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(Page last updated 16 January 2009)

Inauguration of Barack Obama

January 20, 2009 will see the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.

The 20th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, specifies that the term of each elected president of the United States begins at noon on January 20 of the year following the election (6am our time on January 21). Each president must take the oath of office before assuming the duties of the presidency. The day's events include a swearing-in, a parade and numerous balls.

To find out more about the history of the presidential inauguration, and the events on the day, have a look at America.gov's Inauguration Page.

There will be a related display on the first floor of the Central Library and we will show television coverage of the events, as available, on the big screen on the ground floor of the Central Library.

For live video coverage via the internet, try C-SPAN.

From our online databases:

For a range of both short and longer biographical articles about Obama, along with thousands of up to date magazine and newspaper reports, have a look at Barack Obama on Biography Resource Center.

(If you have not accessed the Gale databases in the last 30 days you may need to login with your library card no. and surname.)

In the library:

• Dreams from my father : a story of race and inheritance, by Barack Obama.
  "In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father - a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man - has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey - first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother's family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father's life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance". -- Library Catalogue
• The audacity of hope : thoughts on reclaiming the American dream, by Barack Obama.
  "In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners' minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called "the audacity of hope." Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics - a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy." He explores those forces - from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media - that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment." (Library Catalogue)
• Obama : from promise to power, by David Mendell.
  "Mendell's research includes interviews with Obama's closest aides, mentors, political adversaries, and family - most notably his wife, Michelle. Mendell reveals the surprising, cutthroat campaign tactics sanctioned by Obama - who has steeped his image and reputation with the ideals of clean politics and good government - to win his Senate seat by employing some of the most ruthless operatives in the business." -- Book Jacket
• Barack Obama : this improbable quest, by John K. Wilson.
  "A political tour of Obama's legislative experience as well as his ideas about race, religion, and politics, this book provides an in-depth look at what this presidential candidate believes, what he represents, and how he might transform American politics." -- Book Jacket
• Barack Obama : his story, (DVD).
  "The race to decide the democratic nominee for the 2008 US Presidential election was by anyone's standards a stirring moment in history. Although almost unimaginable only a few short years ago, it seemed likely that for the first time ever the nominee would be a woman, and a woman with impeccable political credentials. But that dream ride to the White House was not to be, because her opposing candidate for the Democratic nomination was another one for the history books, the young national Senator for the state of Illinois, Barack Obama." --Container