Happy Wednesday. A couple of weeks ago I put the spotlight on a Black librarian, Bella da Costa Greene. I thought this week I’d continue that theme by highlighting about Black librarian, Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that she’s the first Black person to be Librarian of Congress. It probably also won’t surprise you that she is the first woman to be Librarian of Congress. Though you may be surprised to learn that she’s one of the few actual librarians to be made Librarian of Congress (the first, I believe, with an actual Master’s degree in Library Science).

Carla Hayden got her start in Chicago, working in the Chicago Public Library system, and during her time there she met Barack and Michelle Obama. She would later come the Director in Baltimore’s public library system. During the protests following the murder of Freddie Gray, Hayden kept the library system open, stating:

In a lot of communities in Baltimore, especially challenged ones, we are the only resource. If we close, we’re sending a signal that we’re afraid or that we aren’t going to be available when times are tough. We should be open especially when times are tough.

She has been a major advocate for libraries as community hubs and community resources, particularly in times of crisis.

In 2016, Barack Obama appointed her to be Librarian of Congress, a position she will hold through next year. As Librarian of Congress, Hayden has focused on modernizing the institution, and ensuring that its material is as accessible as possible. In particular, she has pushed for increased digitization of rare materials held by the library, such as Frederick Douglass’ papers.

And on a personal note, I got to meet her once! And she was delightful.

Be kind and thoughtful today. Cheers.