Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden

At her appointment hearing in 2016 for Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden concluded her statement to the Senate by saying, “I would be honored to be part of a legacy and accomplishments of my predecessors in this position, to be part of a continuing movement to open the treasure chest that is the Library of Congress. This can be done without threatening the Library’s core responsibilities to support and advise Congress, to serve users of the Copyright Office and assist researchers who benefit from its exhaustive collection.”

She was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, but her final nomination was held up for weeks in the then Republican led Senate. She had been nominated to the position by President Barak Obama, a Democrat toward the end of his term.

On 6 May, Dr. Hayden appeared before the House Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on House Administration where it seems she was questioned primarily about technology and accessibility issues, and work of the LOC’s field offices. I’ve watched videos of portions of the hearing and heard nothing concerning with regards to Dr. Hayden’s future. There was some concern about the funding of a building project, but full transparency was provided to the expenses involved. “Members on key congressional committees with jurisdiction over the massive library, who questioned Hayden at hearings in recent weeks, did not encourage the White House to remove her, the people said. In some cases, they themselves found out about Hayden’s removal Thursday through news reports and third parties.” (source)

On 8 May 2025, Carla Hayden received the following email.

Karoline Leavitt Defending this firing:

“We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] and putting inappropriate books in the Library for children and we don’t believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer well, so she has been removed from her position, as the president is well within his rights to do.”

Carla Hayden was the 14^th librarian of Congress. Appointed by President Barak Obama in 2016, she was the first professional librarian to hold the position since 1974; the first woman, and the first African American to be appointed to the role, and the first to be appointed for a specific term. The Library of Congress’s website outlines Some of Dr. Hayden’s accomplishments, including her outreach work to share the Library’s treasures to new audiences; investments in information literacy infrastructure to make the LOC more accessible, and creation of the Of the People initiative to create opportunities for underrepresented Americans in particular to engage with the Library and add their perspective to its collection.

The  Library of Congress (LOC) is the largest library in the world, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the county. It is not a typical lending library. The general public cannot check out books, they must be read inside the Library; children cannot take them home. The LOC provides the US Congress with non-partisan library and research services.

Dr. Hayden was immensely accessible, often seen at conferences and literary events. I met her one year at ALA Annual. The line seemed short, so I joined those waiting to shake hands with the woman leading my profession. Here she was, my contemporary moving this historic institution into the future. I could well image the barriers she faced, and the vision she imagined. Yes, the line was short, but it moved so slow!! You see, Dr. Hayden wanted to chat, wanted to know where you were from and what work you were doing. She wanted to hear from us so that we could help her do our job.

There are so many images of people posted with Dr. Hayden online when her firing was announced and every one of the photos looks like two friends taking a picture. There is such an outpouring of love and admiration for Dr. Hayden, and a true appreciation of her work.

This personable, dedicated, well informed, selfless, humble, and wise steward of the nation’s information sources did not deserve to be removed from a professional leadership position for what seems like a whim.  Indeed, the library’s core responsibilities have been threatened.

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