WASHINGTON, May 9, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump has fired the 
country's top librarian, a senator said, cutting short the term of the only 
woman and first African American to take on the role.

New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich shared an email late Thursday that he said 
Carla Hayden had received informing her of her termination from the role of 
librarian of Congress "effective immediately."

"Over the course of her tenure, Dr. Hayden brought the Library of Congress to 
the people, with initiatives that reached into rural communities and made the 
library accessible to all Americans, in person and online," Heinrich said.

"While President Trump wants to ban books and tell Americans what to read -- 
or not to read at all -- Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading 
and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone."

Hayden was nominated to manage the world's largest library in 2016 but has 
been criticized by conservatives, including members of the American 
Accountability Foundation lobby group, which has accused her of seeking to 
"indoctrinate America's children with radical sexual ideologies."

"Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids," the group 
posted on social media hours ahead of the librarian's firing. "It's time to 
get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!"

Hayden's 10-year term was set to expire next year.

The Library of Congress provides research and information for the legislative 
process as well as managing a vast collection of books, films, audio 
recordings and other materials.

The librarian of Congress is responsible for setting policy and managing 
staff, while also overseeing the US Copyright Office and appointing the poet 
laureate.

Hakeem Jeffries, who leads the Democrats in the House of Representatives, 
called her dismissal "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," he said in a statement.

The library did not respond immediately to a request for comment.