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Transition

Many agencies, such as the General Services Administration, are involved with transitioning from one president to the next.

These are only examples of resources available.

Whitehouse.gov
Archived Presidential White House Websites (NARA) National Archives (NARA) page goes back to President Clinton (first White House website). There are no websites from previous administrations. NARA Site: "White House websites are Presidential records. The official files that make up a Presidential administration's website are preserved in our Executive Office of the President Electronic Records Archive. In order for the public to easily access the websites, the National Archives has taken an additional step to "freeze" the White House websites and make them available online. Because the archived websites are hosted by the National Archives and are historical material, they are no longer updated. Any broken links (internal or external) will not be updated." "The archived websites are an excellent resource for photographs, speeches, press releases, digital data and other public domain records."
3 USC Ch. 1: Presidential Elections And Vacancies
US Code. Laws on Presidential Elections And Vacancies.
President Transition Act of 1963 Public Law 88-277
As printed in U.S. Code 78 Stat 153
Statute Compilations President Transition Act of 1963 Public Law 88-277 Amended Through Public Law 116-121, Enacted March 3, 2020
Part of compiled statutes collection in GovInfo.gov
GSA’s Role in Presidential Transitions
General Services Administration (GSA)
The Plum Book - United States Government Policy And Supporting Positions
Contact us for previous editions.
GSA site: "Every four years, after the Presidential election, the “United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions,” commonly known as the Plum Book, is published, alternately, by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform."
Because the authorship varies, so do the call numbers for items in our collection.
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GSA: "This publication contains data on over 9,000 federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment (e.g., positions such as agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials). The duties of many such positions may involve advocacy of Administration policies and programs and the incumbents usually have a close and confidential working relationship with the agency head or other key officials."
United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book) (GPO)
Government Publishing Office (GPO): "Published by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Committee on Government Reform alternately after each Presidential election, the Plum Book lists over 7,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment, nationwide. Data covers positions such as agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials. The duties of many such positions may involve advocacy of Administration policies and programs and the incumbents usually have a close and confidential working relationship with the agency or other key officials."
Presidential Transition Documents (NSA)
Archived in WayBack Machine - National Security Agency (NSA) page on Presidential Transition.
Presidential Transitions (NARA)
National Archives (NARA): "This page answers questions about the transition and transfer of records to NARA. It also provides access to research on previous presidential transitions and information about the transfer records to the Barack Obama Presidential Library."
U.S. Office of Government Ethics
USA.gov: "The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plays a vital role in Presidential transitions, reviewing the financial disclosure reports of Presidential nominees and resolving their conflicts of interest so they can serve with integrity. This nominee work becomes OGE’s primary focus during the transition, when most of the top political leadership in the government turns over. OGE will work in partnership with the Presidential Transition Team to make sure that prospective nominees are free of conflicts of interest, so that top leadership positions can be filled quickly."
The Government Accountability Office (GAO)
USA.gov: "The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency in the Legislative branch responsible for examining how the government spends federal funds. The Presidential Transition Act identifies GAO as a source of briefings and materials to help inform new administrations of the major management issues, risks, and challenges they will face."
Presidential Transition: Information on Ethics, Funding, and Agency Services. GAO-17-615R: Published: Sep 7, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 10, 2017.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report.
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The change from one presidential administration to the next is a complex process requiring coordination among many parties, including the outgoing President, federal agencies, the President-elect, and a Transition Team. During a transition, the President-elect and his or her team begin to decide upon more than 4,000 political appointments and prepare to manage the federal government, an entity with more than 4 million civilian employees and military personnel and a federal budget of nearly $4 trillion. In this report, GAO was asked to examine five areas related to the Trump-Pence Transition.
U.S. Government Manual
Provides information on the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
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GPO PURL https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo45477
Presidential Transition Act: Provisions and Funding - CRS R46602 - November 13, 2020
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report.
Presidential Transitions: Executive Clemency - CRS Insight IN11543
Congressional Research Service (CRS)

Articles

Moving Out, Moving In (NARA)
"Moving Out, Moving In. The National Archives’ Important Role When the Presidency Changes Hands" By David McMillen, Prologue Magazine Winter 2016, Vol. 48, No. 4
Escorting a Presidency into History (NARA)
Escorting a Presidency into History. NARA’s Role in a White House Transition By Nancy Kegan Smith, Prologue Magazine Winter 2008, Vol. 40, No. 4
Abrupt Transition (NARA)
Abrupt Transition By C. L. Arbelbide, Prologue Magazine, Winter 2000, Vol. 32, No. 4

Other Institutions

Center for Presidential Transition
Nonpartisan organization - The Center for Presidential Transition®: "has created a centralized resource hub for what you need to know about the transition period, past presidential transitions and how to become a political appointee."
The Basics: Frequently Asked Questions about Presidential Transitions
From Center for Presidential Transition

Other Libraries' Guides

Presidential Information - Presidential Transitions
Central Washington University Libraries.

End of Term Web Crawl

Often abbreviated to EOT.

At the end of a U.S. Presidential term, a team of volunteers nominate top level U.S.Eexecutive Branch domains to archive.

According to the page on EOT web crawl background:

"White House websites are Presidential records. The official files that make up a Presidential administration's website are preserved in our Executive Office of the President Electronic Records Archive. In order for the public to easily access the websites, the National Archives has taken an additional step to "freeze" the White House websites and make them available online. Because the archived websites are hosted by the National Archives and are historical material, they are no longer updated. Any broken links (internal or external) will not be updated.

"The archived websites are an excellent resource for photographs, speeches, press releases, digital data and other public domain records.

"The End of Term Web Archive is a collaborative initiative that collects, preserves, and makes accessible United States Government websites at the end of presidential administrations."

End of Term Web Archive
Site: "The End of Term Web Archive captures and saves U.S. Government websites at the end of presidential administrations. Beginning in 2008, the EOT has thus far preserved websites from administration changes in 2008, 2012 and 2016."
2020 is in process.
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Site: "The End of Term Web Archive contains federal government websites (.gov, .mil, etc) in the Legislative, Executive, or Judicial branches of the government. Websites that were at risk of changing (i.e., whitehouse.gov) or disappearing altogether during government transitions were captured. Local government websites, or any other site not part of the federal government domain were out of scope."
End Of Term 2020 Web Crawls
Internet Archive collection from the 2020 End of (Presidential) Term Web Crawl.
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The project is still in process as of February 2021.
End of Term Web Archive
Site: "The End of Term Web Archive is a collaborative initiative that collects, preserves, and makes accessible United States Government websites at the end of presidential administrations."
Includes information about the project, links to nomination form and to search pages.