Hayden was born inTallahassee, Florida, to Bruce Kennard Hayden Jr., at that time director of theString Department atFlorida A&M University, and Colleen Hayden (née Dowling), a social worker.[2][18] Her parents met while attendingMillikin University inDecatur, Illinois.[2] Hayden grew up inNew York City. When she was 10 years old, her parents divorced and she moved with her mother toChicago.[2][19] She had a younger half-brother from her father's second marriage, Bruce Kennard Hayden, III, who died in 1992.[20]
Hayden's mother's side of the family comes fromHelena, Arkansas. Her father's maternal side of the family, who eventually settled inDu Quoin, Illinois, had beenenslaved, which is chronicled in the book,It's Good to Be Black, by Ruby Berkley Goodwin.[2][21]
Dr. Hayden (left) and actressLynda Carter participating in the June 2017 "Library of Awesome" event that celebrated the role of comics and graphic novels in promoting literacy, as they strike the typical pose ofWonder Woman
Hayden began her library career at theChicago Public Library telling stories to children with autism.[8] From 1973 to 1979, she worked as an associate/children's librarian at theWhitney Young branch. From 1979 to 1982, she served as the young adult services coordinator. From 1982 to 1987, Hayden worked as a library services coordinator at Chicago'sMuseum of Science and Industry.[24]
Hayden then moved back to Chicago and became Deputy Commissioner and Chief Librarian of theChicago Public Library, posts she held from 1991 to 1993.[24] During her time working at the Chicago Public Library, Hayden became acquainted withMichelle Obama andBarack Obama.[25]
Prior to and during her ALA presidency, Hayden played a role in influencing the creation of the Spectrum Scholarship Program, which was first developed in 1997 and offers yearly scholarships.[26] This scholarship program seeks to recruit and fund the education of students of color to help them obtain graduate degrees and leadership positions within the field and the ALA[27]
During her tenure, Hayden provided outreach services that included "an afterschool center for Baltimore teens offering homework assistance and college and career counseling." Because of this, Hayden receivedLibrary Journal's Librarian of the Year Award in 1995. She is the firstAfrican American to have received this award.[30] Hayden's period as director included the construction of the Pratt Library's first new branch in more than 30 years, in 2007.[31] During the2015 Baltimore protests, Hayden kept Baltimore's libraries open, an act for which she received praise.[32][33] When asked to reflect about this period in a 2016Time interview she stated that since many stores in the community closed, "we knew that [people] would look for that place of refuge and relief and opportunity."[34]
She left the position on August 11, 2016, when she was appointed to theLibrary of Congress.[20]
She was also publicly opposed to thePatriot Act, voicing concerns about library user privacy.[2][40] She especially objected to the special permissions contained in Section 215 of that law, which gave theDepartment of Justice and theFBI the power to access library user records. Hayden debated publicly with then-Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft over the language of the law.[41]
Ashcroft responded to the ALA's concerns by stating that there are strict legal requirements and that the FBI may only obtain library records that are relevant to existing investigations.[42] Hayden responded that the ALA was "deeply concerned that the Attorney General would be so openly contemptuous" (to the library community), while also pointing out that librarians had been monitored and been under FBI surveillance as far back as theMcCarthy Era. Hayden asserted that Ashcroft should release information as to the number of libraries that had been visited under the provisions of Section 215.[16] She has stated that the concern stemmed from making sure that a balance existed "between security and personal freedoms".[34] As a result of this advocacy, she was namedMs. Woman of the Year in 2003.[43]
On February 24, 2016,President Barack Obama nominated Hayden to serve as the nextlibrarian of Congress.[25] More than 140 library, publishing, educational, and academic organizations signed a letter of support.[44]
On July 13, 2016, she was confirmed as Librarian of Congress by a 74–18 vote in the United States Senate.[32] Hayden was sworn in byChief Justice of the United StatesJohn Roberts on September 14, 2016.[52][53] Hayden is first woman and the first African American to hold the position.[54] She is also a librarian by profession, whereas many past librarians of Congress have been scholars and historians.[55]
As librarian of Congress, Hayden said she hoped to continue "the movement to open the treasure chest that is the Library of Congress,"[56] and that much of her early effort would focus on building and retaining staff.[57] In the first five years, she also focused ondigitization, especially of rare collections.[22][58]
Hayden aspired to modernize access to the institution. In a press release by the ALA Washington Office, then-ALA presidentJulie Todaro said, "I believe that through her visionary leadership the Library of Congress will soon mirror society's rapidly changing information environment, while successfully preserving the cultural record of the United States."[9] Hayden spoke specifically of her desire to reach people in rural areas and people with visual disabilities. Another one of her main goals was to improve the infrastructure and technological capacity of the Library of Congress.[24]
In January 2017, Hayden hosted four-year-old Daliyah Marie Arana as Librarian of Congress for the day.[59] In October 2017, she hosted eight-year-old Adam Coffey as Librarian of Congress for the day.[60]
Democratic House minority leaderHakeem Jeffries called the firing "unjust" and part of the "effort to ban books, whitewash American history, and turn back the clock".[10] RepresentativeRosa DeLauro described Hayden as "a guardian of our nation's truth and intellectual legacy" and said that she had been "abruptly and callously fired", and urged her fellow members of Congress "to stand united in defending the integrity of the Library of Congress".[65]
It was reported that shortly before her dismissal, theAmerican Accountability Foundation (AAF) had posted on X that: "The current #LibrarianOfCongress Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids", and she had earlier been targeted by the group with claims she had promoted access to books on "radical gender identity".[66][10] At the May 9 White House press briefing,Karoline Leavitt said the reason for the firing was:
We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the Library for children and we don't believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer well, so, she has been removed from her position and the President is well within his rights to do that."[67]
TheAssociation of Research Libraries issued a statement about Hayden's transformational role at the Library of Congress noting, "Over nearly a decade of service, Dr. Hayden transformed the Library of Congress into a more open, accessible, and celebrated U.S. institution, while reaffirming its role as the people's library."[68]
The American Library Association praised the service of Hayden as a "wise and faithful steward of the Library of Congress – the library she has called our 'national treasure'" and its president,Cindy Hohl, decried her "unjust dismissal".[69]
Publishers' Weekly characterized Hayden's termination as the "latest blow to professional research and the literary and arts community."[70]
Three U.S. poets laureate—Ada Limón,Joy Harjo, andTracy K. Smith—condemned her firing.[71]Meg Medina, the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Children's Literature, said "Dr. Hayden is utterly beloved by her staff and by librarians across this country ... she is nothing short of a national treasure. Her firing is a disgraceful act and one that should concern everyone."[70]
Shortly thereafter, several other officials of the library and its departments were fired as well. The firings have been interpreted as an attack on the separation of powers.[64][72]
No replacement of Hayden has been nominated. Trump named Deputy Attorney GeneralTodd Blanche as acting librarian of Congress. Principal Deputy LibrarianRobert Newlen, who by protocol would have served as interim librarian, was fired. Later, the deputy librarian and copyright office directorShira Perlmutter was fired. Senior DOJ officials Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins were appointed as "acting" for the positions held by Perlmutter and Newlen. Perlmutter has sued to dispute the legality of her dismissal,[73] as her position as Register of Copyrights is appointed by, and responsible to, the librarian of Congress.
Carla Hayden was appointed senior fellow at theAndrew W. Mellon Foundation on July 7, 2025, to advance public knowledge through libraries and archives.[75] The foundation press release noted that Hayden "will pursue scholarship, writing, and research projects while also serving as a strategic partner and counsel, working in collaboration with foundation leadership and staff, advising on opportunities to support and advance libraries, archives, and other organizations in the public knowledge ecosystem."[76]
Hayden was the 2025PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. Gwydion Suilebhan, Executive Director of thePEN/Faulkner Foundation stated, "Throughout her impressive career, she has worked tirelessly in service to the belief that American culture thrives when stories from diverse perspectives enrich our lives, ensuring that more and more of us have access to the joys, comforts, and wisdom of fiction. We are thrilled to be able to honor her for her work."[77]
Hayden, Carla D. (1994). "New approaches to black recruitment". In Josey, Elonnie Junius (ed.).The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Metuchen: Scarecrow Press. pp. 55–64.ISBN978-0-8108-2830-8.OCLC29519257.
Hayden, Carla (1992). "A New Way of Thinking about Librarians". In Schuman, Patricia Glass; Crist, Margo; Curry, Elizabeth (eds.).Your Right to Know: Librarians Make It Happen: Conference Within a Conference Background Papers. Chicago: American Library Association. pp. 34–37.OCLC30037844. – ALA Annual Conference, Sunday, June 28, 1992, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hayden, Carla D. (1989). "Multicultural Literature and Library Services for Children: A Continuing Challenge for the New Century".55th IFLA Council and General Conference Paris, France 19-26 August 1989. The Hague (Netherlands): IFLA General Conference. pp. 2–4.OCLC438720810.
Hayden, C. D. (1991). Children and Computer Technology in American Libraries. Books by African-American authors and illustrators for children and young adults, 14.
Hayden, C. D. (2003). ALA reaffirms core values, commitment to members.Newsletter On Intellectual Freedom, 52(6), 219.
Hayden, C. D. (2003). Equity of Access—the Time Is Now.American Libraries, 34(7), 5.
Hayden, C. D. (2003). ALA President's Message: Something for Everyone@ Your Library.American Libraries, 5–5.
Hayden, C. D. (2003). ALA President's Message: What Are Libraries For?.American Libraries, 5–5.
^Goodwin, Ruby Berkley (2013).It's Good to Be Black (60th anniversary ed.). Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.ISBN978-0-8093-3122-2.OCLC900954690.
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Meet President Obama's Nominee for Librarian of Congress, (3:46),The White House[45].jpg)
