[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2601-H2602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING DR. CARLA HAYDEN ON HER ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF 
                      AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Carla 
Hayden, a community leader and current executive director of the Enoch 
Pratt Free Library from my district in Baltimore, who has just been 
elected by a landslide to serve as the President of the American 
Library Association. She will be the second African-American woman to 
hold this very prestigious post in the association's 126-year history.
  The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library 
association in the entire world. Dr. Hayden will serve as its 
President-elect beginning this July and then take over as President in 
July 2003. In this position, Dr. Hayden will lead an organization of 
more than 64,000 librarians, library trustees and library supporters. 
But what is most significant about this association is that it 
represents the hub of our communities. Libraries connect us to the 
world around us, help us reflect upon our past and open the doors to 
our future. All of us remember either visiting our local library or 
using the facility at school.
  Libraries serve people in many ways. They enhance our quality of life 
by providing a quiet place to sit, read and learn. But that is not what 
libraries are all about. They are vital community centers that provide 
Internet access, family literacy classes, homework assistance, 
mentoring programs, English as a second language classes, job training 
and writing workshops.
  In addition, today's libraries play a critical role in bridging the 
digital divide. Since Dr. Carla Hayden began to head the Baltimore 
Library System, which is known as the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the 
State of Maryland has stood as a national model for other libraries to 
build upon.
  The Enoch Pratt Free Library has served Baltimore and the surrounding 
communities since 1882. In 1971, the General Assembly designated the 
Enoch Pratt Library as the Maryland State Library Resource Center 
because of its outstanding and diverse collection.

                              {time}  1715

  It was one of the first libraries that included all Members of the 
community. Today, Pratt Central Library is in the process of building 
an annex that will allow the library to be of greater service to the 
entire community. This new addition will house a Maryland Reading Room, 
an African American Reading Room, a public computer lab, and a SAILOR 
Operations Center, just to name a few.
  Dr. Hayden was instrumental in establishing the SAILOR Project. The 
SAILOR Project is the Nation's first library data network with Internet 
access and an interlibrary loan system that provides Maryland residents 
access to information any time of the day from any location within the 
State.
  Dr. Hayden is also known as a key player in advancing the E-Rate 
Program, which was included in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and 
signed by President Clinton. This landmark legislation gave libraries 
access to Internet and information technology at discounted rates.
  Dr. Hayden's nationwide experience will greatly contribute to her 
position as President of the American Library Association. One of Dr. 
Hayden's goals for the organization is to ensure equal access for all. 
After winning the election, Dr. Hayden said, ``All people who seek 
knowledge, from birth to college, deserve opportunities for growth and 
exploration.''
  Prior to coming to Baltimore in 1993, Dr. Hayden served as the Chief 
Librarian of the Chicago Public Library System and taught graduate 
studies as assistant professor in the School of Library and Information 
Science of the University of Pittsburgh. Currently she is an adjunct 
faculty member at the College of Library and Information Services of 
the University of Maryland at College Park.
  I continue to be especially impressed by Dr. Hayden's efforts to 
encourage minority students to enter the field of library science. 
Since the mid-1990s, she has chaired the American Library Association's 
Spectrum Initiative, a program that gives financial assistance to 
students working to obtain their Master's Degree.
  Mr. Speaker, that is just one of the reasons that Dr. Hayden was 
recognized by Library Journal in 1995 as Librarian of the Year and was 
recognized as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women by

[[Page H2602]]

Warfield's Business Record in 1996. She also has received the Legacy of 
Literacy Award from the DuBois Circle of Baltimore, the Andrew White 
Medal from Loyola College, the President's Medal from Johns Hopkins 
University and an honorary degree from Morgan State University.
  In the words of media celebrity Tavis Smiley, Dr. Hayden stands out 
because she shows a passion for her work. ``Life is too short,'' he 
says, ``to not do something that you are passionate about.'' Dr. Hayden 
exemplifies that passion.
  Again, on behalf of all the citizens of the Great State of Maryland 
and this Congress, we congratulate Dr. Carla Hayden. Baltimore is proud 
to have her serve in the role she now serves the Nation and, indeed, 
the world.

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