Carla Diane Hayden (1952- )

June 13, 2017 
/ Contributed By: Maria Quintero

Carla Hayden

Carla Hayden

Photo by Library of Congress Life (CC0)

Dr. Carla Diane Hayden is the fourteenth librarian of the U.S. Library of Congress. Haydenโ€™s swearing-in as librarian was the first time a woman and an African American was appointed to the position. This is also the first time in more than sixty years that a professional librarian was confirmed to the post. Dr. Hayden was born on August 10, 1952, in Tallahassee, Florida. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Roosevelt University. Both masterโ€™s and Ph.D. degrees in library science are from the University of Chicagoโ€™s Graduate Library School in Illinois.

Dr. Haydenโ€™s career spans over the course of forty years. Her career began with the Chicago Public Library, where she served as the childrenโ€™s librarian and library associate from 1973 to 1979. She moved up to the position of young adult services coordinator from 1979 to 1982. The University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) hired her as assistant professor for Library and Information Science where she worked from 1987 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993, she was the deputy commissioner and chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library. Her last position before being nominated as librarian of Congress was that of CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. She also served as the president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004, during a time when libraries across the U.S. were experiencing fiscal challenges.

In 1995, Dr. Hayden became the first African American to receive the Library Journalโ€™s Librarian of the Year Award. This award was given for the outreach services she made available at Pratt Library. The services included an after-school center for Baltimore teens that offered homework assistance and college and career counseling.

President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Hayden for the position of Librarian of Congress on February 24, 2016. The United States Senate confirmed her nomination on July 13, 2016. She was sworn in on September 14, 2016. President Abraham Lincolnโ€™s Bible was used for the ceremony, and Dr. Haydenโ€™s mom was the person holding it during her swearing in. Speaking on the significance of her historic feat during the swearing-in ceremony, Dr. Hayden said: โ€œPeople of my race were once punished and worse for learning to read, and as a descendent of people who were denied the right to read, and now have the opportunity to serve the institution that is now the symbol of knowledge is a historic moment.โ€ The retirement of Dr. James H. Billington, a historian, preceded her appointment.

About the Author

Author Profile

Maria has a degree in History from the University of Washington. She works with low-income and marginalized communities as a paralegal. Coming from a low-income community herself, Maria is dedicated to providing services to help folks overcome generational and systemic poverty.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Quintero, M. (2017, June 13). Carla Diane Hayden (1952- ). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hayden-dr-carla-diane-1952/

Source of the Author's Information:

American Library Association website, http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/07/dr-carla-hayden-serve-next-librarian-congress; Library of Congress website, https://www.loc.gov/about/about-the-librarian/; United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Rules Administration, Author.ย Nomination of Dr. Carla D. Hayden, to Be Librarian of Congress: Hearing before the Committee on Rules and Administration, Congress of the United States, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, April 20, 2016.ย Washington: U.S. Government Office, 2016. United States. Congress. Senate. S. Hrg.; 114-285. Web; PBS News Hour, YouTube website, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKQmcJWz058.

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