In June 2022, freelance writer and University of Chicago alumnus Dylan Walsh pitched us a feature about Graduate Library School alumna Carla Hayden, the 14th librarian of Congress. When sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts in 2016, Hayden became the first woman and the first African American to serve as the nation’s librarian. This was remarkable and reason enough to publish the story. But Walsh found more, too: the fresh energy and ideas that Hayden brought to the role. Traveling to Washington, D.C., Walsh spoke to Hayden, toured the historic building, and all but crossed paths with pop star Lizzo, who played James Madison's flute there the same day. The near coincidence underscored one of the story’s major points, about how different a librarian of Congress Hayden is from her predecessors, making the august institution feel like it’s for all Americans. The profile captures the broad meanings of her appointment, but also feels intimate. It begins with the “electricity” she felt holding a Frederick Douglass document and ends memorably with Hayden and her mother absorbing the moment she was confirmed by the Senate. The story generated two delighted reader letters. Posts about the story from @UChicagoMag and @UChicagoAlumni social media accounts achieved a total of 3,677 impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and X and garnered 174 engagements, including 133 likes.
From the Judges
We praised the writer's immaculate storytelling and research savvy in this paean to a profession and remarkable individual. Kudos to UChicago Magazine and author Dylan Walsh.
