Dr. Carla Hayden, the groundbreaking former Librarian of Congress who was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump earlier this year, has landed at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as a senior fellow, where she will focus on strengthening the nation's public knowledge ecosystem.
Dr. Carla Hayden
"For generations, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions have been the guardians of knowledge and the catalysts for human progress," said Hayden. "At a time when equitable access to information and the free exchange of ideas face significant challenges, I am honored to join the Mellon Foundation as a senior fellow."
Hayden's transition to the Mellon Foundation follows her controversial dismissal from the Library of Congress in May 2025. Trump fired Hayden via a terse, two-sentence email that read: "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service."
The firing was unprecedented - only two other Librarians of Congress had been replaced by incoming presidents in the institution's history, with Andrew Jackson replacing George Watterston in 1829 and Abraham Lincoln replacing John Silva Meehan in 1861.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, citing "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." The administration's criticism focused on Hayden's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and her efforts to make the library's collections more representative of America's diverse communities.
Hayden's nearly five-decade career in library science has been marked by efforts to democratize access to information. As the 14th Librarian of Congress from 2016 to 2025, she became the first woman and first African American to hold the position.
Her tenure was characterized by ambitious digitization projects, expanded public engagement with the library's vast collections, and efforts to make the institution more relevant to contemporary Americans. She launched the "Of the People" initiative with Mellon Foundation support in 2021, creating new opportunities for Americans to engage with the Library's collections and add their perspectives to its archives.
Prior to leading the nation's library, Hayden spent 23 years transforming the Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore from a deteriorating network into a vital community resource. Her innovations included after-school centers for teenagers, comprehensive digital access initiatives, and community-centered services that bridged social and economic divides.
Hayden's contributions to library science have earned widespread recognition. She was the first African American to receive Library Journal's Librarian of the Year Award in 1995 and served as president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004. She holds a B.A. from Roosevelt University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago's Graduate Library School.
She is an elected member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, underscoring her scholarly contributions to the field.
Mellon President Dr. Elizabeth Alexander noted the significance of Hayden's appointment during this challenging period for libraries and cultural institutions.
"We celebrate Dr. Hayden's career-long commitment to the profoundly American tradition of freedom to read, learn, and explore the vast knowledge held within our country's libraries and archives," Alexander said.
The appointment comes as libraries nationwide face mounting pressures, including book challenges, funding cuts, and political attacks on intellectual freedom. According to the American Library Association, attempts to censor library materials reached record highs in recent years, with many targeting books addressing race, LGBTQ+ issues, and other topics considered controversial by some community members.
Libraries are also grappling with rapid technological changes, including the implications of artificial intelligence for information literacy and access. Hayden's expertise in navigating these complex challenges while maintaining libraries' core mission of serving all community members makes her a valuable addition to the Mellon Foundation's efforts.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, established in 1969, is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. The Foundation's work is guided by the belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding and that everyone deserves access to the beauty, transcendence, and freedom found in these fields.
Through its grants, the Foundation seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Hayden's fellowship aligns with these goals, particularly as libraries and archives serve as crucial infrastructure for democratic participation and lifelong learning.
For Hayden, the fellowship represents an opportunity to continue her life's work of ensuring that libraries remain spaces where, as she has often said, "free people read freely."
