Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, Profiled in New Article

Here’s a new 1500 word profile of James Billington by Maria Recio from the McClatchy Washington Bureau.
From the Article:

For more than 25 years, Billington has been the librarian of Congress, a title that sounds rarefied, which, in fact, it is; only a dozen others have held the post since the library began in 1800.
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“It’s the closest thing we have to the national patrimony of intellectual and cultural creativity of the people of the United States,” Billington said during an interview with McClatchy in his top-floor office in the library’s James Madison Memorial Building, with sweeping views of the city.
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“Jim has done a spectacular job in reinventing the job of librarian of Congress,” said David Rubenstein, the new chairman of the library’s main fundraising arm, the James Madison Council, a group of wealthy donors created by Billington in 1990 to raise funds and acquire items for the library.
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Billington said he is in good health and has no plans to retire anytime soon.

Read the Complete Article

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, News, Profiles