Descriptive Record 
Enlarge ImageLuther Harris Evans (1902-1981)
Archibald MacLeish appointed Luther Harris Evans director of the Legislative Reference Service (currently the Congressional Research Service) in 1939 and as Chief Assistant Librarian in 1940. For a time, he was also the director of the Reference Department. While Acting Librarian from December 19, 1944 through June 29, 1945, Evans was nominated Librarian of Congress by President Harry S. Truman. Evans took the oath of office on June 30, 1945 and served until 1953. As Librarian of Congress, he expanded the services and collections of the Library of Congress and elevated its international role.
Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982)
Journalist, lawyer, playwright, and poet, Archibald MacLeish served as Librarian of Congress from 1939 until 1944. During his tenure he reorganized the Library and increased the Library’s services to the Congress and the nation. MacLeish also created the famous “Canons of Service,” which specifies that service to the Congress, service to the federal establishment, and service to the American public constitute the Library’s raison d’être.
Portrait of Luther Harris Evans, June 18, 1945.
Library of Congress Archives (Series: Photographs, Illustrations, Objects), Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Portrait of Archibald MacLeish, undated.
Library of Congress Archives (Series: Photographs, Illustrations, Objects), Manuscript Division, Library of Congress