Carla Hayden – Library of Congress, world’s largest
By
John C Abercrombie
Carla Hayden is an amazing woman who developed a love of books and pursued an outstanding career in the field of library science, rising to head the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress in 2016.
Dr. Hayden was born in Tallahassee, Florida. Her parents met in College while attending Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois. Her father Bruce was later employed by Florida A&M University, located in Tallahassee, where her mother was a social worker for the State of Florida. Her parents divorced and she grew up in Queens, New York before moving with her mother to Chicago, Illinois when she was 10.
The ancestors of her father’s mother had been slaves and that story is chronicled in the book “It’s Good to Be Black” by Ruby Berkley Goodwin. This book tells the story of a family that was proud of being Black.
Hayden credits her love of books to the book “Bright April” written by Marguerite de Angeli. (This book is featured in the books and values links below) This book was about a young Black girl who like Hayden was in the Brownies. This underscores 2 things that are extremely important in inspiring people.
1. The book was on a subject that was of interest to her, pointing out the need to explore subjects as you discover your areas of passion, and
2. the value of. positive role models that relate to the reader.
Her love of books led her to also find other subjects, such as British history and mysteries.
Dr. Hayden started college at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, later transferring to Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois where she earned her degree with majors in political science and African history in 1973. She continued her education earning a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Chicago in 1977 and her Doctorate degree in 1987.
It is ironic that Dr. Hayden started her professional library career doing what had inspired her in the first place, working with young people to develop a love of reading. Her first job was as a Children’s librarian with the Chicago Public Library, the she then worked with Young Adult Services before becoming the Library Services Coordinator at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Her career next took her to Pittsburgh as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Science where she worked from 1987 to 1991.
She moved back to Chicago in 1991 to become Deputy Commissioner and chief Librarian of the Chicago Public Library.
In 1993, she became Executive Directory of Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library. The Enough Pratt Free Library was established in 1882 by Pratt with an endowment of $1,000,000.00. Pratt’s intention was to establish a library for all, rich and poor without distinction of race, color, who, when accredited, can take out the books if they will handle them carefully and return them.
Dr. Hayden served as president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004. The American Library Association is the largest library association in the world representing over 57,000 members.
As president of the American Library Association, the theme of her term was “Equality of Access.” This is an important stance on the ability of Everyone to have access to information. This is important for the sake of a democracy of the people by the people and for the people to maintain access to all material within the library.
During her term she was outspoken in her opposition to the Patriot Act and the ability of the government to probe into the reading habits of American citizens. Often opposing John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General who ridiculed the library community for opposing FBI agent’s ability to fish through library records.
She is on record as saying “Libraries are a cornerstone of democracy – where information is free and equally available to everyone. People tend to take that for granted and they don’t realize what is at stake when that is put at risk.”.
As a result of her stand, MS magazine named her the magazine’s Woman of the Year in 2003.
Monday, April 27, 2015, the City of Baltimore and its Sandtown-Winchester community was in the midst of much uproar caused by the protests over the death of Freddie Gray, Hayden and the staff of the Pennsylvania Avenue kept the library open, giving community members a safe place during the troubled times.
Dr. Hayden and staff had provided a safe refuge for the citizens during these troubled times and drew wide praise for their courage.
The links below are clickable. Click on a video and if you are connected to the internet, you are taken to YouTube and can view it. Click on a book and you are taken to Amazon, where you can see more about the book, even check out a sample. If the book is available on Audible, you can listen to a sample. The Value offers take you to Amazon where you can get more detail and even order the product. Better yet, you can shop for other items using our links and we benefit without any cost to you. In fact, we hope you will check out the special offers and use our link when shopping Amazon.
If your business, club or organization shop Amazon, consider the use of our site for those purposes, it does not add one cent to the cost of goods, yet helps support the cause of providing top quality information for all readers.
This post is part of a 31 day series devoted to Black women we should all know. To see the entire list, click this link
Continue to gain access to videos, books and value items.
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Meet the new Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden
Carla Hayden made history when she was confirmed as the 14th Librarian of Congress, becoming the first woman and first African-American to hold the position. Hayden joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss her responsibility for overseeing the world’s largest library
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Hair Care
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It’s Good to Be Black Anniversary Edition
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Bright April
This is the book that inspired Dr. Hayden – Bright April
It appears that the book is not currently in print, but there are copies available, the price is a bit spendy, but the importance is great!
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Conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden & Archivist of the United States David Ferriero
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and National Archivist David Ferriero discussed the importance of collecting physical information and materials in the digital age. The Library of Congress and the National Archives are the home of the nation’s most valuable treasures
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The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures
by Library of Congress (Compiler), Carla Hayden (Foreword)
The Library of Congress brings booklovers an enriching tribute to the power of the written word and to the history of our most beloved books. Featuring more than 200 full-color images of original catalog cards, first edition book covers, and photographs from the library’s magnificent archives, this collection is a visual
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Knee Brace for Knee Pain
ABH – Knee Braces for Knee Pain
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Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress 2
Carla Hayden describes her journey from nomination, confirmation and inauguration as 14th Librarian of Congress.
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Women’s Tops
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Game Faces: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress Hardcover – October 23, 2018
by Peter Devereaux (Author), Library of Congress (Author), & 2 more
A charming gift book showcasing baseball cards from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries alongside photos from the early days of the nation’s beloved pastime
This shows the versatility of the material available
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Skin Care
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Watch Carla Hayden’s full swearing-in ceremony as Librarian of Congress
Carla Hayden was sworn in on Wednesday as the Librarian of Congress — the first woman and the first African American to hold the position.
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Text to Speech Devices
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Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists
by Martha H. Kennedy (Author), Carla D. Hayden (Foreword)
Published in partnership with the Library of Congress, Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists presents an overarching survey of women in American illustration, from the late nineteenth into the twenty-first century.
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Speech to Text Software
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Dr. Carla Hayden Opening Statement (C-SPAN)
Dr. Carla Hayden delivers her opening statement confirmation hearing to be Librarian of Congress. “Of all the titles I’ve had in my professional career I’m most proud to be called a librarian.”
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Reading Lamp
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Watch Carla Hayden’s full swearing-in ceremony as Librarian of Congress
Carla Hayden was sworn in on Wednesday as the Librarian of Congress — the first woman and the first African American to hold the position.
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Floor Lamp
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World Over – 2017-11-23 – The Library of Congress, Carla Hayden with Raymond Arroyo
CARLA HAYDEN, the 14th Librarian of Congress at the Library of Congress here in Washington, DC talks about the various collections housed at the world’s largest library.
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Cell Phone
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The Library of Congress Is Your Library
An overview of the history of the Library of Congress.
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i Phone
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The new librarian of Congress on the value of ‘free information’
The Library of Congress has a new chief: Carla Hayden. Most of her predecessors in the role have come from scholarly institutions, but Hayden is a librarian through and through. She is also the first woman and the first African American to take charge of the nation’s oldest and
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Carla Hayden was inspired as a young child to read by being exposed to a book that showed something unusual, a Black girl like herself. This demonstrates the power of diversitied reading materials. Many are uninterested in materials that do not show them. This is critical in the learning environment. Exposure to a variety of people, places and events is essential in the learning experience.