[10][11] The museum showcases artifacts from Clinton's two terms as president and includes full-scale replicas of the Clinton-era Oval Office and Cabinet Room.

[10] Preliminary planning for the library (including the site choice) began in 1997, while groundbreaking for the complex occurred on December 5, 2001.

[9][10] Fund-raising for the center was led by Terry McAuliffe, a friend of Clinton's who had also contributed heavily to the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1995.

[15] Clinton himself was prohibited by law from personally soliciting donations for the center, but he did host private events relating to the library.

[18] It also included performances by Bono, the African Drum Ballet and the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir, as well as an invocation given by Floyd Flake and video tribute from Nelson Mandela.

[11] On November 17, 2009, the library's fifth anniversary saw Clinton giving a speech to approximately 1,000 people, urging the passage of health-care reform and the reduction of energy use.

[23] The five-story main building comprises 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of exhibition space, the Great Hall (used for banquets or forums), Forty Two (formerly Café 42, now a full-service restaurant; Clinton was the 42nd president), and classrooms.

[24] A 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) private penthouse used by Clinton is located on the top (fifth) floor of the main building, one level above the public museum area.

[25] The organization of the exhibits within the main building was inspired by the famous Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, which Clinton first saw when he was a Rhodes Scholar.

[6] Between November 18, 2000 and January 27, 2001, eight Lockheed C-5 Galaxy missions moved 602 tonnes (664 short tons) of President Bill Clinton's papers, gifts, artifacts, and other official materials from Andrews Air Force Base to Little Rock Air Force Base.

Commercial trucks transported the cargoes from the base to the National Archives storage facility in Little Rock, where they were to remain until completion of the Clinton presidential library in 2004.

[26] Because Clinton wanted a light-filled library, the archives are kept underground to protect them from damage from ultraviolet degradation.

[6] A companion structure, the 1899 Choctaw freight station, was razed in November 2001 after a contentious debate between the City of Little Rock and historic preservationists.

[21][31][32] The Clinton Foundation had originally planned to renovate the bridge for $4 million in exchange for a $1-a-year land lease from the state.

[35] For legal reasons involving state development funds, retail facilities were, for a time, prohibited on the same property as the library itself.

Items on the alcove displays include the Oklahoma City bombing and Northern Ireland and Middle East peace efforts.

[38][39] Items released by the Presidential Records Act of 1978 are included in the exhibits, including personal letters written to and by the Clinton family, such as ones from Whoopi Goldberg and Arsenio Hall, as well as family photographs and even a Valentine's Day note from Bill Clinton to Hillary.

[3] On January 20, 2001, his last day in office, Clinton pardoned former financier Marc Rich, a fugitive who had been charged with multiple counts of racketeering, wire fraud, income tax evasion, and illegal oil trading.

[14][41] U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White also launched a criminal investigation into whether the pardon had been a result of the contributions.

[42] Clinton maintained that the pardon had not been bought, but had been based instead on the legal merits of Marc Rich's appeal.

[43] During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Barack Obama referenced the donations during his primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The western façade of the museum is a screen wall composed of laminated glass tiles, providing a sunscreen for the building.

[41] The library incorporates many aspects of environmentally-sensitive design, in accordance to Clinton's work involving sustainable development.

[48] The library's flooring is made of recycled rubber tires and there are charging stations for electric vehicles in the parking lot.

The revived River Market district, a dining and retail area near the library, was created as a result of its location.