Date of tip: 13 September 2005

Source: Louise Woodroofe – L.P.Woodroofe@lse.ac.uk

Location: 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

How to get there:  Atlanta is a very busy international airport with direct flights from all over the world.  It is the hub for Delta Airlines.  Once in Atlanta, take MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Mass Transit Authority) train to Five Points station.  (MARTA goes to and from the airport).  From Five Points, take the “16 Noble” bus to the Library.  (It’s fairly obvious, but the bus drivers are friendly so feel free to ask where you should disembark).  There are taxis to and from the airport, but this will be relatively expensive as the airport is slightly out of town.

Language: English 

Getting started: It’s a good idea to contact the archive by e-mail ahead of time to ensure that there are documents ready for you and that someone is prepared to help with registration (getting an ID and discussing rules with you).  Do bring a passport for identification.

Opening Hours: 8:30am to 4:30 pm M-F.  Closed weekends and holidays.

General working conditions: The Library is a well-lit, quiet, pleasant place to work.

Consultation: The archivists are divided by area of speciality.  You can contact the appropriate person yourself or contact the general query e-mail address and they will direct you accordingly.  Researchers may only take out the number of boxes that will fit on one cart at any given time.  However, it does not take long to return those and request a new set of boxes. 

Policy on technology: Lap tops, digital cameras and scanners are permitted. 

Photocopy policy: $.15/page.  (For mail orders, it’s $.50/page). 

Particularities: There is a cafeteria and a terrace with lovely gardens outside which is a pleasant place to enjoy lunch if it is not too hot.  

How to apply for classified files: The Library has forms for mandatory review of still-classified documents.  If you apply for fewer than 35 documents, they’ll try to get to it relatively quickly.  If you apply for a larger number, your request will go to the back of a long queue.

Places to Stay: The Highland Inn at 644 North Highland Ave is a short walk from the Library with comfortable rooms and reasonable rates.  There is also a variety of good restaurants and bars on the same street.  The Library website has other accommodation suggestions as well, including some with weekly rates.  (Don’t worry.  They will all have air-conditioning, as will buses, restaurants, shops, and the Library).

Funding: The Carter Library does not yet offer funding for projects like many of the other Presidential Libraries.

General Comments:  Do take a day or two to explore Atlanta.  It’s a large, modern, American city with an eventful past which is reflected in its tourist attractions.  Contemporary Atlanta can be viewed at the site to the 1996 Summer Olympic games and headquarters to Coca-Cola or CNN.   Historical Atlanta is represented by the Margaret Mitchell House (author of Gone with the Wind), the King Center (an interactive tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.), and a number of museums dedicated to the American Civil War.  Finally, if your visit is between April and September, try to get tickets to see perennial baseball contenders, the Atlanta Braves.