Librarians of Congress

For over 200 years the Library of Congress has served as our national library. Since its establishment in 1800, thirteen librarians have served as the institution's head librarian. Sadly, little is known about most of them.The Librarians of Congress is the first book to contain the biographies of all these librarians. Beginning with a brief history of the Library of Congress, the book then contains short biographies of each of the thirteen Librarians of Congress, beginning with John J. Beckley and ending with James H. Billington. Each biography is accompanied by a photograph. A subject index concludes this work.

'The legitimacy of any society is demonstrated by how it protects its libraries,' states law professor Roy Balleste in the foreword to Nappo’s collection of short biographies of the men who have served as the Librarian of Congress. From that lofty assertion, Nappo presents a concise history of this often misunderstood institution as well as the first collection that includes both the stories and a photograph of these men. Listed in chronological order, each entry (between 10 and 20 pages long) is presented with a subtitle that adds context to the story and covers the entirety of the subject’s life, with special emphasis on his time at the LOC. A complete list of sources follows, for enterprising scholars who wish to expand upon the solid foundation presented here., Christian Nappo’s The Librarians of Congress, [is] a useful compendium of biographical information on thirteen individuals who have served as the Librarian, from John James Beckley to James H. Billington. The chronological range...covers a wide swath of history, with attention paid to the evolving role of the Library of Congress and its political context, nearly always contentious and subject to partisan wrangling, especially when appropriations are concerned.... The essays are well documented and provide ample checklists for further reading.... As an introductory text, Nappo’s volume fills its main purpose as ‘a ready source of reference.', The Librarians of Congress should be purchased for any college or university with a library science program, whether graduate or undergraduate. It would also be a good addition to the reference collection of both academic and public libraries as it provides not only biographies of the Librarians of Congress, but a look at some of the major highlights in U.S. history. This volume could not come at a better time with the recent confirmation of Carla Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress. She becomes the first woman, the first African American, and the first career librarian to serve in the position in over 70 years. This book left me wanting more, and that is a good thing., Librarians, educators, students, and Americans in general will find this collection of biographies a joy to read, and an examination of our past, present and future.  Hopefully, this is one way that the future of librarianship will grow. Christian Nappo may have now become the leading authority on the Librarians of Congress, and no doubt, his book will leave an indelible mark in the history of librarianship., If you have ever wondered about the history of the Library of Congress and the Librarians of Congress, this book is for you. All the Librarians of Congress to date are included. Read about how their interests have effected one of our greatest institutions.

Christian A. Nappo works for the School District of Lee County, Florida and holds an M.A.L.I.S. in Library & Information Science from the University of South Florida. He also holds a M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama and a M.A. in History from the University of Nebraska-Kearny.