The Trump administration fired Congressional librarian Carla D. Hayden on Thursday, drawing a swift protest from Democrats. Dr. Hayden was the first African American and the first woman to serve as head of the facility.
Dr. Hayden, appointed Congressional 14th Librarian by President Barack Obama in 2016, oversaw the library throughout President Trump's first term. Libraries, the oldest government-run cultural institution in the United States, rarely acquire new leaders. Dr. Hayden was the first since 1987.
She was fired in a two-letter email from White House deputy director Trent Morse, according to a screenshot released by the New Mexico Senator, a top Democrat on the Legislative Division's Approvals Subcommittee.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to let you know that your position as a librarian in Congress has soon ended,” the email said without quoting the cause. “Thank you for the service.”
Library of Congress spokesman Roswell Encina confirmed his termination. By telephone, Dr. Hayden, 72, declined to comment.
New York leader Hayquem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader, issued a statement describing Dr. Hayden as the library's “skilled, principled and well-known” leader.
“Donald Trump's unfair decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is dishonorable and is the latest in his ongoing efforts to ban books, whitewash American history and pull back the clock,” Jeffries said.
Morse did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Since taking office, President Trump has insisted on control over American cultural institutions, taking over the John F. Kennedy Center's Center for the Performing Arts and declared a war with Ivy League College.
By purging references to diversity and inclusion, the pages about Jackie Robinson's life and military career have temporarily disappeared from the Pentagon website. An Arlington National Cemetery webpage highlighting the graves of black and female service members has disappeared. According to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the book, which includes Harper Lee's novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” about racism in the South during the depression era, has been expelled from a Department of Defense run school.
Described as the world's largest library, the Library of Congress has millions of items, and includes a collection of books on foreign languages and world history, music, films and newspapers. It serves as a research unit for Congress and is open to the public.
Rosa Delauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said Dr. Hayden has been widely praised by members of Congress.
“Her termination is not merely a humiliation for her historical service, but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most respected institutions,” Delauro said in a statement.
Dr. Hayden became a librarian in Congress after a long-term run as the chief librarian in Baltimore, a longtime home.
She knew Obama from her early days as a librarian working at the Chicago Public Library. She started out as a librarian in Chicago in 1973 and eventually became the city's chief librarian.
However, she had a special thanks to the Library of Congress, calling it a “treasure chest.”
“It's like heaven,” she said in a video published by the Obama White House when she was appointed as a librarian in Congress. In the video, she said that she reflected her status as the first woman in Congress and the first black librarian, showing her choice “what the National Library is.”
“It's comprehensive,” she said. “It can become part of everyone's story. I believe in what it will be for a civilized society library and a country open to all.”
Catie Edmondson and Emily Cochran Reports of contributions.
