[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1284-E1285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. JAMES BILLINGTON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 2, 2009

  Mr. WAMP. Madam Speaker, on June 1 the Librarian of Congress, Dr. 
James Billington, celebrated his 80th birthday. I want to take this 
opportunity to not only wish him Happy Birthday, but express my 
profound admiration and thanks for his service to America.
  I have been a long time supporter of the Library of Congress, which 
is the oldest Federal cultural institution and the greatest storehouse 
of knowledge and wisdom in the history of the world. I have personally 
brought friends and constituents up to the dome of the Jefferson 
Building and marvel at the art, architecture, and symbolism of the 
magnificent Great Hall every time I am there.
  The Library of Congress would not be where it is today--leading the 
world in acquiring, preserving, and making accessible some 140 million 
items of America's and the world's heritage--without Dr. Billington's 
vision, energy, and firm guiding hand. It was Dr. Billington who, 
shortly after being nominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the 
Senate in 1987, quickly set the Library on a path to harness new 
technologies as we moved into the digital age so that the Library of 
Congress would not recede into a position of being a passive warehouse 
of information but a world leader in making its collections more 
broadly available on the Internet for the benefit of all. Through 
programs such as American Memory, the National Digital Library, and the 
World Digital Library, just launched last month in Paris, Dr. 
Billington has changed the face of research and scholarship forever, 
making it easier for all to be enriched by the Library's treasures.
  Jim Billington created the Madison Council, the Library's first ever 
private sector philanthropic and advisory group, which has spearheaded 
countless collections and initiatives, including the Kluge Center, the 
National Audio Visual Conservation Center, and a variety of cultural 
and educational outreach programs such as the Library's magnificent 
series of exhibitions, attracting millions of visitors to the Library 
and its website over the years.
  I am particularly fond of the Veterans History Project at the Library 
of Congress which has collected over 60,000 personal stories of 
America's war veterans and is now the largest oral history project in 
American history. In my own district we have set up a unique 
partnership with WRCB-TV, First Tennessee Bank, and the Erlanger Health 
System to interview local veterans and have collected hundreds of 
interviews for the Veterans History Project so far. At my request, Dr. 
Billington took time from his busy schedule to help kickoff this effort 
in Chattanooga on Veterans Day in 2002.
  As a member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the House 
Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Library of 
Congress, and currently as co-chair of the Library of Congress 
Congressional Caucus, I have become even better acquainted with the 
collections and services of the Library. At a Caucus dinner, Dr. 
Billington organized earlier this year in the magnificent Members Room 
we had a chance to get a special guided tour

[[Page E1285]]

of the Lincoln bicentennial exhibit and participate with Library and 
outside scholars in a fascinating discussion about our 16th President. 
Additionally, I know how much we here in Congress rely on and 
appreciate the Congressional Research Service, the Law Library, and 
other parts of the Library of Congress to support our legislative and 
representational duties.
  I cannot say enough good things about how much I appreciate the 
leadership efforts of Jim Billington and his exemplary stewardship of 
that great institution--the Library of Congress. I am personally 
grateful for his friendship. We all owe him an immense debt of 
gratitude for his outstanding public service and I look forward to more 
years of his visionary leadership.
  I wish Dr. Billington all the best on his 80th birthday.

                          ____________________