The head of the Library of Congress is retiring after nearly three decades at the helm and several months after he was criticized by a government watchdog agency.
James Billington’s retirement is set for Jan. 1. His successor will be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Appointed in 1987, Billington, 86, has helped lead the library into the Internet age, but has been criticized for not keeping up with technology.
A scathing Government Accountability Office report released in March decried his leadership and the library’s ability to stay up to date with recent technology. The watchdog agency’s report was the result of a year-long investigation that found the Library of Congress lacked central oversight and said the library’s leadership failed to evolve with technology.
“The library does not have the leadership needed to address these IT management weaknesses,” the report said of the library’s failings. Following the March report, Billington told the media he would not retire.
In a video message to staff Tuesday, Billington announced his retirement.
“Leading this great institution alongside all of you for nearly three decades has been the honor and joy of my 42 years of public service in Washington,” he said.
Billington is the 13th librarian of Congress, according to the Associated Press. The world’s largest library, the Library of Congress has been in Washington since 1800 and started as a collection of Thomas Jefferson’s books.
