Library of Congress requests more funding, presses for faster distribution of $1.4 billion in royalties
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Summary
At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, the Librarian of Congress outlined the Library’s FY2026 budget needs—highlighting IT modernization, staffing shortfalls, and progress on a multi-part visitor experience—while committee members pressed for faster distribution of more than $1.4 billion held by the Copyright Royalty Board.
Dr. Hayden, Librarian of Congress, told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch that the Library needs increased funding in fiscal 2026 to support information technology modernization, digital capacity and public programming, and to maintain services for Congress and the American public.
The request and related program needs matter because the Library provides research, copyright administration and public programs used by members of Congress, their staff and millions of visitors each year; delays in royalty distributions and underfunding of digital and preservation systems could affect those services.
Dr. Hayden described a multi-part visitor experience project and three modest programmatic requests for FY2026. The Library has opened its first permanent Treasures Gallery (June 2024), is planning an education center called the Source to open by the end of 2025, and is constructing an orientation gallery scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027. The FY2026 requests Dr. Hayden listed include upgrades for preservation object storage, web application delivery and management, and continued development of the enterprise copyright system (ECS). She said the Library resubmitted three items that were not funded in FY2025 to support the Congressional Research Service’s data and analytics capacity, digital collections processing, and digital accessibility, and said those resubmissions were revised to reduce funding and avoid permanent hires where possible.
Committee leaders and Dr. Hayden gave different figures for the total request: Chairman Mullen cited a total budget request of $946,200,000 for the Library, while Dr. Hayden and other committee remarks referenced a $900,000,000 request for core operations (figures were presented in the hearing and remain as stated by the speakers). Dr. Hayden also said the Library’s staffing level has declined since the early 1990s—from “over 5,000 employees” in the early 1990s to “approximately 3,300” now—and that mandatory pay and inflationary cost increases (which she quantified in testimony) have strained the ability to deliver the Library’s full program list under the continuing resolution.
Members pressed Dr. Hayden on franchise operations for copyright royalties. The hearing record includes a committee exchange about “more than $1.4 billion” in undistributed royalties dating back to 2014 that are managed through the Copyright Royalty Board. Dr. Hayden said the distribution process can be prolonged by formal proceedings, litigation and appeals within the royalty process and that the Copyright Royalty Board has considered procedural changes—such as time limits on proceedings—that could accelerate distributions. The Register of Copyrights was present in the room, and the committee asked the Library and the royalty board for proposals to speed distributions.
Chairman Mullen directed staff to meet with Library officials and the Register of Copyrights and requested concrete suggestions on timing and statutory or procedural changes “within a couple weeks.” The hearing record was left open for seven days for additional statements and questions for the record.
The Library also reaffirmed its commitment to service for Congress and the public. Dr. Hayden said: “The mission of the Library is to engage, inspire and inform the Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity,” and she thanked the Committee for prior funding of major IT investments and the visitor experience work.
The committee asked for follow-up information, including (1) a more detailed explanation of the royalty distribution process and potential statutory or administrative changes that could accelerate payments, and (2) occupancy and usage data for the Library’s meeting rooms across the Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison Memorial buildings to determine whether space is underused and could be made available to Members and committees. Dr. Hayden and Library staff agreed to provide supplemental information for the record and to engage with committee staff on proposals.