Robert Newlen

Last updated
Robert Newlen
Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Newlen on July 23, 2025 (cropped).jpg
Newlen in 2025
Acting Librarian of Congress
Disputed
Assumed office
May 8, 2025
Disputed with Todd Blanche*
*Since Hayden's dismissal by Donald Trump, the role of acting librarian has been disputed between the principal deputy, Newlen, and Trump's named appointee, Todd Blanche. [1]

Robert Randolph Newlen is an American librarian who, as principal deputy librarian of the United States Library of Congress, became the acting librarian of Congress following the dismissal of Carla Hayden in May 2025 by the Trump administration.

Contents

Early life and education

Robert Randolph Newlen [2] was born at the now-demolished Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C. and is a third-generation D.C. native. He is a graduate of Bridgewater College, from which he received a bachelor of arts in political science and French in 1975. In 1979, he received a master of arts in art history from American University, focusing on nineteenth-century and twentieth-century paintings. [3] [4] Newlen also holds a Master of Library Science from the Catholic University of America. [5] [4]

Career

A few months after graduation from Bridgewater College, Newlen began working at the Library of Congress in November 1975, specifically for the Congressional Research Service (CRS). [3] [4] He was employed as a clerk and typist, delivering letters across the Thomas Jefferson Building. [4] From then until 2010, he served in various leadership positions. [5]

Newlen ran for president of the American Library Association for the 2004–2005 term, which was won by Carol A. Brey-Casiano. [6]

In 2016, Newlen was presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Bridgewater College. [3] That same year, he was awarded the American Library Association's Medal of Excellence for his "creative leadership of high order, particularly in library management." [5] In 2017, Newlen retired as deputy librarian of Congress. [5]

On June 9, 2023 Carla Hayden, the librarian of Congress, announced that she had appointed Newlen as the interim director of the Congressional Research Service following the resignation of the CRS director, Mary Mazanec. [7] He became the Principal Deputy Librarian to Hayden. [2]

Librarian of Congress dispute

On May 8, 2025, Hayden was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump through an email sent to Hayden. [8] In a separate email, Newlen proclaimed that he would serve as the acting librarian of Congress "until further instruction". [9] On May 12, four days after Hayden's dismissal, Trump appointed Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, as the acting librarian of Congress. Newlen did not immediately recognize Blanche's appointment. [2] Another official of the library who was dismissed shortly after Hayden, Shira Perlmutter has sued to dispute the legality of her dismissal, [10] as her position as Register of Copyrights is appointed by, and responsible to, the Librarian of Congress. Newlen also was appointed by Hayden.

References

  1. ↑ Gerstein, Josh; Tully-McManus, Katherine (May 12, 2025). "The Leadership of the Library of Congress Is in Apparent Dispute". Politico . Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Tully-McManus, Katherine; Carney, Jordain; Cheney, Kyle (May 12, 2025). "Hill leaders question Trump's attempted Library of Congress takeover". Politico . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Shifflett, Olivia. "Robert Newlen '75 Uses Art as Inspiration for Life". Bridgewater College . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Newlen, Robert (June 16, 2011). "An Interview with Robert Newlen, Assistant Law Librarian for Collections, Outreach, and Services" (Interview). Interviewed by Weber, Andrew. Library of Congress . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ryan, Bill (June 9, 2023). "Librarian of Congress Appoints Robert R. Newlen as Interim Director of the Congressional Research Service". Librarian of Congress . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ "El Paso librarian to lead national group". El Paso Times . El Paso, Texas. May 2, 2003. p. 11. Retrieved May 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ Papp, Justin (June 9, 2023). "Former deputy librarian of Congress named interim CRS director". Roll Call . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Italie, Hillel, Firing, hiring and a mystery: The 225-year-old Library of Congress has never had a moment like this , The Associated Press, May 15, 2025
  9. ↑ Kim, Seung Min; Miller, Zeke; Mascaro, Lisa (May 9, 2025). "President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden". Associated Press . Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ Smith, Dylan, Fired Copyright Office Head Shira Perlmutter Sues Trump Administration Over ‘Blatantly Unlawful’ Dismissal , Digital Music News, May 23, 2025
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.