Whereas the James Madison Council, the Library of
Congress’s first-ever national advisory and support group in the 205-year
history of the Library of Congress is celebrating its 15th year under the
continuing strong leadership of its Founding Chairman John W. Kluge;
Whereas the James Madison Council remains a loyal group of
friends whose vision and generosity have made possible many new initiatives
within America’s oldest Federal cultural institution;
Whereas John Kluge has energized this group of dedicated
and generous individuals from the private-sector to help this unique
institution that was created by Congress to make added contributions for the
good of the Nation;
Whereas John Kluge’s example and leadership has benefitted
not only the Library of Congress and Congress, but also scholars, researchers,
and lifelong learners everywhere, and has created a new international award at
the highest level for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity;
Whereas building on John Kluge’s generosity, the James
Madison Council has strengthened and enriched the world of scholarship in
Washington, District of Columbia, and provided new on-line educational material
for the classrooms of the Nation and the world;
Whereas the members of the James Madison Council have
added a significant number of rare and historic materials of major importance
to the national collection of the Library of Congress, such as the 1507
Waldseemüller map of the world, which was the first map to include America,
made possible by members John Hendricks, Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest, and
David Koch, the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s original library, which is
the cornerstone of the Library’s collections, thanks to Jerry Jones, a major
private collection from members Jean and Jay I. Kislak, which documents the
encounter between European explorers and the indigenous peoples of North
America and, thanks to Jon and Lillian Lovelace, the Alan Lomax collection,
which is the largest collection of ethnographic material ever assembled by one
person; and
Whereas led by John Kluge, the James Madison Council has
furthered the programs of the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, such
as the National Digital Library, which provides free internet access to
10,000,000 of the most historically important and educationally valuable
primary materials in the Library’s collection, the National Book Festival,
which celebrates the joys of reading, and the Library’s Bicentennial
celebration in the year 2000: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate commends the Library
of Congress’s private-sector advisory body, the James Madison Council, and its
Founding Chairman, John W. Kluge, on 15 years of exemplary service to Congress
and the Nation and looks forward to its continued success in the years
ahead.