OAK CREEK, WI (March 16, 2016) In February, President Obama announced his nomination of Dr. Carla Hayden, a former president of the American Library Association (ALA) and the current Chief Executive Officer of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, as the 14th Librarian of Congress. 

 

The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) affirms this nomination. As the leading art information organization, the Society values the role of the Librarian of Congress in supporting the advancement of knowledge and in supporting the copyright office that serves our nation’s creative communities, as noted in a recent White House press release. The Library of Congress is America’s library and features significant collections related to the nation’s art, architecture and design. If Hayden’s appointment is confirmed by the Senate, she will be the first woman and first African American Librarian of Congress, head of one of the largest libraries in the world.

 

ARLIS/NA president Heather Gendron said, “President Obama’s nomination of Dr. Hayden exemplifies ARLIS/NA’s core values of diversity and inclusion, as well as its shared belief that lives are enriched through an engagement in the arts. She has had a dedicated and distinguished career working in libraries.  Dr. Hayden has been a strong leader for community engagement and an advocate for the protection of citizens' data privacy, with a notable record of successful technology integration in libraries.”   

 

 

Founded in 1972, the Art Libraries Society of North America is a dynamic, international organization of more than 1,000 individuals devoted to fostering excellence in art and design librarianship and image management in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The membership includes architecture and art librarians, visual resources professionals, artists, curators, educators, publishers, students, and others interested in visual arts information. To serve this diverse constituency, the Society provides a wide range of programs and services within an organizational structure that encourages participation at all levels.

 

               

Elizabeth Berenz, ARLIS/NA Media Editor

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Telephone: (773) 930-4178                                                                         

For more information visit www.arlisna.org