James Madison Council

|| What is the Madison Council?  ||

The James Madison Council is a private-sector group created to serve as Library of Congress' primary link to the business community. The James Madison Council is the first private sector advisory body in the Library's history. The Council consists of public-spirited citizens dedicated to helping the nation receive the full benefits of the Library's incomparable educational, scientific, technological, and cultural resources.

|| Members Login  ||

|| Key Accomplishments ||

• Unprecedented private support of the Library of Congress since the Council's establishment in 1990.
• Lead support for the $24 million campaign for a new knowledge center in the magnificent Thomas Jefferson Building.
• A major scholarly center and a $1 million prize for humanities endowed by Madison Council Founding Chairman Emeritus John W. Kluge.
• The acquisition of hundreds of collection items including the famous Waldseemüller Map, the first map to bear the name "America".
• Lead support for the $45 million campaign for the National Digital Library.
• The re-creation of Thomas Jefferson's library.
• The Thomas Hampson Concert Tour, which appeared in 11 cities in 2005-2006.

||  Madison Council Activities  ||

The Jay I. Kislak Collection

The Library was honored to received a major donation of rare books, manuscripts, historic documents, maps and art of the Americas from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation of Miami Lakes, Florida. The Kislak Collection contains some of the earliest records of indigenous people in North America and superb objects from the discovery, contact, and colonial periods.

The John W. Kluge Prize

Through the generosity of John W. Kluge, founding chairman of the James Madison Council, Library of Congress offers a recurring major award celebrating lifetime achievement in the study of humanity. The John W. Kluge Prize is designed deliberately to reward work in the wide range of disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes—including history, philosophy, politics, anthropology, sociology, religion, criticism in the arts and humanities, and linguistics.