Is a New Librarian of Congress in the Works?
Veteran Billington is 80; former ALA President Hayden emerges in rumors, which are denied
John Berry & Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 08/03/2009
- Billington has served nearly 22 years
- Last trained librarian occupied job in 1974
- Hayden has ties to Chicago
Could veteran Librarian of Congress James Billington, a historian who has served nearly 22 years and recently turned 80, be headed toward retirement?
And could the administration of President Barack Obama make a significant change, appointing a public librarian like Carla Hayden, director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, who also would become the first woman and African-American in the job?
Rumors denied
Right now the changes are the stuff of rumors. LJ heard about the possibility of a Hayden appointment from one national library leader and also was told Billington, an expert on Russia, might be offered a position as cultural envoy to Russia.
A web search shows that an anonymous blogger (Clipper 201), who has a focus on political topics, "announced" back in May that Hayden would become Librarian of Congress.
(The blogger also erroneously stated Hayden would be the first librarian to hold the post. Lawrence Quincy Mumford, who held the job 1954-74 was a public librarian. Mumford served before Billington’s predecessor, historian Daniel Boorstin. Also, Herbert Putnam, who served from 1899-1939, was a lawyer who had led public libraries as well as the American Library Association.)
However, Enoch Pratt spokesman Roswell Encina told LJ there was no truth to the rumor and said Hayden would not be available for comment. Encina said LJ should help squelch the rumor.
Checking with ALA
Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Washington Office, said that she had not heard anything from LC about Billington retiring, but said it was a topic of periodic discussion in the library community, notably when there have been changes in presidential administrations.
Nor has Sheketoff heard anything about a potential Hayden appointment, though she observed that Hayden could be on an Obama short list, if there is one, given her ties to Chicago.
Hayden, a native of Chicago, served as deputy commissioner of the Chicago Public Library from 1991-93. She earned LJ’s Librarian of the Year award in 1995 and served as ALA president in 2002-03.
Sheketoff said that a Hayden appointment would represent a significant change, mainly because a degreed librarian has not held the post for decades.
For more history of the Librarian of Congress, see LC's current page on Billington and on past office holders, as well as a May 2007 essay from American Libraries, “The Librarians of Congress: Past and Future."
