Media advisory: New Librarian of Congress brings critical perspective, dean says

LAWRENCE — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Carla Hayden, longtime leader of the Enoch Pratt Library system in Baltimore, as the new Librarian of Congress.

Hayden will become the first woman and first African-American to oversee the nation’s largest library as well as the first librarian to hold the post. She succeeds James Billington, a Ronald Reagan appointee who retired last fall after 28 years in the post. Kevin L. Smith, dean of the University of Kansas Libraries, is available to speak with media about Hayden’s confirmation, her career and qualifications for the position, the changing nature of libraries and the importance of an experienced librarian holding the post.

“Carla Hayden brings remarkable skills, as well as an important perspective, to the role of Librarian of Congress. It has been clear for years that the Library needs significant modernization, and Dr. Hayden is an excellent choice to lead that effort,” Smith said.

Smith joined KU as dean in May and is an expert on issues of copyright, intellectual property licenses and scholarly publishing. He holds a juris doctor from Capital University Law School, a master’s degree in library science from Kent State University and a master's degree in religion from Yale Divinity School. Smith is a well-known leader in the field of scholarly communications and has a lengthy list of published articles, keynote addresses and essays.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.