Daniel J. Boorstin

Daniel J. Boorstin (1914–2004) was an American historian, professor, and public intellectual known for wide-ranging works on American culture and ideas. He taught at the University of Chicago and wrote influential books including *The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America* (1961) and *The Americans* trilogy—*The Colonial Experience* (1958), *The National Experience* (1965), and *The Democratic Experience* (1973). Boorstin served as the 12th Librarian of Congress from 1975 to 1987, overseeing major efforts to expand public access to the Library’s collections and programs. He also directed the National Museum of History and Technology at the Smithsonian.