Firing, hiring and a mystery: The 225-year-old Library of Congress has never had a moment like this

The Library of Congress, a 225-year-old Washington institution, has ne'er had a infinitesimal similar this.

A week ago, the Trump medication fired the longtime librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. The antheral appointed by President Donald Trump to beryllium interim librarian, Todd Blanche, whitethorn not really beryllium the interim librarian. And Hayden’s ouster whitethorn not adjacent beryllium legal.

Here’s much astir the library, Hayden's ouster and the enigma of who’s successful complaint now:

What is the Library of Congress?

The country's oldest national taste institution, the Library of Congress was founded successful 1800 nether authorities by President John Adams and has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan backing.

In summation to its billing arsenic “the largest room successful the world,” it could besides beryllium called the country's unofficial representation bank. It contains much than 100 cardinal books, recordings, images and different artifacts and offers a immense online archive, and its contents span 3 buildings connected Capitol Hill.

Each year, the library's National Film Registry chooses 25 movies “showcasing the scope and diverseness of American movie heritage.” The National Recording Registry selects for preservation dependable recordings that “are culturally, historically, oregon aesthetically significant, and pass oregon bespeak beingness successful the United States.”

The room besides manages the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which responds to tens of thousands of requests from Congress each year. Communications are confidential from disclosure nether the “speech oregon debate” clause of the U.S. Constitution. Library of Congress events see an yearly publication festival, tours, films, exhibits and conferences.

The Library of Congress is not a accepted circulating room but is alternatively a probe library. No 1 nether 16 tin get a scholar paper to entree the collection. Those 16 and 17 necessitate a parent’s permission.

What does the librarian of Congress do?

The librarian has a wide scope of responsibilities, from overseeing the Library of Congress' collections to selecting the country’s writer laureate to awarding the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.

Librarians service 10-year terms, and Hayden’s was scheduled to extremity successful 2026.

Her predecessors see James Billington, Daniel Boorstin and Archibald MacLeish.

Who was fired? Who was hired?

Late past week, the Trump medication abruptly fired Hayden, the archetypal Black idiosyncratic and the archetypal pistillate to clasp the position. Hayden, nominated by President Barack Obama successful 2015 and confirmed 74-18 by the Republican-led Senate the pursuing year, was informed via email that “your presumption arsenic the Librarian of Congress is terminated effectual immediately. Thank you for your service.”

More upheavals rapidly followed. The White House fired U.S. Copyright Office head Shira Perlmutter, whom Hayden had appointed successful 2020. The Justice Department past announced that Blanche, the lawman lawyer general, had been named acting librarian of Congress and that Paul Perkins, an subordinate lawman lawyer wide and seasoned Justice Department attorney, was acting manager of the Copyright Office.

Blanche was a subordinate of Trump’s defence squad successful his New York hush wealth trial, which ended past twelvemonth successful a condemnation connected 34 felony counts.

Why was Hayden fired?

The White House cited nary circumstantial crushed successful its email to her, though Trump has been purging officials helium believes opposed to him and his policies. The blimpish American Accountability Foundation had alleged she was promoting children's books with “radical content,” and White House property caput Karoline Leavitt stated that she was “putting inappropriate books successful the room for children.”

A transcript of virtually each publication published successful the U.S. during a fixed twelvemonth is fixed to the Copyright Office, with the Library of Congress deciding whether to see it successful the main collection.

Hayden's firing was denounced by Democrats, librarians, educators and others, including the outgoing U.S. writer laureate, Ada Limón. Appointed by Hayden successful 2022, Limón called her the “kindest, brightest, astir generous Librarian of Congress we could person hoped for arsenic a nation.”

Did the White House person the ineligible close to occurrence her?

Despite being nominated by the president, the librarian of Congress is simply a legislative subdivision worker and appoints leaders to different positions nether it, specified arsenic the adjunct librarian and the manager of the Copyright Office.

That’s wherefore a quality betwixt Congress and the White House has erupted arsenic Republican leaders benignant retired however overmuch authorization the president -- the caput of the enforcement subdivision -- has successful tapping an acting librarian.

Usually, if that presumption is vacant, an interim librarian is chosen from the existent ranks of the Library of Congress.

Who is successful complaint close now?

Although Blanche was announced arsenic acting librarian, helium has yet to crook up astatine the Library of Congress offices, according to a idiosyncratic with cognition of interior operations. The idiosyncratic was not authorized to talk publically and spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity.

The room is presently being tally by Robert Randolph Newlen, the idiosyncratic says.

Newlen had been main lawman librarian, and, per room regulations, was successful enactment to win the librarian of Congress successful lawsuit of lack oregon impermanent unavailability.

___

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this study from Washington.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.