[inaudible conversations] welcome to the third mississippi book festival. Im with the department of archives and history. Have been asked to remind everyone you are more than welcome to take photographs, post to social media. Literary lawn party this is sponsored by the Humanities Council and friends of the library. Mississippi is fortunate to have a strong supporter of its literature, music and ar arts. Now in his fifth term in the u. S. House of representatives, congressman harper chairs the committee and serves on the committee of energy and commerce and perhaps most pertinently as the chair of the joint committee for the library of congress. [applause] thank you so much. What a great day for mississippi. Third annual mississippi book festival, all the work thats been done, he cant say enough to all of the people who have participated, but its my honor to have, in mississippi, doctor carla hayden who is the h library of Congress Sworn in on september 14, 2016 so still new on the job, and we had an incredible day yesterday with her here at the state and Library Commission and also we had an amazing day. It was great. I want you to know that when you talk of rock star status, i see susan here, when we had her with about 100 librarians from across the state it was like all this was in the room. It was pretty special. Also, probably at about 1015 we will open it up for q a. There is a podium in the back, in the middle of the room. If you have a question that you want to ask, please feel free to go there and will get as many as we can in about a 15 minute span and do that as well. So, would you please help me give a warm mississippi welcome to doctor carla hayden. [applause] i just want to tell you how much we appreciate you taking the time out of an incredibly busy schedule to come join us. I know you flew in thursday night and then we had a very busy day yesterday. How is that experience. It was a whirlwind. I just want to thank everyone. When you mentioned that the librarians from all over the state, its like an oxymoron. A librarian and rock star. Its just something. What was so inspiring and reaffirming was the fact that librarians and people who love books and reading, its a community. It doesnt matter where you are, your state or anything. Remember chairman harper, ivan forgot where i was. Thats because i was around my library keeps. Thats what unifies everyone. This will be such a strong tradition of Strong Library service. We started the day at the Supreme Court building at the state law library and that was an amazing experience to learn that the state of mississippi was already planning and had a resolution for the purchase of books and maps to preserve that history that was coming. It was very similar history of the library of congress where you had a recognition that members of any legislative body needed to refer to books and to get information, and so i think in fact mississippi might have been just a little bit in front of the library of congress with some of that. Its amazing the library of congress was created in the 1800s. Thats a long time ago and weve only had 14 librarians of congress. They stay a long time. I can see why. Going into my anniversary, it is such a wonderful resource. It is of course the Worlds Largest library and it has grown into a resource for people in this country in ways that im not even sure everybody recognizes. Thats another thing youll hear me talking about what the library of congress does. Comedy millions of items are in the librarys collection. 164 million items. 836 miles of shelving. That would be from where we are now in jackson mississippi all the way to davenport iowa. Think about shelving. It has a lot of shelving. This crowd thanks a lot about shelving, and putting the things back. Think about that. We have a very robust staff member and the staff members, when you think about all of the collections, its the Worlds Largest collection of baseball cards and comic books. The first superman, the first, i see a lot of young people in the audience. Look at this. Just about every subject you can think about the library of congress has something about it. Lets talk about how you got into the library because that was, as a young graduate, youre looking for a job. Chairman harper is now revealing something. I think i have said this publicly before, and it was wonderful yesterday to be at the mississippi Supreme Court with the wonderful law library because there was a time, after i graduated from a Public Service university in chicago, i started, it was started by eleanor roosevelt. She still carries that tradition of Public Service. I majored in history and Political Science and i was thinking okay, what now but i needed employment. Fortunately, a lot of people who might have thought about employing me said you dont have any experience. All youve done is go to school. Yes, there are some recent grads here that are saying that. What have you done . So, because i loved books and libraries and things, between job interviews i would go to the Central Library at the Chicago Public library. Sitting there waiting on the next interview trying to think of some way to explain not having work experience, and a gentleman came up and said carla, he had just graduated with me, are you here for the library job. They are hiring anybody. Anybody with an undergraduate degree. I thought oh, wow. Im here, i like it, i went up there and just to let you know, he didnt get a job, i did. Years later, he made out all right. He has a company now. Hes doing all right. And then i got in and i was assigned to a storefront on the south side of chicago with the young lady who was on the floor when i arrived with blue jeans on and she was having a storytime with children with autism. I said this is a little different and it was about empowering everyone and opening the doors to everyone to reading. She was in graduate library school. Thats when i found out, theres a profession, you knew librarians but i didnt know. You didnt start out planning to be a librarian. Oh no, im an accidental librarian. It was just that door that opened the world to me. It was something that matched, my parents were both classically trained musicians and things like that so by the age of 12 we all knew that was not going to be my path but we also knew that i related to text the way they related to notes and music. They would look at musical notes and hear sounds and music and i would look at words and hear people talking in my head. I know your mom is watching. Oh she is watching and listening and will critique as soon as we get home. You may want to check your phone. She may be sending you text messages. Luckily my mom has not advanced in technology. That would be dangerous. She is a lovely lady. She encouraged me in terms of reading, and i remember she would read, and thats what we tried to do in terms, thats why this festival is so important. Making reading fun or something that you want to do and not just a chore. Tell us a little bit, you work at the Chicago Public library. You get your first real job there after graduating from college, and so, to get from their, you had this incredible journey because i think you knew early on this was what you loved and wanted to stay in this profession. I knew from that first storefront to the fact that while, they pay you to introduce people to books and reading. Library in secret, you get to see all the new books as soon as they come in. They are fresh and they smell good. [laughter] these are the new books. But this love, they said you really have a passion for reading. It has been such a joy, a solace for me all of my life. Your leadership skills have obviously been recognized from the very beginning, but your long tenure as a ceo of the maryland i library in maryland is probably why you were able to come into this position. You were there from 1993 until 2016. You were also the American LibraryAssociation President back in 2003 and four. Your leadership skills have long been recognized. Share that experience and what that meant. A lot of people dont know the history and what it meant to education. It was a yankee when im in mississippi, he was a yankee from middleborough massachusetts who came and went south to baltimore to make his fortune. His father had made nails and hardware until he came down in 1856 made his fortune there. He was contemporary of other wellknown people in baltimore at the time that made fortunes and they each picked a Public Institution to support. So mr. Hopkins, mr. Peabody did the museum and mr. Pratt, who never had children said that he wanted to get the library to the city and he said i want my library to be free of politics and religion and he set up this Free Public Library and mr. Andrew carnegie who is largely credited with starting the Public Library system in the United States wasnt having quite a successful time when he was first trying to give libraries to communities. He heard about mr. Pratt in baltimore and he came down and mr. Pratt took him around and then he went off and said mr. Pratt was my pioneer and so that tradition. What that meant to you to go there and follow in his footsteps. You have broken a lot of barriers, and its taken a while to break those barriers. For one reason, there are only 13 librarians before you. They dont get those up once they get them. And the names of those librarians, daniel, john, this one and that one and then carla ass. I think shes female. For you to be the first woma woman, the first africanamerican librarian, you look around the room and there are a lot of young people in this room were watching. What do you do to encourage someone who thanks there are obstacles in their way. How do you share your story with them. Theyre not just imagining obstacles, there are obstacles, and in terms of my story, being a female, librarianship is one of the four thats traditionally called feminized professions. Social work, education, nursing and librarianship. In fact, my Favorite Movie ending is its a wonderful life and remember up and when he comes back and what wouldve happened and shes coming out of the library, fate worse than death. Librarians have a very strong stereotype and these profession professions, 85 of the workforce is female but the top management doesnt reflect that so being a female leader in the profession has been heartening for some of those young women who are in the profession, but also being a person of color and its so significant to be here in jackson where just yesterday we were at the commemorative marker yesterday and the fact that people wanted to read and integrate a Public Library. It means so much for me being an africanamerican being in the situation. And that was the trail marke marked. That was a remarkable story. [applause] one of the great things they shared with us about that story was the fact that they were all students, they all went to check out books that were not on the Campus Library there were only available with and they were dressed sharp. That was so fun to think about. They did the research. They made sure, they went to the card catalog mh were that the books they were requesting were not available at the branch that was used by africanamerican students so they can be referred. They used a really good Library Trick in terms of these books are not available. Now theyre only available right here. And they couldnt search those online and they had the evidence that these books were not available anywhere else, and thats what really pushed the issue. Looking in there, thinking of young people now and the obstacles that they face, in fact, having so Much Technology is so much information is being called a firehose of information. How do you decide things like that, its not just because im here, mississippi grit and grits. , but that termination and also sticking close to family and friends, those are your best partners whenever youre facing anything, and then to realize that tomorrow things might look a little better spinning your work in your leadership, how you are encouraging so many people, theres still a lot of first to be done out there and they will look to you is that example. I think thats one reason in 2016, Fortune Magazine named you is one of the top 50 leaders in the world. My mom ripped it out. [applause] thank you. My mom clipped it out but its so nice because every time she tries to tell me something i say could you look at that. And then she explains the only reason you got that is because of her. You also got to read a Childrens Book yesterday. Some of the Young Students from the Mississippi School for the deaf, what an experience. I think what that showed, and you were with me, and to see their eyes light up with that book and with the interpreter, and then it just became the book and the child and thats the ultimate. Then we told them and we gave each child a copy of the book and one lady signed and said can i take it home and we said this is for you, and she just hugged the book. And then you did some arts and craft. We had all things glitter. Everything was glitter until young ronnie said this is nice with the glitter but can we make a short period than all the kids wanted to make fins. Then they wanted to write their names in the book and so they would sign the letter and write the name. You have to have a love of writing and reading. You can borrow books and lend books, but it doesnt matter. If your reader, you will read the back of a cereal box. You will read anything. They just read stuff and thats the key. As it ever occurred to anyone to purchase the same book twice because you knew you like the magazines are terrible. Thats when you know you might have a problem. [laughter] the books in ms. Weltys house. We understand they may have clean that up a little bit but there were books everywhere. Everywhere on every surface. And she was very happy to see that. I felt better about my house. [laughter] is it a great. Exactly. Is not quite been on the yeajob for a year. Viewers worn in november 14 of 2016. Tell us about that experience, having president obama call you and their team call you to tell you they were going to name you the new library of congress. At first you have to realize its a real call. Then you hear someone say would you serve as the 14th librarian of congress. That was the key word for me, that you would serve. In the library of congress, its a wonderful exhibit about bob hope, the comedian. His daughter is working with us now to emphasize that he used his comedy to serve the troops. Whatever. Profession youre in, everybody conserve. That was the key for me and really the part that said okay, what can i do at the library commerce and its really opening up the library of commerce. You can fill in the blank and the library of commerce has its and you can connect with us, we have a table outside with all the projects and even a bookmark that emphasizes, ask a librarian whether youre visiting the library of congress in person, ask a question and receive expert assistance from our librarians and specialists. Then theres the ten man, if i only had a librarian. What an incredible experience that mustve been to know, not only were you getting the dream job. And in owning a bookstores you can do both. Thats a possibility. But to have that in about two months into the job youre at the awards, can you tell them a little bit about what the award is at the library of congress. The Library Congress has so many collections. Sound recording, film, photographs and the Great American composer. Each year the library of Congress Gives an award to an outstanding contributor. Two months in, i was asked to present the award for smokey robinson. Let me just tell you, that was not a hardship. I never thought you being a librarian would lead to all this. I knew she was really looking down on that one. To have him come to the library of congress and see his scores for all of his wonderful songs next to the original manuscript of summertime, it brought him to tears. He said my work is now and recognized, and then he sang. Tracks of my tears. I know. It was a moment. It was something. Thats one of the perks of the job. I know we cant go into any detail to the next recipient is. Heres another thing, i had to call mr. Tony bennett. The librarian of congress is not so bad. Tony bennett, the first person to be given the gershwin award for his interpretation of popular songs and he was so touched and said am i really the first person. The people who are going to be part of this program, lets just say mature, old song, country, everybodys gonna be there to pay tribute to tony bennett. No one has bee done more in the u. S. Collection. Just think of all the people. The last one was really something. Our experience for the library of congress and this festival is also illustrating the unifying power of the arts, music, literature and female jackson was the mc. At one particular smoky robinson song, wasnt my girl. I think it was. Because you were singing. Lets just say we got everybody from every party, every state and as mr. Jackson said, this is bipartisan karaok karaoke. [applause] it was something. Everybody knew the words. Of course on the news, we see all of the divisiveness between the parties, but this is something that brings people together. This is bringing people together and thats what youre going to see. Just in the room, the diversity, the different interests. Theres something for everyone and thats what this was illustrating. I think we can all enjoy it. And just have fun with it. Thats one of the things, as a member of congress to have been on the committee and the joint committee since i got there in half years ago, it is remarkable that when you look for that where the parties do need to come together and Work Together whether its the award awards, tell little bit about the congressional dialogue where you pack them in. Too really get a sense of what the current authors are and authors were writing about history and whats been very heartening for me when i listen to the discussions in the question and answers after words, i think everyone in this country should be very heartened by this, theres a genuine interest in history and working out and its called congressional dialogue. Its around book but its a dialogue about the ideas in the book. And rate are doing all of these tentatives and we have a dinner where everybody comes together and you have a top writer who has a biography on a former president or maybe someone who wasnt a president but very important history. The best thing is when dinners over what to the members get. A book. [laughter] for the first time there will be an exhibit of the papers. We are calling it the two georges and what was interesting in a recent visit is they were reading some of the same books at the same time. We just put the papers of rosa parks online to download so many things we put. I am a baseball fan. We put the scouting reports. My grandfather lived in springfield illinois and was one of those baseball fans that have to radio is going to do. You started out as cardinals fans. People are still recovering. I dont know if the city can take it. When we find out that the library of congress had the scouting reports of the legendary baseball branch and to read ernie banks he said he had some talent to see these reports and what he said about these players to know the relationship with Jackie Robinson and so all these treasures there just isnt a subject you can think of and that is what has been the greatest joy for me working with the staff and then the surprise is how many things are still being discovered. That is with 164 million plus items in the collection you probably cant know what is in every file and look and cranny but shared the stories. Of course your office which weve looked for reasons to go. The older building is the Jefferson Building but your office is across the street in the Madison Building on the sixth floor all glass with an outside area overlooking the capital. It is the spot. That building is only the james Madison Building as the only official memorial through James Madison in the capital and the Jefferson Building a sold his collection to congress after. All is forgiven now. Theres a fireplace in the capital that said it was to start the choir and thats something. The Madison Building opened in 1980 and where that working office and the jefferson in theg that opened up in 1897. There was a wonderful librarians office and we opened it up for the public and you will see the word that in 1975 and use all the door and tried to open it and it wouldnt open, so then behind the wooden door. A Search Engine command that have those skills. It is in a small lockbox and when he opened the box there was a letter with abraham lincolns contents from his pocket the night he was assassinated and it was given to the library of congress by abraham lincolns granddaughter. She had about six or seven articles about him, some good and not good that he had in his wallet. He had a confederate 5dollar bill because he just visited the south recently. He also had a Little Pocket knife type of thing. You should know full disclosure when i ran the congress i looked at every drawer and went every place. The book of secrets i might find. [laughter] over time they have come in through the papers, all these things, football fields were those materials and people retire then someone comes in years later and theres Teddy Roosevelts diary that he carried in his pocket. His wife and mother died in the same house february 14 at the same time. So weve got to digitize these things and make them available. As much as we would love to have every person in america come to visit the library of congress particularly the Jefferson Building tell us what youre doing for that outreach in Rural America and share a little bit about what you are doing their. Periods to do Live Streaming through the communities in schools and library with the offer programs in washington. There will be a mobile apps of h the veterans can stop submitting their histories. We want everybody to know this is your library so we are doing so much more to just let everybody feel comfortable and let them know what we have to offer. Financial archives already started the citizen curator where we are asking people to help us process and look at it and translate it to because people cant read cursive like they did before so we are reaching out to every one to say weve got a lot of things we want to make them available, so technology is going to be another great tool. This is the thing im sure knowing you and your love for books in that history when you have many president s, many others but donated their personal inhome library, what has that experience . At the end of the movie with Oliver Wendell holmes he said i will give my books to the library of congress and do so they have the personal library of Oliver Wendell holmes. You think about looking at not only what people producing the manuscripts into the draft but what are they getting inspiration for and from it of f course if Thomas Jeffersons library creating back. As you look at the history of how Thomas Jefferson really helped the library of congress he had already retired to monticello and have the Largest Library in the United States but offered to sell his library to the congress and the nation that there should be no subject that a member of congress shouldnt have to refer to the. You can see the original books as well as we filled them in overtime. There are many things being done in the fasbut fast forward fromo Thomas Jefferson and the 18 hundreds to today. It is quite an operation. We are going to ask people if you have a question can get in line and well start getting to those in just a moment. leftparen you look at those because you are getting duplicates of each book, tell us about the book program. We were able to donate and you were instrumental in that. We are not talking about used, we are talking about brandnew books that can be part of Recovery Efforts for instance when you have the damage here in mississippi we were able to help in the providing materials there and school libraries, community centers, anything that you will be able to. It is an amazing thing that goes there. Lets stop for just a minute and we have a question here. Thank you for your time. I have a question specifically about the databases and the different types of interfaces that are available in the library website. If it is making them friendly on the autism spectrum to give a socially younger students a better opportunity to do a their own primary research with a younger ages and if there is anything or anyone in the department exploring those, thank you. Thank you for bringing about life becausabetter life becausea major focus when you mentioned where weve been involved in a making it easier for people to access what we have and using technology as a tool. So the libraries are working on a strategic Digital Strategy, and we are examining ways to we can use Technology Even more effectively. So, we have refreshed the website recently, and he will be seeing more and order if thatso thank you for that. I also want to take this opportunity when i mentioned to the beautiful Jefferson Building and what we did yesterday with the school for the deaf and handicapped we just instituted a chore of the Jefferson Building thats been called the most beautiful building in washington, d. C. For people with visual challenges and so you can go into the building and still experience the architecture, so we are concerned but excited to make accessibility a part of everything we do. That has been at the heart to reach out to those with disabilities of all kind to make that accessible. Next question. First, i have to thank you for the wonderful resources that ive used both in person and online. I was curious as you move forward what do you think the library looks like in the next 50 years with 20,000 items as theyre going to be an offsite or maybe there is an offsite but i am not aware of. What do you see 50 years from now . All we know is thought doctor carla hayden will still be at the library. [applause] and i will look like that lady coming out of its a wonderful life. [laughter] [applause] that is the exciting part where yesterday with my library colleagues because all libraries are engaged in that type of visioning of the future and for the library of congress, it is also our conservation and preservation role as well so we have unique materials. I have to give a shout out right now to this collection. Theres people listening and watching that may not know the university of southern mississippi has one of the most important archives of childrens literature in the world. Curious george, we have the archives of those that did Curious George, and these are unique materials that are always going to need to be conserved and stored, so the library of congress for instance has a number of storage modules with additional shelving and its additional control so it isnt just putting things away somewhere. It the temperature control and securitsecurity in obese thingse we the digital we are also concerned about how do we preserve the digital copies of things and update the technologs the technology changes. So, the library of congress embarked on a Digital Strategy and storage planning but also looking at the fact that in the future, and you will see some of these changes in the next three or four years when you go into the buildings and they are more interactive and displaced, the libraries of the future have to build quiet spaces because they are active going into the library now there is no shushing. I was in the library and they had a coke machine. You could eat into libraries, thein the libraries,they were gu could make things. So you will see a lot of libraries that have different spaces to do different things. So, people can look at collections and create more its going to be quite exciting. The first meeting that he and i had, i mentioned Curious George at the university of southern mississippi, and want might you wish to do in the future i know you visited with some folks yesterday. There is an exhibit that is in japan and we have to wait for two years to get it at the library of congress, but we are on the list and we will be the first. It really is a wonderful display and people just dont realize. They dont know the story of the authors. They resent when he lasted so long because hes curious and they had to use bicycles to escape and then they came to america and it is just a wonderful story. The next question. It is an honor to be here. I wanted to ask something of view, not just a question. We are from louisville mississippi, and we found a deficit in reading comprehension and all that. So we formed a group called black girls read and we came down here to meet you. We have girls k12 may be about 20 of them here today, just right back here. [applause] [cheering] we inspire the girls to read. Right now they are reading me nice by linda jackson. We want to inspire them and what them know that they can do and be anything they want to be. They will be future carla haydens and i want to ask you please, stand up. If you could inspire them with just a few words. You inspire me. You are the future. Look at you guys. [applause] i love this because you are young ladies with different outfits, im trying to get a tshirt, im just saying right now. This is the other thing, reading can still be cool and you can read what you want and this is just cant take advantage of it and know that reading is cool that you can do anything. One of the joys of working with young people, and i want to get all of your names because in that 20 years or so, when you become an author o were you are doing your thing, dont forget us because we will be able to say that one of the members, a couple of the members or all of the members of the group are now doing this, this or this and we were there when they got started, so know that we are all here to support you. Invite us to the emmys or whatever. [laughter] hwe will be there saying we knew her. So that is another thing you will have to deal with. Thank you. That would be great. [applause] we have time for two last questions. Go ahead, sir. The books that are used all over the world my question first to the members of the United States congressman if you can get the next question should be asked by my wife, november 30 a new museum. Another one the 14th century or the 18th century articles in india and the third is a place of worship in india [inaudible] we did it for you. I have 24 books being used around the globe. Can the number be attached to digital copies because we dont have the luxury this is a nonprofit in the society, we do that and it can be done. The library of congress has six overseas offices that have a. Of favoring materials into the global sphere of. We will get your information to connect you with those special catalogs. It is in languages other than english and it collects at 170 languages. And there are some of these other areas of the world. We will definitely get your information to make sure that you are connected. We have time for one last question. Is being done in jackson mississippi and around the globe, so can we get a digital copy of this. We will discuss this. Thank you for your question. Thank you so much it has been a joy listening to you. I can attest to that rich history upon us the things i miss most is the love for reading. Its so inspiring and i wanted to know can you be a good leader and what book had the most profound impact on the trajectory of door life . I will start with the first or the second one because the book i talk about all the time and it is in the collection and they told me about it. I wasnt alive back then, let me be clear. [laughter] it was a book about a young africanamerican girl with pigtails. She was a brownie was aboutyearsold. In queens new york i dont know who put them up ther the link ti know that because i saw myself for the first time in the book and they can be when does that take you everywhere but they also need to be near a mirror. If the books are so important and that we dont see them reflected in it what is that saying, it is a double message. All can be leaders. [applause]