[Senate Hearing 114-285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 114-285
NOMINATION OF DR. CARLA D. HAYDEN,
TO BE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
APRIL 20, 2016
__________
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COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION
SECOND SESSION
ROY BLUNT, Missouri, Chairman
LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York
MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California
THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois
PAT ROBERTS, Kansas TOM UDALL, New Mexico
RICHARD SHELBY, Alabama MARK R. WARNER, Virginia
TED CRUZ, Texas PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas ANGUS S. KING, JR., Maine
ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
Stacy McHatton McBride, Staff Director
Kelly L. Fado, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Opening Statement of:
Hon. Roy Blunt, Chairman, a U.S. Senator from the State of
Missouri....................................................... 1
Hon. Barbara Mikulski, a U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland. 2
Hon. Ben Cardin, a U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland....... 3
Hon. Paul Sarbanes, a Former U.S. Senator from the State of
Maryland....................................................... 5
Hon. Charles E. Schumer, a U.S. Senator from the State of New
York........................................................... 7
Testimony of:
Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee to be Librarian of Congress......... 8
Prepared Statement of:
Hon. Patrick Leahy, a U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont..... 24
Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee to be Librarian of Congress......... 26
Materials Submitted for the Record:
Statement Submitted by American Association of Law Libraries..... 30
Statement Submitted by American Library Association.............. 32
Statement Submitted by Congressional Data Coalition.............. 37
Statement Submitted by Enoch Pratt Library....................... 39
Statement Submitted by Hawaii State Public Library System........ 40
Statement Submitted by Internet Association...................... 41
Statement Submitted by Library Board of Rhode Island............. 43
Statement Submitted by Library Journal........................... 44
Statement Submitted by Medical Library Association............... 46
Statement Submitted by Mississippi Library Association........... 48
Statement Submitted by Ohio State Library........................ 49
Statement Submitted by Rhode Island Coalition of Library
Advocates...................................................... 50
Statement Submitted by Texas State Library and Archives
Commission..................................................... 52
Statement Submitted by Urban Libraries Council................... 53
Questions Submitted for the Record:
Hon. Roy Blunt, Chairman, a U.S. Senator from the State of
Missouri to Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee....................... 54
Hon. Pat Roberts, a U.S. Senator from the State of Kansas to Dr.
Carla D. Hayden, Nominee....................................... 58
Hon. Ted Cruz, a U.S. Senator from the State of New York to Dr.
Carla D. Hayden, Nominee....................................... 59
Hon. Charles E. Schumer, a U.S. Senator from the State of New
York to Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee........................... 61
Hon. Mark Warner, a U.S. Senator from the State of Virginia to
Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee................................... 64
Hon. Tom Udall, a U.S. Senator from the State of New Mexico to
Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Nominee................................... 67
NOMINATION OF DR. CARLA D. HAYDEN,
TO BE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS
----------
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016
United States Senate,
Committee on Rules and Administration
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:17 p.m., in
Room 301, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Roy Blunt,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Blunt, Cochran, Capito, Boozman, Schumer,
Udall, Klobuchar, and King.
Staff present: Stacy McHatton McBride, Staff Director;
Shaun Parkin, Deputy Staff Director; Paul Vinovich, Chief
Counsel; David Adkins, Counsel; Trish Kent, Senior Professional
Staff; Nichole Kotschwar, Professional Staff; Jeffrey Johnson,
Chief Clerk; Matthew McGowan, Professional Staff; Hans Hansen,
Staff Assistant; Brittany Donnellan, Staff Assistant; Kelly
Fado, Staff Director; Jay McCarthy, Director of Operations
Oversight; Stacy Ettinger, Chief Counsel; Ben Hovland, Senior
Counsel; Abbie Sorrendino, Legislative Assistant; Dana Gansman,
Special Assistant; and Leigh Schisler, Special Assistant.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HONORABLE ROY BLUNT, CHAIRMAN, A U.S.
SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI
Chairman Blunt. This afternoon, we are here to talk about
something that does not get discussed very often, which is who
should be the next Librarian of Congress.
As we all know, the nominee, Dr. Carla Hayden, is the
President's nominee to be the 14th Librarian of Congress. Her
successor, Dr. Billington, served ably for 28 years.
Senator Schumer and I worked last year together to
establish a term for this job, and so Dr. Hayden is the first
person to be appointed for a specific term. That term would be
10 years. There is no reason to believe you could not be
reappointed to that term, but 10 years is enough time to get,
we believe, lots of things done.
This is an important job. It is an important office. I
think Dr. Hayden has been a great representative of herself as
she has met with members of the Senate. I know you are
supported here today by your mother. It is always good to have
your mother with you, and so I was glad to get to meet Dr.
Hayden's mother, Colleen Hayden, sitting right there behind
her. I also know that members of your family are going to be
watching this close to where I live in Missouri, as they are in
Illinois and other places in the middle of the country.
We certainly are glad to be joined by our two colleagues
from Maryland, by Senator Cardin and Senator Mikulski. If you
would like to start, I would like you to be the first person to
introduce Dr. Hayden to the Committee.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE BARBARA MIKULSKI, A U.S. SENATOR FROM
THE STATE OF MARYLAND
Senator Mikulski. Thank you very much, Senator Blunt, for
organizing and holding this hearing, and to have done it in
such an expeditious way. We know that the president has
nominated Dr. Hayden just a few months ago, and after the
appropriate and rigorous vetting process, you have moved on
this, and we sincerely want to thank you for that courtesy, and
Senator Schumer, you as well.
We, in Maryland, are here to support the nomination of Dr.
Hayden to be the chief librarian of the Library of Congress. We
are so happy that her mother, Colleen, has joined her today. I
feel a close relationship with both of them. Colleen is also a
sister social worker.
And by the way, the Maryland delegation is not trying to
change the Constitution. There are only two senators elected at
the moment, but former Senator Sarbanes, our emeritus, is also
a very active member of the Enoch Pratt Board, and so he is
here with us today to show support and solidarity.
As you walk out in the audience, you see a unique group of
people of all ages and diversity who are here to support Dr.
Hayden as well. These are the people of the Board and the
Executive Advisory Committee who, in their own time and their
own dime, worked to make the Enoch Pratt Library one of the
best and premiere library systems in America. And the fact that
she has such broad support, I think, indicates what her
leadership has been.
Dr. Hayden has been the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Library for
over 20 years. Her nomination is bittersweet. It will be a
great, great gain for the nation, but it will be a loss for
Baltimore. We will be very proud if Dr. Hayden is confirmed
because she, once again, will be a first, the first African-
American and the first woman to be the Librarian of Congress.
But it is not about only breaking barriers. It is about all
what she will bring. As I bring someone forward for support for
confirmation, I look, do they have competence, do they have
commitment to the mission of the agency, and do they have
integrity? Dr. Hayden meets all three of those. She surpasses
those high standards. Her track record is proof enough, but
when you meet her, as you have, you will know that it is her
character and commitment that really shines forth.
Dr. Hayden was born in Florida, and by any metrics, to
measure who should be the top librarian for the United States
of America, is Dr. Hayden. Her academic career speaks for
itself--Bachelor of Arts Roosevelt University, a master's and a
Ph.D. from the esteemed library school of the University of
Chicago. She started her career as a library service
coordinator at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
She was an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh,
went back to Chicago to work there.
There she rose through the ranks as one of the top
children's librarians in the United States of America. Then
Baltimore called, and she came 20 years ago to what was really
one of the early libraries in the United States. But the Enoch
Pratt was not only a great repository, it had to be modernized.
And that is where she showed not only that she was a great
librarian, but that she was a superb manager. She guided
through a fundraising effort to improve the annex. She made
sure that what she did also was to digitize the library, and
then find a way, in very tight budget conditions, to take the
library throughout Baltimore and even throughout this state.
Professionally, she has received the Librarian of the Year
Award. She has been the past president of the American Library
Association. She has received the American Library Association
Esteemed Lippincott Award, given to those libraries for
outstanding and distinguished service.
Right now she is overseeing a $114 million renovation of
the Enoch Pratt. She has worked with legislatures, with city
councils, of which I serve, with the Maryland General Assembly,
which Senator Cardin and Senator Sarbanes have served, so she
knows how to work with the elected, but she knows how to work
with people.
If you saw where our library was, in leafy, prosperous
neighborhoods and in harsh gravel neighborhoods, the library is
there, open to all, serving all. And during the--last year,
during our really tough challenges, when we were facing the
uprising because of Freddie Gray's death, the schools closed.
Across the street from what they called Ground Zero, at a
street called Pennsylvania Avenue and North, there was a burnt
out CVS, because it had been raided for opioids, a scourge you
are so familiar with. You have been an advocate on solving.
But across the street from that was the Enoch Pratt Penn
North Library. Dr. Hayden kept that library open and she kept
libraries open during the entire period. Children had a place
to go. The community had a place to gather. And when the
feeding program stopped because there was fear of coming into
the neighborhoods, they came to the library. And so literally,
Dr. Hayden's leadership and her grit, and the staff that she
inspired, fed body, mind and spirit during those very tough
days.
I think this is someone who brings a distinguished academic
career, a credentialed career, a strong fiscal manager, and
really, a fantastic human being. And I am honored, honored,
honored to present her to you.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you, Senator Mikulski.
Senator Cardin.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE BEN CARDIN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF MARYLAND
Senator Cardin. Chairman Blunt, Senator Schumer, Senator
Cochran, Senator Capito, thank you very much for being here,
and thank you for allowing Maryland to have three United States
Senators today. It is great to be here.
Senator Schumer. I ask unanimous consent that be made
permanent.
[Laughter.]
Chairman Blunt. Well, we are holding an objection here.
Senator Cardin. But I join with Senator Mikulski in strong
support for Dr. Hayden. We are very proud of her leadership in
Baltimore, and we know that she will do an incredible job at
the Library of Congress.
And it is great to be here with Senator Sarbanes, who has
taken a great interest in the Pratt libraries in Baltimore and
has been a great champion of these issues in our state, in our
nation.
We are here with a lot of people from our community that
Dr. Hayden has worked with and has championed over her tenure
at the Enoch Pratt Library. Today's hearing is well timed. This
Sunday marks the 216th anniversary of the creation of the
library in 1800. So Senator Mikulski and I were blessed to be
Baltimoreans by birth. Other people, such as Dr. Hayden, had
the good sense to move to Baltimore.
For the last 23 years, she has directed the Enoch Pratt
Free Library, which is not as quite as old as the Library of
Congress, but it was established in 1882, a great tradition for
our community, making it one of the oldest free public
libraries in the nation.
In 1994, Maryland was the first state in the nation to
offer statewide internet service to its residents with the
introduction of SAILOR, Maryland's online public information
network. The SAILOR operation centers house an Enoch Pratt
Library State Resource Center. So Dr. Hayden does not just run
the public library system for Baltimore City, she oversees the
state library resource center, which provides all Marylanders
with access to internet and other services. I think that skills
will--be very well for her as she takes on the responsibilities
of the Library of Congress, which as you know, not only
throughout our country, is actually a world resource.
During Dr. Hayden's tenure, eight of the Enoch Pratt
branches were either opened or reopened or renovated. I mention
that because we have people here--Rachel Monroe is here, who
runs the Weinberg Foundation--partnered with Pratt Library to
be able to put libraries in schools that didn't have libraries
in Baltimore City. It was that type of creativity that Dr.
Hayden encouraged, that is, leveraging private sector
involvement with our schools to make sure that we had access to
libraries for all children in Baltimore.
As Senator Mikulski said, during disturbances in Baltimore,
yes in Sandtown we had a library that was literally a place
where people could go and knew that they were going to be safe.
Right after the disturbances, I was in Sandtown. I was in that
library. I did meet with people in that library, and it was a
center where people gathered. And Dr. Hayden understands that.
The libraries in Baltimore have been more than just the
traditional libraries. It has been a place in which a community
could grow and have confidence and children could go for peace
and quiet.
It is no surprise then that Dr. Hayden was named Library
Journal Librarian of the Year in 1995, and was elected to serve
as president of the American Library Association from 2003 to
2004. Before Dr. Hayden moved to Baltimore, she was assistant
professor for library and information science at my alma mater,
the University of Pittsburgh, from 1987 to 1991, further
evidence of her excellent judgment.
She has an outstanding resume. She has experience. She has
the integrity. She has the proven leadership, and she has
delivered results. So in addition to being superbly qualified,
Dr. Hayden will make history as the first African-American, the
first female to be Librarian of Congress, bring a fresh new
perspective to the job and its challenges.
And I agree with Senator Mikulski, Dr. Hayden is the best
qualified for this position, and she will bring the
perspectives that I think are needed to take the Library of
Congress to its next chapter in the history of our nation. What
a great resource we have. We all know that. This is a world
resource. Whenever there is a slow day here, I love to go over
to the Library of Congress and just get inspired. I honestly
and truly believe that Dr. Hayden will take that library to the
next chapter, and a proud chapter, for the American people, and
I strongly endorse her candidacy.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you, Senator Cardin. Senator
Sarbanes, we would love to hear from you if you have a comment
or two.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE PAUL SARBANES, A FORMER U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND
Senator Sarbanes. Chairman and Senator Schumer and members
of the Committee, thank you very much for your generosity in
letting me say just a few words.
My wife served for many years on the Enoch Pratt Free
Library Board. It was a very large part of her life and she was
very committed. When she passed away, the library people were
more than generous and placed me on the Board, and I have been
on the Board now for the last six years. So I have had an
opportunity to observe Carla Hayden at work very closely. I
mean, I want to tell you, this is an extraordinarily abled,
dedicated, committed person, and I cannot tell you how excited
I am about her nomination to become the Librarian of Congress.
The nation will be extremely well served by her. The Pratt
Library had her leadership for 20 years, and we prospered and
thrived under it. Enoch Pratt was a 19th Century merchant who
established the library back in well, now two centuries ago,
and had the foresight to say it was going to be open to all, to
all. And Carla Hayden has carried that through, and the library
has been an incredibly strong fundamental institution in our
community.
She will do an absolutely terrific job as a Librarian of
Congress. Well, the three senators here have represented
Maryland in the Senate over the last 30 years, so you have a
strong recent endorsement of this point of view, and I strongly
urge her confirmation by the Committee. Thank you very much.
Chairman Blunt. Well, thank you, Senator Sarbanes. Senator
Mikulski has let me know recently that beginning next January,
the Senate should particularly listen to former senators and
the good advice they would have. And Dr. Hayden, to be joined
by Senator Cardin and Senator Mikulski, two of the most highly
respected members of the Senate, and all three of these people
talking about your great leadership for two decades at the
Enoch Pratt Library, means a lot to me, and I am sure the
Committee.
I had an additional recommendation for the record. I was at
the Ferguson, Missouri Municipal Library just last week. That
library was named the Gale Library Journal Library of the Year
for 2015, and I know that you and Mr. Bonner, the director of
that library, Scott Bonner, have presented together on a couple
of panels about how the library can fill its needs in times of
unrest. Both of your libraries became safe havens when schools
were closed, when local businesses were closed, when government
offices were closed. Your library and that library stayed open.
Mr. Bonner, who I had talked to earlier on the phone about
you, told me that for him, you were a personal hero and he
thought you were the most capable individual possible to run
the Library of Congress, so that was a pretty good
recommendation from a Missourian about what you have done.
The role of the Librarian of Congress involves much more
than the title would indicate. The Library of Congress is our
country's oldest cultural institution and was created by our
founders, as Senator Cardin said, over 200 years ago, in 1800.
And it was created to promote scholarship, to promote
creativity, and really with the goal of becoming a world class
repository for a vast collection of works.
Leading the Library of Congress requires multi-tasking on a
scale that is rarely necessary in almost any other government
organization. The Library secures and preserves the world's
largest collection of books and other creative works, including
the largest database anywhere of copyrighted works. The
Librarian manages more than 3,000 people. The Librarian serves
as an impartial and objective head of Congress' research
organization, and the Librarian oversees the Copyright Office.
Sounds like a big job, and we are here to talk to you about
it. The vital role that is played in cultural preservation and
scholarship, has been run by individuals with lots of different
backgrounds, and not that many of them. In the history of the
country, going back to 1800, there have been only 13 previous
librarians. One was a medical doctor. One was an editor. There
was a journalist, a printer, a poet, a political scientist, and
a historian. Two clerks of the House of Representatives were
Librarians of Congress, two lawyers, and two individuals who
were either a professional library administrator or had prior
library experience. In fact, the longest serving Librarian of
Congress who became librarian at the turn of the 20th Century
and served right up until the beginning of World War II,
serving for four decades, was a lifelong library administrator.
It is fitting, I think, that the nominee comes here today
with the background in her professional life as a librarian and
a scholar in the library sciences. She is the CEO at the Enoch
Pratt Library, but also has been the chief librarian of the
Chicago Public Library, and an assistant professor at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Library and Information
Services.
Now, the next Librarian of Congress will lead an
organization that has really had significant physical and
technological limitations and is struggling to adapt to a new
century. Due to the historic shortage of storage space, the
library has millions of items stored improperly and needs to
find a better way to store them. There is risk of degradation
of some of the collection.
In addition, recent information technology management
challenges have raised questions about the Library's ability to
serve future generations as more and more collections need to
be digitally collected, preserved and made available to the
public. I certainly look forward, Dr. Hayden, to hearing your
testimony today on your vision as to how this job needs to be
done.
Before I turn to Senator Schumer, just a couple of
housekeeping comments. The Committee will be accepting written
testimony from outside parties until Wednesday, April the 27th.
Information on how to submit written testimony can be found on
the Rules Committee Web site. In addition, the Committee will
keep the record open for members of the Committee to submit
questions for the nominee until Wednesday, May the 4th.
As already been mentioned, Senator Schumer and I worked
last year to create the first defined term which set a term,
but also sets a framework of opportunity, and we have been glad
to work together on those and other issues, and I would like to
turn to him now for his comments.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHARLES E. SCHUMER, A U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Senator Schumer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an opening
statement, but if our colleagues--I know their schedules are
busy--if you have to go, you can read my statement in the
record, if you would prefer.
Senator Cardin. I will take you up on that.
Senator Schumer. Thank you. And I want to thank all of my
colleagues, my two present colleagues and my former colleague,
Senator Sarbanes. To him, I would say ``yasuo.'' Because we saw
each other at the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York a
week or two ago.
Okay. Well, I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for moving
forward with this nomination. And Dr. Hayden, I would like to
welcome you here today. I congratulate you on your nomination
as the 14th Librarian of Congress. My colleagues, Senator
Mikulski and Cardin, my former colleague, Senator Sarbanes,
have been effusive in their praise. I share their enthusiasm
for your nomination.
Under your leadership, the Enoch Pratt Free Library has
flourished and serves as an indispensable beacon of higher
learning and civic engagement for the City of Baltimore and the
entire State of Maryland, and it is no surprise, given your
four-decade career of success and exemplary work in the library
sciences.
I have no doubt about your qualifications or your ability
to lead the Library of Congress.
So I would just like to take a moment to talk about the job
you have ahead of you, as I see it.
The nomination of a new Librarian comes at a crucial
juncture. We need to ensure that the Library has the resources
to fulfill its mission--to make its vast collection available
and useful to the American people, and to sustain and preserve
this unique collection of knowledge and creativity for future
generations.
In addition, maintaining an effective national copyright
system is an integral part of that mission. Content creators
and businesses must be able to promptly register and record
their copyright interests. Individuals and businesses must be
able to readily obtain copyright information that enables them
to license copyright works.
For that to happen, the Copyright Office must be innovative
and efficient. A critical first step is to bring the Copyright
Office IT system up to date. In the digital age, issues related
to copyrightable content and protection of that content are
constantly evolving. So a big priority, it seems to me, for the
new Librarian, should be the implementation of IT investment
and planning practices that focus on the Copyright Office.
There is a lot of hard work ahead for the new Librarian,
balancing competing pressures, budgetary restraints. That work
is usually important. Thankfully, in nominating Dr. Hayden, who
Fortune magazine recently called one of the world's 50 greatest
leaders, I believe the President has put forward a candidate
capable of meeting the Library's many challenges, and extending
its reach beyond its marble halls to further enrich the lives
of all Americans.
Dr. Hayden, I believe you're the right person to pursue a
bold vision of the Library's future. It is my hope you will be
swiftly confirmed, and I look forward to working with my
colleagues to make that happen shortly.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you, Senator Schumer. We are going to
go to questions after your opening statement, so we look
forward to that.
STATEMENT OF DR. CARLA D. HAYDEN, NOMINEE TO BE LIBRARIAN OF
CONGRESS
Dr. Hayden. Well, good afternoon, Chairman Blunt, Ranking
Member Schumer, and distinguished members of the Committee. It
is truly, truly a great honor to be here today as you consider
my nomination as the 14th Librarian of Congress. Of all the
titles I have had in my professional career, I am most proud to
be called a librarian, and it would be my honor to have the
opportunity to be the librarian of the oldest cultural
institution in the nation, the Library of Congress.
It is especially fitting that this testimony is being given
in the week following National Library Week, a time when
libraries of all types and sizes are celebrated and recognized
for their work, and I am very pleased that my colleagues--many
of them are here today. I also want to take this opportunity to
thank the senators from Maryland, all three, Senator Mikulski,
Senator Cardin, and of course, Senator Sarbanes, for being here
today.
Now, this nomination at this time provides an opportunity
for me to combine and build on various aspects of my personal
and professional life. And my love and passion for reading
books started at a very early age when my mother, who is here
today, helped me check out a book, Bright April, the story of
an African-American girl with pigtails, from a storefront
branch in Queens. And I spent summers across from PS 96. I
spent summers in Springfield, Illinois, accompanying my
grandfather, a retired postal worker, to the capitol and the
state library, where a fellow church member kept a small
collection of books by and about African Americans.
These experiences and more were the start of my love of
books and my steps into libraries. But it wasn't until I met a
lady, Judy Zucker, at another storefront, this time in Chicago,
where my vocation began. She was on the floor during story time
for children with autism, demonstrating the power of a
librarian's work, and all of my subsequent professional
experiences were vital to my directorship of the Enoch Pratt
Free Library, for years a leader in public and reference
service, and it also is the state library for Maryland.
I had the honor of being president of the American Library
Association, ALA, with over 63,000 members. And I led the
organization at a time when libraries across the country
started to experience severe economic challenges. It was a time
of increasing public demand for computer accessibility and also
the need to protect the user's privacy.
And now I have the distinct honor to be nominated to be the
Librarian of Congress with various mandates and
responsibilities. As you know, the staff members of the
Congressional Research Service are what we call the special
forces who support Congress and perhaps are the Library's most
important constituency. The Library of Congress celebrates the
works of authorship, and by way of the Copyright Office,
provides services and support to creators of content. And I
must say, that coming from a family of musicians and artists, I
understand the blood, sweat and soul that goes into the
creative process, and I look forward to working with Congress
to ensure a fully functional Copyright Office that supports the
community it serves.
As I envision the future of this wonderful institution, I
see it growing in its stature, not only in librarianship, but
in how people view libraries in general. As more of its
resources are readily available for more people online, users
will not have to be in Washington, D.C. Everyone will have a
sense of ownership and pride in this national treasure.
A child on a reservation in New Mexico will have the same
access as a high school student in St. Louis, Missouri. A fifth
grader in Bowling Green, Kentucky, would be able to view
Abraham Lincoln's papers from his home computer, and a shy
tenth grader from Meridian, Mississippi, with dreams of
performing, would be able to view the Library's Leonard
Bernstein collection. A student from a community college in
Kansas could look at and even download revolutionary war maps
for a class assignment.
And this would help libraries across the country. A small
library in Arkansas with a modest budget will be able to help
patrons assess primary studies of George Washington's papers,
and a rural library in Alabama will be able to connect through
a live feed to the National Book Festival and see and hear
their favorite authors. I envision a Library of Congress that
can balance its various roles and important roles in a digital
age at a time when libraries throughout the world face many of
the same challenges, when their very existence is being
questioned. The Library of Congress should continue to be a
leader.
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.
If confirmed, it would be my privilege to join the
dedicated staff and supporters of the Library to ensure that
its treasures are secured and shared for many years to come.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to
answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Hayden was submitted for the
record:]
Chairman Blunt. Well, thank you, Dr. Hayden. We are going
to start with a five-minute round of questions, and there will
be a time for a second round, so we are going to stay pretty
close to five minutes on that first round, and people can ask
other questions later if they have time to stay.
You mentioned your predecessor. Of course, Dr. Billington's
28 years in the Library saw lots of growth in the Library, lots
of growth in the collection. His leadership doubled the
traditional analog collection that transformed the first
independent building for the Library, the Jefferson Building,
into a national exhibit venue that has hosted over a hundred
exhibits and established a host of new programs. He also
launched a new field of outside fundraising, which librarians
had not done in the past, and any comments you have about
continuing that would be helpful.
And then I would also like to know what new perspective you
bring to this, understanding the mission of the Library, and
how you think you are going to be able to build on that
Billington foundation.
Dr. Hayden. Well, thank you, Senator, for mentioning the
legacy that I would be honored to help continue. At each time
each of the Librarians of Congress have contributed greatly to
the progress of this institution, and most recently--and Dr.
Billington reached out to me and he has offered assistance, and
I would love to take him up on it, to build on the private
fundraising and the efforts that he has made. He established
the James Madison Council that has garnered so much support,
and actually helps fund the National Book Festival, provides
many special programs that would not be possible without that
public/private partnership.
And so in terms of continuing, it would be very much, I
think, advantageous to build on the preservation of the
collection, as well as the efforts to use technology to
modernize access to the collections.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you. Let's go ahead to questions.
We'll go to Senator Schumer, and then in the order of
attendance, members were Capito, Klobuchar, Cochran, King,
Boozman and Udall. So it will be Schumer, Capito, and then we
will see who is here after Senator Capito.
Senator Schumer. Well, thank you. My first question is just
out of historical curiosity. Could you tell us a little about
Enoch Pratt? His name is everywhere, the Enoch Pratt Library,
and they said he was a merchant.
Dr. Hayden. He did quite well at being a merchant.
Senator Schumer. He sure did.
Dr. Hayden. And I am smiling because Enoch Pratt came from
Middleborough, Massachusetts, to make his fortune in Baltimore
right after the Civil War, and he did quite well. He developed
into a banker, and when Andrew Carnegie, who is widely----
Senator Schumer. Yes.
Dr. Hayden [continuing]. Credited with, and rightfully so,
establishing public libraries throughout the country, was not
having such a good time at first. He heard about Mr. Pratt in
Baltimore and came and visited Baltimore, and Mr. Carnegie said
later in his book, The Gospel of Philanthropy, he knew of no
other public/private partnership that was better established
than Mr. Pratt's. He said he wanted his library free of
politics and religion, and also free to all without distinction
of race or color in 1886.
Senator Schumer. That is pretty good.
Dr. Hayden. And gave a million dollars.
Senator Schumer. Wow.
Dr. Hayden. 1886.
Senator Schumer. Wow. That is great. Well, it is good to
just know that little bit of historical----
Dr. Hayden. Thank you.
Senator Schumer [continuing]. Knowledge. Okay. My first
question, as you know, the Library's responsibilities include
the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of millions of
items and the wide range of traditional and new media; the
administration of copyright laws; and national programs to
provide reading material to the blind and handicapped.
But could you just give us a short list of some of your
priorities?
Dr. Hayden. It has been mentioned, and thank you for
bringing up the list of responsibilities, and also referring to
one of the biggest challenges, but I am very pleased to know
that this part has been advanced, making sure that the Library
has the technology infrastructure----
Senator Schumer. Yes.
Dr. Hayden [continuing]. To accomplish its many roles,
particularly with the Copyright Office, and modernizing all of
its operations. The expansion of the technological capacity
will help in not only preserving and making the materials and
the extensive collection available, but also stabilizing and
making the Copyright Office secure.
I mentioned that I have a number of artists and creators in
my family, and I know the importance of copyright and making
sure that people enjoy the content, but also respect the people
who create it.
Senator Schumer. Great. Thank you. Second, the National
Library Service provides important services to blind and print-
disabled readers so that, ``All may read.'' NLS regional
libraries work to make content available to eligible users in
accessible formats. This service is critical to the blind and
print-disabled readers of New York.
So tell me a little bit about your vision for NLS. How do
you see the NLS adapting to meet the evolving needs of the
nation's readers?
Dr. Hayden. Again, I am very pleased that you mentioned
that aspect of the Library of Congress' responsibilities. It
does not always receive as much attention, but it is vitally
important. In my experience in Illinois, and also in Maryland
in the state role, I have had the opportunity to work with the
libraries for the blind and physically handicapped, and one
thing that would be very helpful would be to make sure that
materials that are digitized are available in formats that
would allow people with challenges to read in various ways.
And so I would be very--if confirmed, very interested and
very supportive of expanding that role.
Senator Schumer. Great. And final question, in nominating
you to be Librarian of Congress, President Obama cited your
technological accomplishments at the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
How do you see both the Library of Congress and the Copyright
Office using upgraded IT systems to advance their respective
missions?
Dr. Hayden. I mentioned that I have been very heartened to
actually have discussions with the new chief information
officer at the Library of Congress. He was appointed in
September as a result of a lot of the concern of the
technological needs of the Library of Congress, Mr. Bernard
Barton. And he has, in that time, accomplished quite a bit in
terms of addressing everything in the Government Accountability
Office report in terms of assessing the needs of the Library of
Congress and also making sure that the basic infrastructure can
support a fully functional and efficient Copyright Office.
He has assured me--and I am glad that we are on the record,
and I will quote him--that if I am nominated--well, I am
nominated--but if confirmed, technology will not be a problem.
And he is very competent. He comes from the Department of
Defense.
Senator Schumer. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Blunt. Thanks, Senator Schumer.
Senator Capito, and then after that Senator Klobuchar.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Ms.
Hayden, for not just your service, but the visit to, I am sure,
a lot of our offices for a chance for us to get to know you
preceding this hearing. I appreciate that.
And I think in that conversation you and I talked that I am
the subcommittee chair of the Legislative Branch on the
Appropriations Committee, and so my purview is with the Library
of Congress. So if everything goes according to plan, I think
we are going to get to know each other very well.
So I want to ask, first of all, you mentioned the new chief
information officer, which I understand is working well, but
there is also another new division called the National and
International Outreach. You and I talked about this just sort
of briefly in the office. I did not know--I know it is early--
but how much time you have had to really look at this. You said
that your library has availed yourself many times of the
services of the Library of Congress. I did not know if you had
any initial thoughts on that particular part.
Dr. Hayden. Thank you, and I smiled because I had another
wonderful session with the head of the newly formed National
and International Office. It is six months old at the Library
of Congress, and its mandate is to expand the outreach of the
Library's programs and even exhibits throughout the country and
the world. And it is being led by former president of Bryn Mawr
College, and also most recently, the Kluge Center at the
Library of Congress, and that office is looking at all of the
ways that it can help, and with Mr. Barton, with the technology
infrastructure, it is an exciting time.
So six months in, but it seems like it is going to be quite
an effective way to get the resources out.
Senator Capito. Well, I look forward to that. Now, you
mentioned in your opening statement that the CRS, or the
special forces--and all of us, I'm certain, here have availed
ourselves of the well-respected research reports that they
generate for legislative debate, but this is a bit of a--the
question I am going to ask is maybe a little bit of a sticky
wicket here, but members of the public generally do not get
access to these reports unless it is through a congressional
office or through private databases.
And you probably know that there is a discussion and some
legislation actually as to whether or not these CRS reports
should be made available to the public. So without asking you
directly if you want to weigh in on that, I would be happy to
hear, but I did not know if you had--I would encourage you, or
if you had already put some previous thought into ways that the
CRS reports could--and CRS itself could sort of modernize maybe
some kind of a phone app or something of that nature where
there is more accessibility to these very valuable reports.
Dr. Hayden. I think that--what has been interesting, I have
heard different views on the amount of accessibility of the
reports that are very extensive. There is so much research that
goes into them. There is confidentiality in terms of being able
to provide the information, and I would really look forward to
the opportunity to study and work with Congress on the cost,
staffing, and other aspects of making parts of the reports
available, how you make them available, without stepping over
the line though in terms of making--stepping over the line in
terms of how much public----
Senator Capito. Access.
Dr. Hayden [continuing]. Service you provide. This is the
special forces and research arm for Congress, and so as a
public librarian, I know that you do have to balance those two.
Senator Capito. Right, and I do think that will probably be
a discussion that will be occurring over the next several
years. I just wanted to kind of jump in on the IT issue. And
when we are looking at the funding issues, there have been
broad requests for more IT funding. The Library has made some
pretty systemic changes in terms of trying to address that
issue.
I would just say that, you know, as a member of the Senate,
as this valuable resource that we have at the Library of
Congress, I think you will find a lot of support for the
biggest and broadest information technology programs that you
may need that kind of jump us into the next trunch. I know you
pretty much addressed the issue with Senator Schumer, so I
would just kind of associate myself with his remarks.
Dr. Hayden. Thank you. It is a challenge, but I have been
assured that they are well on their way.
Senator Capito. Thank you very much.
Chairman Blunt. Senator Klobuchar.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Congratulations, Doctor, on your nomination. I enjoyed the
discussion we had on the phone. A lot of people have been
focusing on the copyright issues, technological issues, which I
think are really important.
But there is one thing I will mention. Senator Leahy and
Senator McCain have a bill, and I have joined with them on this
bill. And it is about the subject just raised on the--Senator
Capito raised on CRS. As you know, the Library oversees the
CRS, and although CRS does not make its reports public, paid
Web sites often obtain copies of many of the CRS reports and
then charge their clients for them.
Those same reports are not available to Americans, yet
their taxes fund the CRS. If lobbyists can buy the report,
Senator Leahy, Senator McCain and I believe that they should be
available to all Americans, given that the Americans are paying
for those reports. And that is why I am co-sponsoring this
bill. It is called Equal Access to Congressional Research
Service Reports Act, and it would ensure that taxpayers have
equal access to the reports on a free and public Web site.
And you may or may not want to comment about this bill, but
in your view, what is the role of the Library of Congress in
promoting transparency of government and making information
more accessible to Americans?
Dr. Hayden. Well, thank you for that, because it shines a
light on the excellent resources and reference services of the
Congressional Research Service and what it does for Congress.
And I have heard different views on--and I alluded to that--on
how to make the reports and what portions of the reports, when
in the process of reference information is made available, and
I look forward to investigating that even more if confirmed, to
study how and when public access could benefit.
A lot of research goes into those reports.
Senator Klobuchar. Yeah, of course, and I am looking
forward to looking into this more myself. I am a co-sponsor,
because to me, it just made no sense at all that these are
government reports and that they should be available to all the
public, and then they are being--lobbyists are charging their
clients to see the work that the government performed at the
taxpayers' expense. So I think it is going to be interesting to
look at that more, and I appreciate going on this journey
together after hopefully you get confirmed for this position.
You have also held the position of president of the
American Library Association. How do you see that position
helping you? You must get to know a lot of the librarians all
over the country. I know we were talking about the--at the
anniversary of women's right to vote, and some of the things I
am hoping we can do with that, and could you talk about how
knowing some of these librarians and working with them all
across the country will be helpful in your current job that you
are seeking?
Dr. Hayden. Well, thank you for acknowledging my
colleagues, and many of them are here today, including a strong
contingent from Maryland. And having the support of the broader
library community, even getting support from 56 graduate
library schools that are preparing librarians for the future,
academic libraries, colleges and universities, special
librarians who especially--I work with companies and
businesses, and also K-12 librarians in schools all over the
country, really helps define what a lead library, like the
Library of Congress, can be.
And to be able to network together helps all libraries,
especially the ones that are, as I mentioned in the opening,
having their very existence challenged in the age of
technology, so grouping together, showing people that there is
a continuum from their local library in a small town. I will
mention Sparta, Illinois, a coal mine--former coal town, and
then having the resources of the America's library being able
to be put right there will strengthen the network, and I think
help create what libraries have always done, and informed
electorate and citizen.
Senator Klobuchar. Very good. Well, thank you. As I told
you on the phone, when I was little, my dream was to be a
librarian, and I started my own book catalog with the Dewey
Decimal System in a recipe box, but then I got----
Dr. Hayden. You were very good.
Senator Klobuchar [continuing]. This job, so it is what it
is. Anyway, thank you very much, and good luck.
Dr. Hayden. Thank you.
Chairman Blunt. Talk about blatant appeal to the crowd,
having your own Dewey Decimal System.
Senator Klobuchar. In a card box?
Chairman Blunt. Exactly. Exactly.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. Thank you, Senator. I will
consider that a compliment.
Chairman Blunt. It was a compliment. Just shows your total
capacity to get to the right point at the right time.
Senator Cochran, and then Senator King.
Senator Cochran. Mr. Chairman, I am honored to be able to
be here today serving as a member of the Committee to
congratulate our newest nominee for this important job as
Librarian of the Congress. Rather than to delay the questions
that others might have, let me just say that I think this is a
great day for the Library of Congress. It is a great day for
the United States Senate, and many of those expressions of
support and appreciation and admiration came through during the
delightful event last night that I was pleased to join.
So we look forward to working with you as a member of the
Oversight Committee, and wish for you all of the successes that
you can imagine.
Dr. Hayden. Thank you, Senator.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you, Senator Cochran.
Senator King and then Senator Boozman.
Senator King. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dr. Hayden, welcome
to the Committee. Appreciate your testimony and appreciate your
willingness to undertake this important job.
I want to talk for a few minutes about copyright. It seems
to me that is one of the most important jobs before you in
terms of organization, IT, policy. Copyright, I try to explain
copyright to my children, and their eyes glaze over. They do
not know it even exists. We have a lot of work to do and
copyright is very complex.
And I guess one of my questions, it is untoward, I suppose,
to ask someone at their confirmation hearing about the idea of
divesting part of their responsibility, but what are your
thoughts on the possibility of spinning out the Copyright
Office, having its own presidentially appointed director? It
seems to me that the fact that it is lodged in the Library as a
kind of historic artifact, should it--given its importance in
our society of intellectual property, should it have its own
separate existence?
Dr. Hayden. Well, thank you for mentioning young people as
well. I would like to address that and how we could work to
make the new digital generation, that they are digital natives,
to be aware of what the ``C'' means. It should mean caution,
and they should respect the fact that they are looking at
something. Whenever they see that ``C,'' that should be almost
a red or a yellow light for them. And they should be taught as
early as second or third grade.
They should have--one of my favorite examples is to have a
project that they worked two or three hours on and they really
are proud of it and then you turn to them and say, Johnny, I am
going to put Ed's name on it. And that is the most graphic way
to let them know that art and creativity should be protected.
They should get credit for it and they should do that.
In terms of the independence of the office itself, I have
heard quite a few proposals, and they all get back to the core
concern, and one that I share, that the Copyright Office should
be fully functional and should have its independence to carry
out its mandates the creators of content. I have mentioned my
own personal history, a father who was a recording artist and
going into a mall and hearing snippets of his music, and also
knowing that it is vital that artists and creators of content
get to register their works and even challenge the use of their
works in a timely and efficient fashion.
And so I, if confirmed, would take special interest in
making sure that that office is able to perform its functions
in a way that will protect the people that it serves, and that
is the creator of the creations of--creators of content.
Senator King. You think it would assist in that project if
it had its own separate presidentially appointed director, was
an office unto itself?
Dr. Hayden. I am not able to at this point say that that
would be the only way to accomplish what we all want. And I
have heard so many, not only congressional advocates and the
creative community, we all want, and I am including myself in
that community, want to make sure that that office has
everything it needs. And so if confirmed, I would like to work
with Congress and to examine how we could really make sure that
that happens.
Senator King. Moving on to your discussion, there's been a
lot of discussion about the IT and the need for upgrading. We
need to digitize the collection. We need to make it accessible,
which you have clearly stated as a goal. You talked about your
new CIO. I do not know him. I am sure he is terrific, but I
have one piece of advice dealing with IT on a large scale.
Number one, trust but verify. Do not always go on what the IT
people tell you. You sit down at the computer and make the Web
site work, and if you cannot make it work, ask them why.
As governor, I used to have fun calling the 800 numbers in
my state to see what you get for an answer and how long it
takes them to answer. I am serious about this.
Dr. Hayden. I know.
Senator King. Because quite often--I once was setting up a
hearing here as a staff member. I called someone and said, who
is going to be the witness? They said it was Deputy
Undersecretary, and I said, I do not know titles. Who is this
guy? And the fellow gave an answer, which if I ever write a
book about this place, this will be the title, he said, he is
at the highest level where they still know anything.
You and I are now above that level. So I really think it is
important that you be the ultimate judge of whether things are
working.
Dr. Hayden. I can assure you, Senator, at this point, that
in my discussions with Mr. Barton, who is the new CIO and a
permanent appointment--that had been part of the difficulty,
that they had had several different chief information
officers--that in our discussions, he was able to explain
things to me from petabytes to the security needs to the
storage and everything in a way that I could repeat it and
actually knew what he was saying. And that gave me--and I have
worked with IT professionals for a number of years on very
difficult projects, and you are right, that is the test. If
they can explain it and also make you understand and if I can
get on the Web site or whatever function that is being
presented and do well, that is a good sign.
Senator King. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. I
would also mention that--and you touched on it--security is
going to be more----
Dr. Hayden. Important.
Senator King [continuing]. More and more important going
forward, and copyrights as well as the digitization of the
collection.
Dr. Hayden. Right.
Chairman Blunt. Senator Boozman.
Senator King. Thank you for your testimony.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And Dr. Hayden, I
appreciate your coming by the office not too long ago and
having a good visit. You are a very distinguished, accomplished
lady, and I also want to give a shout out to your mom, since
she has strong Arkansas ties, I think through Helena----
Dr. Hayden. Helena.
Senator Boozman [continuing]. If I remember right. So that
makes her very special. Like I say, you are special, but she is
very special.
We touched on a few of these things. You know, there has
been a lot of talk about the copyright and the challenges
there. But besides the copyright, what would be your biggest
priorities? What do you see as the biggest challenges with the
job as you come in?
Dr. Hayden. With the--thank you, and especially for the
shout out for Helena. I must say, my mom was very thrilled when
I put the pin on the Arkansas state for her.
Senator Boozman. No, I was thrilled too.
Dr. Hayden. With Lexier and everything. One of the biggest
challenges now that the technology infrastructure and securing
that base for all operations, including the special operations,
copyright--and the Congressional Research Service has special
IT needs as well, will be to bring the leadership team and the
wonderful staff members at the Library of Congress together
with a shared vision and to work as a team together to advance.
Sometimes, as you probably know, with larger organizations that
have these specialized aspects, it is hard to get out of the
silo effect.
And so the challenge, but also, I think, the one that has
one of the greatest rewards of any management--let's see, how
do I put it--I said challenge, but a management opportunity is
to get everyone rowing in the same direction. And I think that
that, just meeting with the senior staff members, I am assured
that they all have the same goal in mind----
Senator Boozman. Sure.
Dr. Hayden [continuing]. To make the Library of Congress
and all of its functions and mandates the best.
Senator Boozman. We do a lot of things in Congress, or
there is a feeling, you know, that perhaps, you know, that we
do things that you could argue whether or not we should be
doing. The Library of Congress is special, and I would argue
that I cannot do that as an individual. Their function--states
cannot do it. It is a very special institution.
And I always encourage people that are up here visiting to
be sure and go to the Library of Congress. It is probably the
most beautiful building inside of any that we have. And it
really is a national treasure.
And you have touched on this before, but I want to touch on
it again because I think it is so, so very important. Not
everybody gets to come up here, you know, and experience that.
Tell me again about some of your plans, how to get the Library
out to the hinterlands, particularly rural areas, places like
Helena and this and that? How do we do that? How do we do a
better job?
Dr. Hayden. Thank you for that, because the rural areas
sometimes are not given the attention that they deserve in
bringing culture and bringing information beyond just the
basics of making sure they have the broadband capacity to take
advantage of the online resources.
I mentioned earlier in a small town having access to
Abraham Lincoln's papers, or popular play now, Hamilton, and
the fact that the papers of Alexander Hamilton are available
online. It would be important also to be able to have exhibits
that travel, low-cost exhibits that could take advantage of
reproductions that could be in church halls. They could be
anywhere in a town.
And coming from a background that my dad was born in a town
of 10,000--I mentioned my grandfather, he was the postman
there--it means so much to have access to special types of
things. So not only would the exhibits possibly be able to be
put into different places in a town, but possibly some of the
artifacts themselves, primary sources if they could travel. It
has been done with the Smithsonian and other institutions, and
they could do it with the Library of Congress.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you, Senator Boozman. I have a couple
of other questions. Being the president of the American Library
Association is, I am sure, a great honor, but maybe not an
unmixed blessing, because suddenly you are responsible for
everything that is being talked about as part of the
association.
There are a couple of areas of criticism that you and I
have talked about and I would like to get your response to
those on the record today. One was when the Congress passed the
Children's Internet Protection Act, the American Library
Association challenged the constitutionality of that, arguing
that it violated the First Amendment. And I know, beginning
then as a leader of the national organization through really up
until now, you have commented on this several times, but you
want to talk about that whole issue of what kind of violation
that would have been, and then the issue of what kinds of
things need to happen in a library to be sure that children do
not have access to material that we would not want children to
have access to, and then how often you have to revisit that
whole concept?
Dr. Hayden. I really appreciate that question, Senator,
because there has been quite a bit of just misinterpretation of
the Library Association's position during that time. That was
in 2003-2004, and at that time, the filters that would have
been required for libraries to install were found to prohibit
access to very important health information, and the most
notable at that time was breast cancer.
And since that time, the technology has improved and the
filters that are installed to receive federal funding--and my
library, the Pratt Library, in its state role, has installed
filters--have improved, and the need to be vigilant is also
something that libraries are doing in not only the
technological aspect, but just plain physical arrangements of
computers, making sure that there are face-out positioning of
computer monitors, as well as very few, if any, cubicles that
contain computers as well, and education and making sure that
people know that pornography is illegal and we do not support
that in any shape or form.
Chairman Blunt. You do not think that pornography, illegal,
as you described it, has a place in the library?
Dr. Hayden. Not online, no.
Chairman Blunt. And there are, at the same time, things in
the library that are not appropriate for everybody that visits
the library to see.
Dr. Hayden. Right, and Senator, the way you described it is
exactly the way that libraries even design their buildings and
the furniture, and making sure there is even signage that
unaccompanied adults in children's sections are going to be
questioned. There are so many safety measures that are put in
public libraries, and even college and university libraries, to
make sure that minors are safe and that they are not exposed to
objectionable material as far as we can prevent.
Chairman Blunt. And while your final degree was a Ph.D.
from the University of Chicago, a very highly respected
institution, a lot of your early work was as a children's
librarian. A lot of your early focus was that, so these are
issues that you have always cared about?
Dr. Hayden. Yes, and it has been interesting to see how--
and I mentioned earlier with the ``C'' for caution with
copyright, that if you pay attention in the front end, that it
sometimes really helps in terms of later and working with young
people and seeing what imagination can be sparked. 3-D printers
now are in libraries, and that is a perfect time to let young
people know that all of this information that you can now get
on your device is not free for you to use and just put your
name on it. So I have been very involved in youth issues for
quite a while.
Chairman Blunt. I thought just the example you gave of how
you early on expressed to somebody the importance of their own
creative work was an indication of the way you would approach a
number of these issues.
On another thing from the American Library Association,
when the Patriot Act was passed, librarians objected to a
particular part of that, and in fact, the law was changed, I
think, from what was called the Librarian's Provision. Do you
want to talk about that a little bit?
Dr. Hayden. Yes. That was quite a time. That was also in
2003-2004. And the entire nation was concerned about security
and it was a time of great apprehension, and people were going
into libraries to find information about all of the different
aspects of what was going on. And the library community was
just very concerned that in the quest for security and making
sure that we were all safe that the public's rights were also
considered as well.
And since that time, there have been a number of reforms to
the Patriot Act, with the approval of Congress, which have
helped to alleviate the library community's concerns. And I
think I can also say that the American Library Association is
very pleased at the progress that has been made to balance
security and personal rights.
Chairman Blunt. And so would an example of that, Dr.
Hayden, would an example of that under the original discussion
be that there was some thought that law enforcement might be
able to come in and just say, we would like to look through
your records and see who has been looking at certain books,
looking up certain things, or even we would like to look at a
certain person's library record without a court saying that
that was necessary. Was that the concern?
Dr. Hayden. That was the basis of it, and especially the
bulk collection of information about who was interested in a
subject. What we were concerned about, and especially that
time, 2003-2004, that interest in a subject would be, or could
be misinterpreted as intent to do something. So interest and
intent were not equal, we were saying.
Chairman Blunt. I think that is a position I believe the
country has generally come to, and I think your explanation of
2002 and 2003 was also a good one, that everybody is trying to
figure out what can we do to stop this from happening again,
and sometimes that requires a lengthy discussion as to the
right way to do that.
Any follow-up questions, Senator Cochran? Senator Boozman?
Well, we will have the record open until the time I announced
earlier, for additional questions.
Anything you want to add, Dr. Hayden, which you wish had
been asked that wasn't, any topic you want to cover?
Dr. Hayden. Well, I had a few. I just wanted to thank
everyone for their support and for your consideration, Mr.
Chairman, and I really appreciate this opportunity. And to be
nominated as a librarian, if you're a career librarian, I must
tell you, this is one of the highest honors, and I thank you
for this opportunity.
Chairman Blunt. Thank you. This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:27 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
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