By JOHN Y. COLE
Resolutions and proclamations often are tricky. Sometimes they are meaningless. At other times their meaning comes not as much from the words but from the effort that produces them.
Both the words and the efforts behind the words mattered in the three Bicentennial resolutions and two Bicentennial proclamations that Dr. Billington announced during the Bicentennial celebration on April 24. The resolutions and proclamations came from important but different constituencies: the U.S. Congress; the American Library Association; the California State Senate; the executive branch, represented by the president of the United States; and the District of Columbia, represented by the mayor. Each statement congratulates the Library of Congress, but thus highlights different Library of Congress functions and services.
Concurrent Resolution from the U.S. Congress
H. Con. Res. 269 was approved by the House of Representatives on March 28, 2000 by a vote of 416-0, and by the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on April 13.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Commending the Library of Congress and its staff for 200 years of outstanding service to Congress and the Nation and encouraging the American public to participate in bicentennial activities.
Whereas the Library of Congress, America's oldest Federal cultural institution was established on April 24, 1800, and in its 200 years has become the largest and most inclusive library in human history;
Whereas the Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity;
Whereas, in furtherance of its mission, the Library has amassed an unparalleled collection of 119 million items, a superb staff of "knowledge navigators," and networks for gathering the world's knowledge for the Nation's good;
Whereas the Library, the Congress, and the Nation have benefited richly from the work of thousands of talented and dedicated Library employees through its 200-year history;
Whereas the citizens of the United States have generously contributed to the Library's collections through their own creativity, social and scholarly discourse, donation of materials in all formats, and generous philanthropic support;
Whereas the goal of the Library's bicentennial commemoration is to inspire creativity in the centuries ahead and remind Americans that all libraries are the cornerstones of democracy, encouraging greater use of the Library of Congress and libraries everywhere;
Whereas this goal will be achieved through a variety of national, State, and local projects, developed in collaboration with Members of Congress, the staff of the Library of Congress, librarians and librarians throughout the Nation, and the Library's James Madison Council and other philanthropic supporters;
Whereas the centerpiece of the bicentennial celebration is the Local Legacies Project, a joint effort of the Congress and the Library of Congress to document distinctive cultural traditions and historic events representing local communities throughout the country at the turn of the 21st century; and
Whereas the bicentennial commemorative activities also include symposia, exhibitions, publications, significant acquisitions, the issuance of a commemorative coin and stamp, and enhanced public access to the collections of the Library of Congress through the National Digital Library: Now, therefore be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), that the Congress commends the Library of Congress and its employees, both past and present, on 200 years of service to the Congress and the Nation and encourages the American public to participate in activities to commemorate the Library's bicentennial.
Resolution from the American Library Association
Resolution Congratulating the Library of Congress on 200 Years of Service to the Congress and the Nation, Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association, January 19, 2000
Whereas the Library of Congress will celebrate the Bicentennial of its founding on April 24, 2000; and
Whereas the Library of Congress theme of "Libraries-Creativity-Liberty" recognizes the contribution that all libraries make to our nation and its local communities; and
Whereas to mark the Library of Congress's Bicentennial, the American Library Association and the Library of Congress have developed "Beyond Words: Celebrating America's Libraries," a national photography contest and future traveling exhibition, a Tip Sheet for promoting libraries and building partnerships, and a Bicentennial Toolkit for "Celebrating Libraries- Creativity-Liberty" in libraries nationwide; and
Whereas the Library of Congress and the American Library Association have collaborated on arrangements for libraries throughout the nation to be sites for second-day issue ceremonies for the Library of Congress Bicentennial postage stamp; and
Whereas historically the Library of Congress has played a major role in the development of national library services and technical standards in all aspects of librarianship, particularly cataloging, classification, preservation, the sharing of bibliographic data, the Copyright Office, and library services for the blind and physically handicapped; and
Whereas in cooperation with the American Library Association, the Library of Congress has played a major role in promoting libraries and librarianship in the United States and in countries throughout the world; and Whereas through the years many Library of Congress staff members have served as officers, executive board and committee members of the American Library Association, including eight individuals who have been President of the American Library Association: Herbert Putnam (1898,1903-04), Ernest Cushing Richardson (1904- 05), William Warner Bishop (1918-19), Herman H.B. Meyer (1924-25), L. Quincy Mumford (1954- 55), Lucile M. Morsch (1957-58), Frederick H. Wagman (1963-64), and Carol Nemeyer (1982-83); and
Whereas the Library of Congress, as the largest library in the world with a collection of materials in many forms and languages, sets a high standard of performance and service in which all Americans can take pride; now, therefore be it
Resolved that the American Library Association congratulates the Library of Congress and joins the Congress, the American people, and the staff of the Congress and its service to the Nation during its Bicentennial commemoration. ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, January 19, 2000 (s) William R. Gordon, Secretary of the Council.
Proclamation from the President of the United States
Bicentennial of the Library of Congress, A Proclamation by the President of the United States, April 21, 2000
The Library of Congress is truly America's library. Established on April 24, 1800, as the Congress prepared to transfer the Federal Government from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., it is our country's oldest Federal cultural institution. With Thomas Jefferson's private library as its core, the Library of Congress has reflected from its earliest days the breadth and variety of Jefferson's interests and his love of democracy, expanding the store of human knowledge and helping ensure the free flow of ideas.
Two centuries later, the Library's collections remain diverse and expansive, containing materials on virtually every subject, in virtually every medium. The Library houses approximately 120 million items, including more than 18 million books and some of the world's largest collections of maps, manuscripts, photographs, prints, newspapers, sound recordings, motion pictures, and other research materials. The Library also offers wide-ranging services to the Government and the public, serving simultaneously as a legislative library and the major research arm of the United States Congress; the copyright agency of the United States; the world's largest law library; and a major center for preserving research materials and for digitizing documents, manuscripts, maps, motion pictures, and other specialized materials for use on the Internet.
Today America's library is also the world's library. An international resource of unparalleled reach, the Library of Congress provides services through its 21 reading rooms in three buildings on Capitol Hill as well as electronically through its web site, which registers more than four million transactions each workday from people around the globe. With its remarkable collections and resources, the Library has truly fulfilled its stated mission to make "available and useful... and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations."
Libraries have always enabled people, in the words of James Madison, to "arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." These words, inscribed at the entrance of the James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress, are a tribute to the Library's past and a sustaining goal as it embarks on its third century."
Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2000 as a time to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Library of Congress. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the many contributions the Library of Congress has made to strengthening our democracy and our national culture.
In Witness Thereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. (s) William J. Clinton
Proclamation from the Mayor of the District of Columbia
Library of Congress Day, April 24, 2000; A Proclamation by the Mayor of the District of Columbia
Whereas the Library of Congress, America's oldest federal cultural institution, was established in the District of Columbia on April 24, 1800, and both the Library of Congress and the District of Columbia are celebrating their Bicentennials in the year 2000; and
Whereas, the Library of Congress' Bicentennial theme of "Libraries-Creativity-Liberty" recognizes the contribution that all libraries make to our nation and our local communities; and
Whereas the District of Columbia is participating in Local Legacies, a Library of Congress Bicentennial project that will document the District of Columbia's distinctive cultural traditions; and
Whereas in its two hundred years of existence, the Library of Congress has become the world's largest and most comprehensive library, and also one of the most accessible, providing service through 21 reading rooms on Capitol Hill and its Web site which, by registering more than four million transactions each working day, is one of the most frequently used Web sites in the world; and
Whereas the District of Columbia Public Library, in a new partnership with the Library of Congress, has been designated the District of Columbia Center for the Book, through which it will celebrate, honor, and promote books, reading, literacy and the literary heritage of the District of Columbia:
Now, Therefore, I, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, do proclaim April 24, 2000, as "Library of Congress Day" in Washington, D.C. (s) Anthony A. Williams, Mayor, District of Columbia
Resolution from the California State Senate
Introduced by State Senator Deborah Ortiz and approved on January 12.
Whereas the People of California take the momentous occasion of the Sesquicentennial of the California State Library to recognize the Library of Congress on the occasion of its Bicentennial; and
Whereas the People of California gratefully acknowledge the visit and inspiration of the Honorable James H. Billington, the 13th Librarian of Congress, in celebrating the founding of the California State Library, the oldest government library and cultural institution in the Far Western United States; and
Whereas under the able direction of Dr. James Billington, the Library is the foremost knowledge and information center in the world; and
Whereas under Dr. Billington's dynamic leadership, the Library of Congress has considerably benefited the people of California through its myriad programs ranging from information technology to the preservation and dissemination of its vast resources; and
Whereas for two centuries, the Library of Congress has preserved the memory of the American people and the American experience; and
Whereas the Library of Congress continues to make an invaluable contribution to the understanding and interpretation of California's unparalleled history through its rich collections and generous outreach programs; and
Whereas through its Center for the Book, the Library of Congress has stimulated a new appreciation for reading, literacy, the book arts, printing history, and book collecting throughout the Golden State; and
Whereas through its National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the Library of Congress has made possible the California State Library's invaluable service to the visually impaired; and
Whereas the Library of Congress is to be congratulated for its extraordinary service to the nation over the past two centuries; and
Whereas the 200th birthday of America's national library in the year 2000 serves to underscore the vital role libraries play in our democratic society and the leadership of the Library of Congress as it embarks upon its third century; now, therefore be it
Resolved by Senator Deborah Ortiz, that she commends the Honorable James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, on the occasion of the California State Library's Sesquicentennial, and the Library of Congress's Bicentennial, and conveys to him the appreciation of the public for the serious manner in which he worked to preserve for future generations the history of our nation.