WASHINGTON _ The longtime leader of Baltimore's library system was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday to head the Library of Congress despite late concerns from some conservative lawmakers about her previous positions on access to pornography.
Carla D. Hayden, the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library since 1993, will become the first woman and the first African-American to oversee the nation's largest library. Hayden was nominated by President Barack Obama in February, and was approved by the Senate on a 74-18 vote.
"She moved the Enoch Pratt into the digital age," said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat. "She not only brought the library into the modern age, she avoided technical boondoggles. She's a transformational leader."
Despite touchy issues facing the 216-year-old library _ including criticism that it has not kept pace with technology _ Hayden's nomination initially was uncontroversial. Both Republicans and Democrats applauded her appointment, she sailed through her confirmation hearing in April and was unanimously approved in committee last month.
But the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups voiced late concern about Hayden's opposition to the Children's Internet Protection Act, a 2000 law that requires libraries to use filters to block access to pornography. Hayden opposed the law, arguing that filtering technology available at the time could inadvertently block access to legitimate material.
The issue came up briefly at her confirmation hearing. Hayden told lawmakers that she believed online pornography had no place at a library.
Others criticized the White House for naming a librarian to the post rather than a scholar and suggested the Obama administration overemphasized Hayden's race.
"The post of librarian of Congress is of vital importance to the nation's cultural and intellectual life. Whether someone is black, white, or any color in-between, or whether they are a woman or a man should not be a consideration at all in determining who is the best scholar to fill this post," Hans von Spakovsky of Heritage wrote earlier this year.
Democratic sources who supported Hayden said several Republican senators had placed a hold on her confirmation after her hearing, essentially blocking her progress and potentially forcing a cloture vote. With just days to go before the Senate was set to recess, Mikulski and Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland sought _ and ultimately won _ a unanimous agreement to allow a vote.
"Dr. Hayden has been a cultural treasure to our city and a long-time, passionate defender of America's libraries," Cardin said. "In the case of Dr. Hayden's historic confirmation, Baltimore's loss is America's gain."
Hayden, a 63-year-old Cross Keys woman, was widely credited with advancing technology at the 22-branch Enoch Pratt system, itself a historic institution. She boosted the number of computers available to patrons, for instance, and rapidly expanded the library's electronic book collection at a time when e-reader technology was in its infancy.
"It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Baltimore for 23 years and help restore the Enoch Pratt Free Library as a world-renowned institution," Hayden said in a statement released shortly after the vote. "I will be honored to build on the legacy and accomplishments of my predecessors in this position, to be part of a continuing movement to open the treasure chest that is the Library of Congress even further and to make it a place that can be found and used by everyone."
Hayden will succeed James H. Billington, a Ronald Reagan appointee who retired last fall after 28 years on the job, to become the institution's 14th head librarian. Obama signed legislation last year to limit the term of librarians to 10 years, ending the practice of lifetime appointments.
Despite stalling for several weeks, Hayden's confirmation moved through the Senate at a time when many Obama nominees have been blocked, including dozens of nominees for seats on the federal bench. At the top of that list is Merrick Garland, whom Obama nominated in March to the Supreme Court.
Sen. Roy Blunt, chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration that considered her nomination, long supported her confirmation.
"She has the experience and the capacity and the personality to really move the library into the 21st century," the Missouri Republican told The Baltimore Sun.
Hayden, a former president of the American Library Association, captured national attention more than a decade ago for a public spat with then-Attorney General John Ashcroft over the Patriot Act. Hayden objected to a provision that allowed federal authorities to look at library borrowing records to identify potential terrorists.
Hayden came to Baltimore in 1993 after rising to the No. 2 position at the Chicago Public Library, where she became acquainted with the Obamas. She has been overseeing the first major renovation of Baltimore's 83-year-old central library _ an undertaking that she has said will help push the Cathedral Street institution into the digital age.
The Library of Congress, which serves lawmakers, federal agencies and the public, has a collection of more than 162 million items and adds 12,000 more each day. The library houses the largest rare-book collection in North America, the papers of 23 presidents and two manuscript copies of the Gettysburg Address.
Hayden manages 500 employees and a $40 million budget. The Library of Congress has more than 3,000 employees and a budget of $618 million.
