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Library of Congress requests more funding, presses for faster distribution of $1.4 billion in royalties
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…
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