Education
University of Chicago.
University of Chicago.
She is the current Chief Executive Officer of Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, and was president of the American Library Association (American Library Association) from 2003 to 2004. During her presidency, she was the leading voice of the American Library Association in speaking out against the newly passed United States Patriot Acting. On February 24, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as the Librarian of Congress.
The nomination was received by the United States. Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Accreditation.
Doctor Hayden is a graduate of Roosevelt University and received her master"s and doctorate degrees in library science from the University of Chicago Graduate Library School. She taught as an assistant professor of library science at the University of Pittsburgh before returning to Chicago to begin her professional career as a children"s librarian at Chicago Public Library.
She was appointed second-in-command at Chicago Public Library in 1991. In 1993, she was appointed to the position of Director at Enoch Pratt Free Library.
Doctor Hayden has twice given the Jean East. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture.
As American Library Association President in 2003–2004, Doctor Hayden was vocal in her public opposition to the Patriot Acting, leading a battle for the protections of library users" privacy. She especially objected to the special permissions contained in Section 215 of that law, which gave the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation the power to access library user records. Hayden often sparred publicly with then-United States. Attorney General John Ashcroft over the language of the law.
Ashcroft often ridiculed the library community, and stated that the American Library Association had been "misled into opposing provisions of the act that make it easier for Federal Bureau of Investigation agents to fish through library records".
Hayden"s response was immediate, stating that the American Library Association was "deeply concerned that the Attorney General would be so openly contemptuous" (to the library community), while also pointing out that librarians had been monitored and been under Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance as far back as the McCarthy Era. Hayden asserted that Ashcroft should release information as to the number of libraries that had been visited under the provisions of Section 215.
On February 24, 2016, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Doctor Hayden as the next Librarian of Congress. In a press release from the White House, President Obama stated:
Michelle and I have known Doctor Carla Hayden for a long time, since her days working at the Chicago Public Library, and I am proud to nominate her to lead our nation’s oldest federal institution as our 14th Librarian of Congress.
Doctor Hayden has devoted her career to modernizing libraries so that everyone can participate in today"s digital culture.
She has the proven experience, dedication, and deep knowledge of our nation’s libraries to serve our country well and that’s why I look forward to working with her in the months ahead. If confirmed, Doctor Hayden would be the first woman and the first African American to hold the position – both of which are long overdue.
In January 2010, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Doctor Hayden as a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board and National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities.