The Library of Congress is in a time of great change. Less of the world’s information resides in books, and private companies are scanning large volumes of print to digital. To top it all off, only a few months after Mao signed on as his principal deputy, James Billington, the 13th Librarian of Congress, announced his retirement after 28 years in the post. Into this challenging environment heads David Mao, the immediate past Law Librarian of Congress and newly the Deputy Librarian of Congress. David is well known in the world of library science, rising from private law firm practice at Covington & Burling to the Congressional Research Service before joining the Law Library of Congress. Although the Library of Congress’s principal patron is Congress itself, the Library prides itself in its accessibility to the Supreme Court, the Executive Branch, and to the public. David has said that he views his role as an ambassador to the world’s legal and library communities. They say that great opportunity lies in times of greatest change. No doubt David is the right person to take advantages of these great opportunities at the Library of Congress in the coming years.
