Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, visited UNMC on July 27 and spoke to approximately 30 medical center and community leaders at a breakfast.
Dr. Billington is the 13th scholar to serve as Librarian since the Library of Congress was established in 1800. Originally established to support the U.S. legislative process, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest cultural institution and the largest library in the world. Its collections contain nearly 128 million items, housed on more than 500 miles of shelves.
Dr. Billington is widely respected as an expert in international relations and has advised a series of U.S. administrations on the history, culture and political environment of Russia. Dr. Billington was hosted by Mike and Dr. Gail Walling Yanney, longtime supporters of UNMC. The Yanneys share Dr. Billington’s interest in international relations and the Library of Congress.
Though he is an international scholar, Dr. Billington’s remarks focused on the enduring value of books, reading and libraries — even in the Internet age. Attendees received copies of Dr. Billington’s latest book “Russia in Search of Itself” and an autographed copy was presented to the McGoogan Library of Medicine.