Carla Hayden

The First Female Librarian of Congress

Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, is pictured in her office. Adapted from a photo courtesy of Andrew Hetherington.

In February 2016, during the final year of his second term, President Barack Obama nominated Carla Hayden to head the Library of Congress. A 74 to 18 vote in Congress sealed her confirmation, and she became the first woman to hold the post. Since 1800, when lawmakers established the library, there have only been 13 Librarians of Congress before Carla, and no professional librarian has been in office since 1974.

Carla Hayden on the day of her swearing-in ceremony, alongside Chief Justice John Roberts and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan. Adapted from a photo courtesy of Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call / GETTY.

The two men who preceded her were both historians. James Billington, who she replaced, served as Librarian of Congress from 1987 to 2015, but he received harsh criticism for failing to modernize the library. Due to Billington’s long-term neglect, U.S. lawmakers passed the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015. The Act, which President Obama signed into law, set a new 10-year term limit on the position, with an option for reappointment.

Carla Diane Hayden was born in Tallahassee, Florida, on August 10, 1952. Her father, Bruce Kennard Hayden Jr., was a faculty member of the Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, and her mother, Colleen Hayden, was a social worker. The couple divorced while living in Queens, New York. Carla was ten years old. Carla and her mother then moved to Chicago, Illinois. Carla developed a love of reading when she came across a 1946 novel titled Bright April by Marguerite de Angeli. The book centers on a young black girl from Philadelphia during her time with the Girl Scouts Brownie Troop.

After graduating from high school, Carla studied political science at Roosevelt University in Chicago and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1973. She then attended the University of Chicago Graduate Library School, earning a master’s degree in 1977. Her doctorate came a decade later. She became a librarian in 1973 when she took a position at the Chicago Public Library. Carla said of those early days:

“My journey to the library started with my love of reading, and I discovered—by accident actually—that there was a profession—librarianship—that would allow you to share that love and inspire that love in others. So I started as a children's librarian, telling stories.”

Carla remained at the Chicago Public Library for six years before she began a series of transitions that saw her coordinating library services at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and filling the role of an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences. Her stay in Pittsburgh lasted from 1987 to 1991. She returned to her home city and became the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Librarian of the Chicago Public Library. During the two years she remained in these posts, she met Michelle Obama and her husband, the future President of the United States. In 1993, Carla moved to Baltimore and became the Executive Director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. It became the longest-held position in her career. 

From 2003 to 2004, Carla also served as president of the American Library Association (ALA). During her time at ALA, she vigorously defended the privacy of library users in opposition to the Patriot Act. The fierce determination she exhibited in those days has been into her role as the Librarian of Congress.

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