President Obama nominates first black, female librarian of Congress

President Barack Obama nominated Carla Hayden to be the new librarian of Congress — potentially marking the first leadership switch in nearly 30 years as criticism has mounted over the organization's technology policies. Hayden, currently the chief executive of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore (MD), served as the president of the American Library Association more than a decade ago. If confirmed, she would be the first woman and first African-American to hold the position. There have only been 13 previous librarians. "Being the first female and the first African-American really brings together two aspects of — of course — my life that make this even more significant in terms of how people view the future of libraries, and what a national library can be," she said. "It's inclusive. It can be part of everyone's story."