1990
Inaugural meeting of the James Madison Council held at the Library.
1991
Junior Fellows Program launched, funded by Mrs. Jefferson Patterson with a gift of $1 million. The program funds the work of college students in the Library's unprocessed collections. The students create "finding aids," which allow the materials to be accessible to scholars. Some 25 Junior Fellows from all over the country come to the Library each summer.
Glenn Jones of Jones Intercable and Mind Extension University gave $1 million to fund a cable television series, called the Global Library Project, about programs of the Library and how they relate to people around the world.
1992
The Madison Council launched a series of illustrated guides to the Library's special collections that are available at moderate cost. Published to date: Geography and Map; Prints and Photographs; Music, Theater and Dance; European Collections; Rare Book and Special Collections; and Manuscripts.
Council provided seed money for a corporate support group for the Center for Geographic Information in the Geography and Map Division.
This group now has more than 20 members and is chaired by Madison Council member Alan Voorhees.
1993
Madison Council approved $750,000 for seven programs: traveling version of "1492: An Ongoing Voyage" exhibition; programs to celebrate the LC Bicentennial Decade; From Peepshow to Palace: The Birth of American Film, a book based on LC's film collections; Survey of Knowledge program (scholarly surveys of collections); seed money for the Center for American Architecture; Conservation Outreach Program (travel and training money for conservationists); the John Rubens Smith Collection - the Library's 100 millionth acquisition.
1994
Madison Council member H. Fred Krimendahl II, chairman of Petrus Partners Ltd., launched Civilization, the bi-monthly membership magazine of the Library of Congress. In 1996 the magazine won the prestigious National Magazine Award for general excellence.
1995
Council launched the National Film Registry Tour in Madison, Wis., to showcase some of the films that have been added to the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Other cities visited in 1995 and 1996 include Omaha, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Lexington, Ky.
Council launched Leadership Development Program, supported with a $1 million grant from Council Chair John Kluge, to train minority librarians for management positions in libraries.
Acquisitions Committee established to help identify collections and to raise funds for retrospective acquisitions. Co-chaired by Caroline Ahmanson and Ed Cox.
Abe and Julienne Krasnoff establish the James H. Billington Fund for awards to curators for special projects.
1996
Madison Council and individual members make down payment of $1 million on the Marian S. Carson collection of Americana.
Madison Council approves $500,000 for acquisitions: Upjohn Architectural Archive, Ralph Ellison Archive, Edna St. Vincent Millay papers, the Breeze collection of wax engravings of maps, George Gershwin manuscripts, Ars Moriendi (The Art of Death) and a special fund for making copies for donors of motion pictures and sound recordings.
