Industry & Advocacy News
July 20, 2016
The Authors Guild congratulates Dr. Carla Hayden on her confirmation by the U.S. Senate as the new Librarian of Congress. Dr. Hayden, who most recently was the head of Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, is the first woman and the first African-American to hold the position.
Authors and the Library of Congress have always had a special relationship. Authors are some of the greatest users of the Library. Further, the Library is the federal agency responsible for preserving and providing access to our literary heritage. The Authors Guild looks forward to working with Dr. Hayden in the coming years to help bring national attention to the critical importance of the written word—in all formats—to learning, free expression, and ultimately democracy.
As James Madison said, in a quote affixed to the front of the Library of Congress’ Madison Building,
What spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and surest support?
The Librarian of Congress is a key player in the copyright community, and we’re pleased that Dr. Hayden demonstrated in her confirmation hearing that she is attuned to the interests of the creator community. Historically the Librarian has deferred to the Register’s expertise in matters of copyright, and we assume Dr. Hayden will continue that tradition.
Dr. Hayden brings with her a reputation as a tech-savvy innovator in the library community. She takes control at a critical moment, as the Library seeks to bolster its digital infrastructure and reinvent itself as a twenty-first century institution. We look forward to working with her, and we wish her every success.
Photo credit: Main Reading Room, Library of Congress by angela n. via Visual hunt / CC 2.0
