WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has nominated the longtime head of Baltimore’s library system as the next Librarian of Congress.
Carla Hayden would be the 14th Librarian of Congress in the institution’s 214-year history and the first woman and the first African-American to hold the position.
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Obama announced her appointment on Wednesday. If confirmed by the Senate, she would serve a term of 10 years with an option for reappointment. Maryland’s two Democratic senators, Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, recommended Hayden for the position last fall.
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Obama signed the 10-year term for the Librarian of Congress into law last year. The previous librarian, James Billington, served for 28 years and was criticized for not keeping up with advances in technology.
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Hayden has led the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore since 1993.
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