What exactly does the Librarian of Congress do?
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This week's question: What does the Librarian of Congress do?
Last week, the Senate approved Carla Hayden as the next Librarian of Congress. She was nominated for the role by President Obama in February.
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Once sworn in, she will be the first woman and the first African-American person to ever fill the seat. There have been only 13 Librarians of Congress since the role was created in 1802 — and all have been white men. Obama called Hayden's nomination "long overdue."
But what exactly will Hayden be responsible for as Librarian of Congress?
The Library of Congress is either the largest or second-largest library in the world, depending on who you believe. (It's battling for the top title with the British Library in London.) In sheer numbers, it has 162 million items in 470 languages spanning 838 miles of bookshelves. Its collection includes not just books but also maps, photographs, recordings and, as of 2013, every Tweet ever sent.
Hayden will not only be responsible for overseeing the collection and guiding its acquisition efforts — the library adds roughly 12,000 items a day — but also for shaping public outreach programs and educational services. Perhaps most importantly, she'll be responsible for modernizing how the library handles its collections.
Hayden's predecessor James Billington, who retired in September, held the role for 28 years: He was appointed in 1987 under President Reagan. Just imagine how dramatically libraries, and technology, have changed since 1987. Hayden will be the first librarian appointed since the invention of the internet as we know it.
This is particularly important when it comes to the U.S. Copyright Office, which is actually part of the Library of Congress. Nothing had done more to challenge copyright law than the mass explosion of shared content made possible by the internet. Having a Librarian of Congress who is familiar with how people share and alter media could be key to any changes made on copyright issues.
Hayden will have 10 years to set the Library on a path toward modernization, once she's sworn in. Though the post of Librarian of Congress was once considered a lifetime appointment, Obama signed an act into law last year that gives appointees a 10-year term. This can be seen as an attempt to keep the library modern by bringing in fresh and up-to-date perspectives on a more consistent basis.