The Library of Congress Shake-up Endangers Copyrights
Framing President Trump’s decision to fire Carla Hayden and Shira Perlmutter as mainly a balance of power disruption ignores the dual functions of the institution.
The institution doesn't only belong to its namesake.
Photographer: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images North AmericaIn the wake of President Donald Trump’s firing of the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, members of the House and Senate expressed outrage at this apparent infringement on their domain. It worsened matters when a Department of Justice official was appointed as acting librarian. The Library of Congress — as the name would suggest — is not a plaything of the president; it serves the legislative branch.
All true. Nonetheless, framing this as a tussle between two branches of government ignores the fact that Trump also fired Shira Perlmutter, who oversees the Copyright Office within the library. That move highlights the outsized role the institution plays in the nation’s intellectual life — and the danger posed by the firings.