Whose vision fulfilled? toward a rightful ideological progenitor for the u.s. federal depository library program

Abstract

This article addresses the assertion, advanced by the Depository Library Council (DLC) to the Public Printer, that James Madison's political writings serve as the ideological underpinning for the Federal Depository Library Program. In ascertaining the validity of the DLC's claim, this article reviews the evolution of Anglo-American thought regarding the concept of an informed citizenry, and concludes by suggesting persons who may rightfully be considered the harbingers of a federal depository library program.