Confessions of a Loyal Librarian

Redroom.com presents exclusive video of John Y. Cole, a historian of the Library of Congress and founding director of its Center for the Book. John has worked at the Library of Congress for more than 44 years. He will enlighten and amuse you with stories (like the Librarian of Congress who misplaced thousands of dollars in copyright fees) and secrets (such as paintings of naked football players you may not have noticed on the ceiling) about this important American institution.

In this episode John talks about some of the struggles and influences that shaped the construction of the Library of Congress. It is clear from the final product that America wanted to “out-Europe Europe” in the construction of the building.