dr. james h. billington. nition of his commitment to the arts, past and present. >> james hadley billington was sworn in as the librarian of congress september 14, 1987. he is the 13th person to hold the position since the library was established in 1800. since his swearing-in, dr. billington has championed the library's american memory national digital library program, which makes freely available online more than 15.3 million american historical items from the collections of the library and other research institutions. these unique american memory materials and the libraries and other internet services, which include thomas, a congressional data base, the on-line card catalog, exhibitions, information from the u.s. copyright office and a website for children and families called america's library, receive more than 82 million visits, and 626 million page views in the year 2009. throughout dr. billington service to the nation, he has tirelessly worked to find new and innovative ways to expand the reach of the

dr. james billington. [applause] >> our presenters this evening are both cultural icons in their own right. one is an emmy award-winning drack whose films tackle issues such as the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime, race relations and poverty. the other is an actress who has been welcomed in american homes for the last two decades. most recently for her emmy award-winning role on the hit television show "medium" ladies and gentlemen it is my honor to introduce spike lee and patricia arquette. [applause] >> thank you, tim. tonight patricia and i had the honor to bestow the spotlight award on dr. james h. billington in recognition of his commitment to the arts, past and present. >> james hadley billington was sworn in as the librarian of congress in september 14th, 1987. he's the 13th person to hold the position since the library was established in 1800. since his swearing-in, dr. billington has championed the library's american memory national digital library program, which makes really availa