist : a memoir / David E. Alsobrook.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alsobrook, David Ernest, 1946- author.

Contributor:

Mercer University Press.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Alsobrook, David Ernest, 1946-.

Alsobrook, David Ernest.

National Archives (U.S.)--Officials and employees.

National Archives (U.S.).

White House (Washington, D.C.)--History--20th century.

White House (Washington, D.C.).

Carter, Jimmy, 1924-2024.

Carter, Jimmy.

Bush, George, 1924-2018.

Bush, George.

Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-.

Bush, George W.

Clinton, Bill, 1946-.

Clinton, Bill.

Carter, Jimmy, 1924-.

Presidential libraries--United States--History--20th century.

Presidential libraries.

Archivists--Training of.

Archivists.

Archivists--United States--v Biography.

Employees.

History.

United States.

Genre:

History.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 275 pages, 20 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Macon, Georgia : Mercer University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"Like many other aspiring young historians in the 1970s, David Alsobrook fell victim to the "PhD glut" and the shrinking number of vacancies in traditional academic jobs. His completion of the Auburn University Archival Training Program in 1975 provided him with an alternative career pathway as a historian beyond teaching and research. A sizable portion of this memoir focuses on Alsobrook's archival career at the Alabama Department of Archives and History and three Presidential libraries. Based almost exclusively on his contemporaneous personal journals, correspondence, and notes, Presidential Archivist includes details about academic and practical training, typical duties, and the revolutionary impact of computerization upon the archival profession over the past four decades. During his National Archives career, Alsobrook had the unique opportunity to know several recent American Presidents and First Ladies-Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, George H. W. and Barbara Bush, George W. and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Not surprisingly, as an archivist he compiled copious records of his interactions with these Presidents and First Ladies. These records form the basis for his personal observations about each of these remarkable "national treasures" and their contributions to our nation. Alsobrook reveals that public perceptions of Presidents and First Ladies often are quite different from the actual occupants of the White House, most notably, when they are removed from the television cameras' merciless lens"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. "The Loveliest Village": The Auburn University Archival Training Program

2. Toiling In Milo Howard's Vineyard: The Alabama Department Of Archives And History

3. "Are You From Georgia?": My National Archives Initiation Rites

4. "Eyewitness To History": An Archivist In The White House

5. Building "Presidential Pyramids": The Carter Presidential Materials Project

6. "National Treasures": My Presidents And First Ladies

7. My Fall From Grace: A Cautionary Tale Of Redemption And Second Chances.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780881467635

0881467634

OCLC:

1157841436