In early January 1899, Librarian of Congress John Russell Young died unexpectedly, and President William McKinley sought a new candidate for the position.

Lane wrote to a number of congressional contacts urging the importance of appointing a librarian to the position, and in his capacity as President of ALA, collected signatures from the ALA Council (twenty members elected to an advisory board) to send to President McKinley.

From a number of recommendations of suitable candidates for the job submitted by ALA members, Lane and the Council settled on Herbert Putnam, then Librarian at the Boston Public Library.

Through letters to and meetings with members of Congress and the President himself, editorials in local papers, and rallying the support of librarians throughout the country, Lane pressed Putnam's somewhat reluctant candidacy.

Barrows initially said he would not stand in opposition to a professional librarian backed by ALA, but matters became complicated when, in an error of manners, Barrows felt Putnam had at one point declined the nomination and made it clear he felt it dishonorable for Putnam to enter the "race" at a later stage.

Putnam was embarrassed by this and formally declined President McKinley's nomination, but perhaps due to Lane's relentless campaigning and the attention brought to the issue, the Senate failed to confirm Barrows on the basis of his not being a librarian.

Putnam subsequently felt able to renew his candidacy, and was appointed to the position of Librarian of Congress in March 1899.