[1] The new library is 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) in a three-story building located on a 15-acre (6.1 ha) plot of land across the street from Mount Vernon's main entrance.

[2] The general library contains thousands of books, newspapers, pamphlets, microforms, electronic resources, maps, photographs, and periodicals belonging to Washington.

[3] These materials cover a variety of topics including George Washington, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, the American Revolution, Colonial America, slavery, the Early Republic, and historical preservation.

[2] The rest of this large collection was given to family members or sold in 1848 to bookseller Henry Stevens.

[2] The new Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington also has a large oval vault.