JFK: A Wealth of Virtual Materials

Boston area residents who are also history buffs will be glad to hear that the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has just opened a new wing. The JFK Library is one of 13 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Library is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president. Besides exhibits, library materials, and archives, it hosts a series of talks, Kennedy Library Forums, to foster public discussion on a range of historical, political and cultural topics that reflect the legacy of President Kennedy's White House years.

You do not have to visit the Library in person to benefit from its collection, though. Their Virtual Museum Tour offers excerpts of film and exhibit materials. The Library website offers ample materials: for example, there are short articles on JFK in history and the on Kennedy family. Also posted are a number of JFK's speeches (with both video and audio), and a fantastic media gallery with both color and black and white images. The website Research section covers all possible ways to research JFK, including a link to search the Digital Archives; the Ready Reference section offers speeches, quotations, and a chronology, links to databases, plus answers FAQs. They also participate in social networking; check out at least their YouTube materials and podcasts.

This resource should prove a great help for our juniors, or anyone else interested in the JFK era.