Dr. Carla Hayden made history nearly a decade ago when she became the first Black person to head the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
With ties to Chicago, she was appointed in 2015 to the position by President Barack Obama, another Chicagoan who himself made history as the nation’s first Black Commander-In-Chief.
However, next year, Hayden’s tenure as head of the world’s largest library may end when her term as Librarian of Congress expires. To renew her term, she must go through President Donald Trump and a Republican Senate, and the chances of that happening may not be great.
Hayden’s predecessors did not have to go through this process because the Librarian of Congress position was a once-in-a-lifetime job with no term limits.
Five months after she was appointed, the Republican majority passed a law that made the Librarian of Congress term 10 years. To keep the job after that, every 10 years, Librarians of Congress must renew their term with the approval of the sitting president and the U.S. Senate.
That means Hayden must face Trump and the MAGA Senate in September 2026, which is currently his rubber stamp.
As promised in the Project 2025 agenda, Trump is firing tens of thousands of federal employees as he seeks to transform the U.S. government to align with his vision and values. He recently fired the president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appointed himself chairman of the board. What he does with the Librarian of Congress position when Hayden’s term expires next year is yet to be seen, but the writing may be on the wall.
What began as a long, promising career looks uncertain for a Black woman who spent many years in Chicago. There, she rose to become the chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library, one of the largest public libraries in the country.
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First Black Librarian of Congress must have term renewed by President Trump
