The Q&A style interview (runs about 700 words) is now available online and will appear in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday, January 22, 2016. The interview also includes a list of Dr. Hayden’s favorite places to read.
Anna Marie Cox interviewed Dr. Hayden.
Here’s one of the eight exchanges included in the interview.
Q. (Cox): Most librarians of Congress haven’t actually previously been librarians. What’s the best preparation for this role?
A. (Hayden): Most librarians of Congress haven’t actually previously been librarians. What’s the best preparation for this role? There have been two other librarians of the 14 total — we’ve had historians, we’ve had lawyers — but the main theme has been an interest in ideas and knowledge and a belief in that. That’s what prepares you — to have an open mind, to want to expand other people’s interest in history and knowledge. Each librarian has been almost perfect for the time that they served. I just hope that I can keep that momentum going.
Direct to the Complete Interview