As Library of Congress's leader retires, finding a successor for its next chapter

The librarian of Congress, James Billington, has made a smart decision to retire. Now the focus will be on his legacy and his prescient decision, decades ago, to usher the library into the digital age. Rumors of dysfunction in top circles will fade, as will growing concerns about whether the 86-year-old, who has seemed to falter in some recent public appearances, is up to the job. The last responsibility of anyone who holds a lifetime office is to know when to leave, and Billington, who has serv...