Photo courtesy of Library of Congress Life, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump has fired Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. In a two-sentence email obtained by the Associated Press, sent on the evening of Thursday, May 8, Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse wrote, “Carla, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”

A Library of Congress (LoC) spokesperson confirmed that Hayden had been relieved of her position, and that Principal Deputy Librarian Robert Newlen will assume the duties of acting Librarian of Congress “until further instruction.”

At the time, no reason was given for her termination, which comes nearly nine years into what many have characterized as a highly successful 10-year term. Hayden is widely acknowledged, in the library and information field and beyond, as having transformed LoC into a vibrant and relevant resource for students and researchers, educators, historians, and the general public. As recently as May 6 Representative Mike Carey (OH-15) praised Dr. Hayden during her testimony before the Committee on House Administration for visitor growth to the LoC, noting “You had 883,000 visitors in 2024. That is up 22 percent. That’s very impressive.”

Hayden’s dismissal is seen by many as a continuation of the current administration’s efforts to check cultural and literacy institutions, including the attempted shuttering of the Institute of Library Services (IMLS) and the firing of Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan.

In February, the Guardian reported that the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a politically conservative organization backed by the think tank behind Project 2025, created a “DEI Watch List” of federal government employees. Hayden, as well as Director of U.S. Copyright Office Shira Perlmutter, was recently targeted. AAF posted on X, “Americans want to FIRE the Obama-Biden cronies in charge of the Library of Congress who: Use the Library to promote children’s access to books on radical gender identity; promote anti-Trump activists like Douglas Brinkley & John Meacham; host radical groups promoting Black Lives Matter and trans-grooming of kids; celebrate liberals like Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton.”

When asked why the President fired Dr. Hayden at a May 9 press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children, and we don’t believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer well, so she has been removed from her position and the president is well within his rights to do that.”

A TRANSFORMATIVE LEADER

As the 14th Librarian of Congress, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to serve in the role. Immediately after her appointment by President Barack Obama in 2016, she began work to expand LoC’s reach as both a digital presence and collector of the country’s cultural record. Her initial focus was on digitizing LoC’s vast collections, always with the guiding principle that they should be as accessible to schoolchildren in rural and underserved areas as to scholars. She also prioritized users with visual disabilities.

During her time as director of Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library from 1993 until her appointment as Librarian of Congress, among numerous accolades, Hayden was named Library Journal’s 1995 Librarian of the Year and served as 2003–04 president of the American Library Association (ALA).

In a statement, ALA President Cindy Hohl wrote that the “abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work Dr. Hayden has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress…. We are proud that Dr. Hayden, a past president and lifetime member of the American Library Association, embodies leadership that puts the public at the heart of public service. Our nation needs leadership like Dr. Hayden’s now more than ever.”

“This firing is not an isolated event. It is part of a larger, relentless campaign of erasure—a strategy weaponized to strip marginalized communities of access to resources, education, and cultural recognition,” Richard Ashby, Jr., past president of the Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA) posted on Instagram. “From book bans targeting narratives that reflect the diverse American experience to the defunding of literacy programs that serve underserved populations, this administration has wielded policy as a blunt instrument against progress. Their deliberate efforts to suppress public access to historical truths and diminish the presence of Black voices in academic and cultural spaces serve a singular, chilling purpose: to rewrite the nation’s story in the image of exclusion and control.”

The Enoch Pratt Free Library CEO and Board offered their support on LinkedIn, calling Hayden “a transformative leader, advocate for equity, and champion of public libraries. From her decades of service in Baltimore to her historic tenure as the first woman and first African American Librarian of Congress, Dr. Hayden has broken barriers and inspired generations. We are grateful for her leadership, her legacy, and her unwavering belief in the power of libraries to uplift communities.”

“UNPRECEDENTED AND UNNECESSSARY”

In the hours after her firing, government officials and individuals and organizations across the library and information world expressed their outrage, testifying to their regard for Hayden as a curator, innovator, trailblazer, and mentor.

In a press release sent out shortly after the news broke, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) wrote, “Every Member of Congress I know—Democratic or Republican—loves and respects Dr. Carla Hayden.”

She continued, “Dr. Hayden’s tenure has been marked by a steadfast commitment to accessibility, modernization, and the democratization of knowledge. Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions…. This move undermines the foundational principles of our democracy and erodes public trust in our institutions. The Trump Administration must provide a transparent explanation for this decision. I urge my colleagues in Congress—especially the Republicans who benefited from Dr. Hayden’s work—to stand united in defending the integrity of the Library of Congress. Dr. Hayden’s service and the preservation of our nation’s history and culture should transcend partisan politics.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote, “Donald Trump’s unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock. The Library of Congress is the People’s Library. There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later.”

“This is unprecedented, and unnecessary,” John Chrastka, executive director of library PAC EveryLibrary, told LJ. “Dr. Hayden has served Congress and the American people with integrity and distinction. This is a purely political move. And coming as it does right after the Preliminary Injunction and [Temporary Restraining Order] reopening IMLS, it is hard not to see it that way. Congress should be outraged at this overreach.”

Dr. Shogan added her voice on LinkedIn. “I want to say a few words about my friend Dr. Carla Hayden. She selflessly served as Librarian of Congress for nine years and took the Library to an entirely new level of recognition nationally. We are both the first women to serve in our respective roles and that’s no small thing. I am proud to stand next to her, always.”

“Dr. Carla Hayden is a giant in the field of librarianship, from her early days as a children’s librarian at the Chicago Public Library leading storytimes for children with autism, to the Library of Congress, the pinnacle of our profession, where she worked tirelessly to make our shared history relevant and accessible to all Americans,” Brian Bannon, chief librarian and the Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education at New York Public Library, told LJ. “The common thread throughout her career has been her commitment to the people she serves, including keeping Baltimore’s public library system open during the civil unrest following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, expanding digital access to the Library of Congress collections, and defending intellectual freedom as President of the American Library Association. She represents the deepest and best ideals of librarianship, which are rooted in truth, equity, and civic engagement.”

The Data Rescue Project, which has been working since January to save at-risk U.S. government data, posted a similar sentiment on its website: “As the Librarian of Congress, she has done an incredible job modernizing the institution as well as serving as a public figure for librarianship. We have appreciated all her work and her grace. She is an inspiration and will remain the Librarian of the People.”

“Dr. Hayden is truly an icon in the world of libraries. What she brought to the role of Librarian of Congress has been unprecedented and will be unmatched,” Sonia Alcántara-Antoine, CEO of Baltimore County Public Library, told LJ. “When you have the Library of Congress, headed up by the first public librarian in that role and you see her departure, and, concurrently, you see this chipping away at libraries across the country, chipping away at our institutions of learning—it’s really disconcerting. All of us as Americans should be alarmed by it.”