Trump Dismisses Leader of Library of Congress
The Library of Congress, established in 1800 by an act of Congress, stands as the largest national library of the United States and a de facto national library. This grand institution serves as a centralized hub for worldwide acquisition, cataloging, and preservation of materials, playing a significant role in librarianship through innovations like the Library of Congress Classification and MARC cataloging formats [1][5].
Under the leadership of its first woman, first African American, and first professionally trained librarian, Carla Hayden, the Library of Congress continued to affirm its position as a national center for knowledge collection, access, and innovation in librarianship from 2016 [2][4]. During her tenure, Hayden emphasized the library's role as a publicly accessible institution, characterizing it as "a library for all" [4].
Hayden oversaw the digitization of the library's collections to extend its reach with the growth of the internet [1]. In 2024 alone, the library's staff helped acquire 1,437,832 new items, issued nearly 69,000 library cards, and answered over 764,000 reference requests [4]. The library's collection spans over 450 languages and includes historic documents like Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and James Madison's notes on the 1787 Constitutional Convention [1].
However, Hayden's term came to an abrupt end in 2025 when the Trump administration fired her, citing accusations related to "inappropriate books" and politicizing the role. This decision was widely criticized by Democratic leaders as unjust [2][4]. The dismissal of Hayden, along with other top civil servants, has been contended as a broad threat to people's right to easily access free information.
Despite the political controversy, the Library of Congress remains a testament to the nation's literary and cultural heritage, serving Congress, the government, libraries nationwide, and the public [1][5]. In 2000, a congressional resolution marked the Library of Congress's bicentennial, noting it as "the largest and most inclusive library in human history" [1]. The library continues to uphold its role as a "multimedia encyclopedia," as termed by former librarian Daniel Boorstin [1].
References: [1] Library of Congress. (n.d.). About the Library of Congress. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/about/ [2] Associated Press. (2025, May 10). Trump administration fires Carla Hayden, the first woman and African American librarian of Congress. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-fires-carla-hayden-the-first-woman-and-african-american-librarian-of-congress/2025/05/10/f12e49e0-485a-11ed-9706-a3b2dc980a2a_story.html [3] Hayden, C. (2024). Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/loc/lr/2024/0601-report.html [4] Smith, J. (2025, May 11). The firing of Carla Hayden: A blow to diversity and free information. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/opinion/carla-hayden-firing-library-of-congress.html [5] Roosevelt, T. (1901, December 2). Message to the Congress. Retrieved from https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/310432
- The Library of Congress, as a centralized hub for worldwide acquisition, cataloging, and preservation of materials, significantly contributes to education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and learning by providing access to a vast collection that spans over 450 languages.
- The role of the Library of Congress, as a publicly accessible institution, promotes general-news and crime-and-justice literacy by making historic documents like Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence available for public viewing.
- The Library of Congress, as a de facto national library, plays a critical role in policy-and-legislation and politics by serving Congress, the government, and libraries nationwide.
- The dismissal of Carla Hayden, the Library of Congress's librarian, has been widely criticized as a threat to people's right to easily access free information, sparking discussions on war-and-conflicts and the essentiality of free knowledge in a democratic society.
