Abstract
This Article argues that the federal library ecosystem functions as democratic information infrastructure embedded within the institutional design of the United States government. Operationalized through national libraries, agency libraries, and federally supported library networks, this system organizes, preserves, and disseminates authoritative information, thereby supporting effective governance, public welfare, scientific progress, and democratic accountability.
The Article traces the development of this infrastructure from the establishment of the nation’s first federal library within the U.S. Department of State through the evolution of federal support for library services under the Library Services and Technology Act. Through two case studies—the United States implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled and the National Library of Medicine’s development of PubMed and PubMed Central—the Article demonstrates how federal libraries and library actors translate legal and policy commitments into operational systems that enable information to be discovered, accessed, used and reused.
As information environments become increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, data privatization, and fragmented authority, the Article contends that federal libraries continue to serve a critical democratic function by sustaining access to reliable information across institutions, technologies, and generations
Recommended Citation
Weiss, Nancy E.
(2026)
"Beyond the Library of Congress: The Federal Library Ecosystem as Democratic Information Infrastructure,"
Seattle University Law Review Online: Vol. 49, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulro/vol49/iss1/3