Coming Face-to-Face with a Library Lion: Dr. Carla Hayden at #ala25

If someone at #ala25 were ever to stop me and ask who was the person in my field I admired the most, I would answer without hesitation: Dr. Carla Hayden. Personally, I feel that many librarians would also answer the same. 

Like many in our profession, I was deeply moved and impressed by Dr. Hayden’s bravery in 2015 when she made the decision to keep the Enoch Pratt Public Library open and their patrons safe, amidst the unrest that occurred in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray. It was no surprise when she was honored at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference or when she won Librarian of the Year. One achievement that rose even higher than these however, was her nomination to Librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama, to which she received overwhelmingly bipartisan support.

It was a pleasure to watch her modernize the Library of Congress and make it more accessible and engaging for the public. There is now a popular Instagram which often goes viral, Thursday night trivia and date night events, and a national invitation to Lizzo to play John Adams’ crystal flute, to which Lizzo happily accepted. 

While the ever changing policies occurring in our country can often be surprising, the news of her firing shocked me deeply, to the point where I found myself on a city bus in New York City having to sit down and weep. The unprecedented dismissal and diminishment of our national lion of the library felt both physically and emotionally devastating. And then I remembered I had signed up to meet her for a fireside chat in Philadelphia in just one month.

At the Parkway Central Library on Saturday evening on June 28th, a sold out  auditorium teeming with librarians eagerly awaited the arrival of Dr. Carla Hayden with moderator 

Dr. Ashley Jordan, the President & CEO at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Dr. Hayden did not disappoint! She dazzled us with her descriptions of her favorite treasures of the Library of Congress (the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets on the night of his assassination, as well as the African-American lineage of the Blackwell family that goes back to the 18th century), she touched on her favorite innovations during her celebrated tenure, but most importantly she gave us the message that we librarians had to keep fighting. We should rest when we need to of course, but once rested we must continue to join the friend groups, the board meetings, and never stop speaking up. It is our privilege to support the child that walks in our doors to learn as well as honor the giants upon whose shoulders we now stand on. 

On a personal note, when I interacted with her after the discussion to express my gratitude for her service, she saw my badge and immediately pulled me in upon seeing that I was a school librarian. She asked what good work I had been up to for the children and I showed her my necklace which showcases the winners of last year’s Caldecott Award. “I was on the Caldecott Committee last year! We awarded Vashti Harrison the Caldecott Medal. She’s the first black woman to win the award!” Her eyes grew large and I continued, “We were guided by our chair, Kathie Meizner, she was on the first committee to give a black woman Caldecott recognition, Faith Ringgold for Tar Beach.” Dr. Hayden smiled, pulled me in close for a hug and whispered, “Thank you.” I whispered back, “No, Dr. Hayden. Thank you!”

Maria Paz Alegre (she/her/hers) is happily based in New York City where she works as a culture writer and as the elementary school librarian at the Allen-Stevenson School. When she’s not in the library, classroom or stage, she enjoys presenting and creating workshops for national and regional education conferences centered around creating diverse, equitable and inclusive curriculum. As a librarian, she served on the EELDM Committee (2020 & 2021) as well as the 2024 Randolph Caldecott Award Committee. She is a proud and longtime member of ALSC and APALA where she has volunteered as a mentor to up-and-coming librarians at both organizations. She has a soft spot for Philadelphia and can’t wait to hit up Reading Terminal for a pretzel, pork roll and water ice!

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 If someone at #ala25 were ever to stop me and ask who was the person in my field I admired the most, I would answer without hesitation: Dr. Carla Hayden. Personally, I feel that many librarians would also answer the same.  Like many in our profession, I was deeply moved and impressed by Dr. Hayden’s bravery in 2015 when she made the decision to keep the Enoch Pratt Public Library open and their patrons safe, amidst the unrest that occurred in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray. It was no surprise when she was honored at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference or when she won Librarian of the Year. One achievement that rose even higher than these however, was her nomination to Librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama, to which she received overwhelmingly bipartisan support. It was a pleasure to watch her modernize the Library of Congress and…
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