Why the Library of Congress Matters More Than Ever

In a symposium examining the broader importance of libraries, this Article makes the case for why the Library of Congress (LOC) is itself essential. Because the LOC’s broad range of programs is little known, this Article first summarizes the collections and components of the LOC and the ways it provides key resources to the American people and library communities. It then focuses on LOC programs that best illustrate the TILE Institute’s[1] technology, innovation, and ethics principles and concludes with a discussion of the importance of maintaining not just a national library, but a nonpartisan, politically independent Library of Congress. [1]. See Margaret Chon, Why Libraries Matter Now More Than Ever to Democracy: Legal and Policy Issues Affecting the Future of Public Knowledge, 49 Seattle U. L. Rev. Online 91, 91, 16 Seattle J. Tech.

Env’t Innovation L. 219, 219 (2026).