Since Reagan. After Nixon, congress passed the presidential records Act, making it the law that presidents do not take their records with them, ever! They are to be turned over to the National Archives as guardians, who archive the records for the American people, who OWN THEM.
The president has sole access and custody of who can have access, thru the Archives for 5 years, unless justly needed for any criminal or congressional investigation. During these 5 years, presidents have time to organized their libraries, which will also be in the guardianship of the National Archives for we the people.
Presidents can ask the Archives for personal things, like love letters from the North Korean President, which when allowed, the archives will make exact duplicates for their records.
After 5 years, us every day folk can request via a freedom of information act request, any presidential record, not still classified.
The Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978, 44 U.S.C. ß2201-2209, governs the official records of Presidents and Vice Presidents that were created or received after January 20, 1981 (i.e., beginning with the Reagan Administration). The PRA changed the legal ownership of the official records of...
www.archives.gov