Editing Herbert Putnam (section)

==Retirement==
[[File:HERBERT PUTNAM - LCCN2016860842 (cropped).tif|thumb|Herbert Putnam later in life]]
Herbert Putnam's administration as Librarian of Congress lasted for forty years, from 1899 until 1939. It was clear Putnam was not willing to withdraw completely from the world of [[librarianship]], stating: "I would willingly surrender the administration, if that course would serve the interest of the library and I could feel assured as to my successor."<ref name="Rosenberg, 1993, p. 153">Rosenberg, 1993, p. 153</ref> Putnam provided the suggestion of "Librarian Emeritus" be developed as his new official title, with an honorarium of one-half of his original salary.<ref name="Rosenberg, 1993, p. 153"/> On October 1, 1939, Putnam retired as the 8th Librarian of Congress with that title, and he "continued to contribute to the Library, keeping regular office hours for the next 15 years."<ref name="ReferenceA"/> 

Putnam was awarded [[American Library Association Honorary Membership]] in 1940.<ref>American Library Association, Honorary Membership. http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/176/all_years</ref>

Herbert Putnam was succeeded in 1939 by [[Archibald MacLeish]], who served from 1939 until 1944.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/freedoms-fortress/articles-and-essays/timeline/1939/|title=1939 - Freedom's Fortress: The Library of Congress, 1939-1953|work=The Library of Congress|access-date=2018-03-01|language=en}}</ref>