The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. He serves as the chief librarian of all the sections of the Library of Congress.

Librarians of Congress

1. John James Beckley (1802–1807)
2. Patrick Magruder (1807–1815)
3. George Watterston (1815–1829)
4. John Silva Meehan (1829–1861)
5. John Gould Stephenson (1861–1864)
6. Ainsworth Rand Spofford (1864–1897)
7. John Russell Young (1897–1899)
8. Herbert Putnam (1899–1939)
9. Archibald MacLeish (1939–1944) (and Pulitzer Prize poet)
10. Luther H. Evans (1945–1953)
11. Lawrence Quincy Mumford (1954–1974)
12. Daniel J. Boorstin (1975–1987)
13. James H. Billington (1987–)

One of the responsibilities of the Librarian of Congress is to appoint the U.S. Poet Laureate.

See also

• List of librarians