Does the future of the free world come down to who oversees the Library of Congress? Events of the past five days suggest as much, with a pitched battle over who may serve as interim Librarian and strong words from the House of Representatives.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was summarily fired, via email, late in the day on May 8. At the time of her removal, Hayden was serving a 10-year appointment that would have concluded in 2026, and her sudden ouster—without clear grounds for dismissal—was met with nationwide rage and disappointment from librarians, members of Congress, and the general public. Robert R. Newlen was named acting Librarian to replace Hayden, according to LoC seniority regulations and rules for succession.

Newlen has substantial experience in the agency, having worked at the Library of Congress from 1975–2017, and having been appointed (by Hayden) interim director of the Congressional Research Service in 2023. Newlen is a past member of the American Library Association executive board, a senior trustee of the ALA endowment, and 2016 recipient of the ALA Medal of Excellence.

One of Newlen’s first official acts as Librarian was to inform staff that the register of copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter, had been fired Saturday, May 10. Perlmutter, also appointed by Hayden, had served in the role since 2020. The Copyright Office is housed in the Library of Congress and likewise belongs to the U.S. legislative branch, and the director is appointed to the post by the Librarian. As of May 12, no new acting director had been identified.

Newlen served for all of one weekend before the Trump administration attempted to remove him too. The New York Times reported that deputy attorney general Todd Blanche—already in a prominent Department of Justice role—had been named acting Librarian on May 12, and immediately thereafter was embroiled in a standoff with Newlen. Politico broke the news that Newlen “disputed a change that had been made in an email to library staff Monday morning” and did not cede the role to Blanche, calling for Congress and not the executive branch to direct the process.

In two May 12 emails to LoC staff, one before noon and the other just after 5 p.m., Newlen said that he would share information as it became available. “Congress continues to engage with the White House, and we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward,” Newlen wrote in the afternoon email. “Please know how much we value your work and appreciate all that you continue to do for the Congress, the American people, and the institution.”

A library employee confirmed to PW that staff are in a state of uncertainty, and programs on the LoC calendar are in danger of cancellation. “We had a Broadway cast from the show Dead Outlaw that was supposed to come today and donate some materials, and they canceled that visit,” the person said. “People are trying to figure out who’s in charge, what’s proper and appropriate and legal, and how do we proceed.”

Making incursions

Wired also reported that “two men claiming to be newly appointed Trump administration officials,” self-identified as Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins, tried to enter the U.S. Copyright Office. According to a person familiar with the Library, the individuals "showed printed pieces of paper saying they'd been appointed to take over. There was no prior notification, no heads up, no official verification of any of this," and because the office entryways require badge access, the men were unable to enter the building. Someone at the Library summoned Capitol Police officers, and the two walked out voluntarily.

"U.S. Capitol Police provide security at every entrance, and that’s normal for us," added the staffer. "We have lots of treasures inside,” including “a lot of valuable historical materials.”

One person who did not show up at the Library on Monday was Blanche. Before his confirmation as deputy attorney general, Blanche was Donald Trump’s lead defense lawyer in the 2024 New York State trial that resulted in Trump’s 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records. Blanche’s current position gives him oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, among other agencies.

The power plays of the day prompted Rolling Stone to assert that “Trump Is Trying to Take Control of Congress Through Its Library,” and John Thune (R–S.D.), Republican majority leader in the Senate, called for more information about precedents in firing and appointing Library of Congress personnel.

Control of Congress does appear to be at stake in this situation, not least because—as a Library staffer pointed out—the LoC provides an important research function for Congress. LoC specialists annually fulfill some 75,000 information requests for the legislative branch, answering questions on law and legal matters. Under present federal regulations, the staff member said, “it would be an incursion to give the executive branch or Department of Justice all that access to what members of Congress are researching or investigating.”

In an urgent letter posted on the Committee on House Appropriation site and addressed to Inspector General Kimberly Benoit of the Library of Congress, six Democratic members of the House of Representatives requested “an investigation into, and continued monitoring of, potential improper communications” between the LoC and the executive branch, “including the possible unauthorized transfer of congressional or Library data to executive branch agencies and personnel.” They asked Benoit to prioritize the investigation, “given the time-sensitive nature of this matter and the potential for irreparable harm to one of our most important and inimitable institutions.”

Joseph D. Morelle (N.Y.), ranking member of the Committee on House Administration, was lead author on the letter, which also was signed by Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations and a vocal defender of Hayden; Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Appropriations; and Congresswomen Terri Sewell (Ala.), Norma Torres (Calif.), and Julie Johnson (Tex.).

The situation remains in flux.