Librarian of Congress facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Librarian of Congress
Flag of the Library of Congress
Seal of the Library of Congress
Incumbent Carla Hayden since September 14, 2016
Library of Congress
Appointer	The president with Senate advice and consent
Term length	Ten years
Inaugural holder	John J. Beckley
Formation	1800
Deputy	Deputy Librarian of Congress
Salary	US$203,700 Level II of the Executive Schedule

The Librarian of Congress is the leader of the Library of Congress. This person is chosen by the president of the United States. The United States Senate must also agree with the choice. The Librarian serves for ten years.

The Librarian of Congress also picks and guides the Register of Copyrights. This person works for the U.S. Copyright Office. The Librarian has many duties related to copyright. This includes rules for digital materials and "fair use". Fair use means you can use copyrighted material in certain ways without permission. These rules are part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Librarian decides if some works are protected from being copied easily.

Also, the Librarian chooses the U.S. Poet Laureate. This is a special poet for the country. They also give out the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. This award celebrates great songwriters.

On July 13, 2016, the US Senate approved President Barack Obama's choice. Carla Hayden became the Librarian. She officially started her job on September 14, 2016.

How the Librarian of Congress Role Started

On April 24, 1800, the 6th United States Congress passed a new law. President John Adams signed it. This law created the Library of Congress. The library was made to help the government. It would provide books for members of Congress to use.

The law set aside $5,000 for the new library. It also said there should be a place in the Capitol building for the books. A special committee would make rules for choosing and using the books.

In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson approved another law. This law created the job of the Librarian of Congress. It gave the president the power to choose this person. Soon after, Jefferson picked John J. Beckley as the first Librarian. He was paid $2 a day. He also worked as a clerk for the House of Representatives.

It wasn't until 1897 that Congress gained the power to approve the president's choice. This same law gave the Librarian the power to make the library's rules. It also allowed the Librarian to hire the staff.

Before Herbert Putnam was chosen in 1899, most Librarians were not actual librarians. They had worked in other fields like journalism, law, or politics. Even today, only a few Librarians have been professional librarians.

How the Librarian is Chosen and Paid

For a long time, the Librarian of Congress served for life. Most Librarians stayed until they retired or passed away. From 1802 to 2015, there were only 13 Librarians. This meant the library had a very steady way of doing things.

In 2015, a new law changed this. President Barack Obama signed the "Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act." This law set a 10-year limit on the job. The Librarian can be chosen again after 10 years.

The law says the president chooses the Librarian. The Senate must agree with the choice. The Librarian serves for 10 years. They can be chosen again using the same process. The Librarian's pay is set at a high level for government officials.

What the Librarian Does

There are no specific laws about what skills the Librarian must have. People from many different backgrounds have held the job. These include politicians, business people, writers, and lawyers. Of course, professional librarians have also served.

Over time, some people have suggested that the Librarian should be a trained librarian. In 1945, Carl Vitz, who led the American Library Association, wrote to the president. He said the job needed a great leader in knowledge. He also said the person should be good at organizing books and information. In short, he felt it should be a skilled librarian.

In 1989, Congressman Major Owens tried to pass a law. It would have set stricter rules for who could be chosen. He believed Librarians needed special training. However, his bill did not become law.

List of Librarians of Congress

No.	Librarian		Years in Office	Appointed by
1		John J. Beckley	1802–1807	Thomas Jefferson
2		Patrick Magruder	1807–1815
3		George Watterston	1815–1829	James Madison
4		John Silva Meehan	1829–1861	Andrew Jackson
5		John Gould Stephenson	1861–1864	Abraham Lincoln
6		Ainsworth Rand Spofford	1864–1897
7		John Russell Young	1897–1899	William McKinley
8		Herbert Putnam	1899–1939
9		Archibald MacLeish	1939–1944	Franklin D. Roosevelt
10		Luther H. Evans	1945–1953	Harry S. Truman
11		Lawrence Quincy Mumford	1954–1974	Dwight D. Eisenhower
12		Daniel J. Boorstin	1975–1987	Gerald Ford
13		James H. Billington	1987–2015	Ronald Reagan
14		Carla Hayden	2016–present	Barack Obama

Timeline of Librarians

See Also

• List of librarians
• Parliamentary Librarian of Canada