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Susan H. Hildreth is an American librarian, administrator, and educator who has led numerous libraries and library agencies in addition to teaching at the
University of Washington Information School The Information School (or iSchool) at the University of Washington is an undergraduate and graduate school that offers BS, MLIS, MS, and PhD degrees. Formerly the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences (GSLIS), the Information S ...
. Between 2011 and 2015 she served as the director of the
Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mis ...
(IMLS), the principal US federal funding agency for libraries and museums.


Career

Hildreth began her career at the Edison Township Library in Edison, New Jersey. Moving to California, she worked at the Yolo County Library, before becoming director of the Benicia Public Library in 1984. She also worked for the Placer County Library and
Sacramento Public Library Sacramento Public Library is a public library system in Sacramento, California. With nearly 2 million items, it is the fourth largest library system in California. History Founding The Sacramento Library Association was established in October 1 ...
before becoming director of the
San Francisco Public Library The San Francisco Public Library is the public library system of the city and county of San Francisco. The Main Library is located at Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street. The library system has won several awards, such as ''Library Journals L ...
in 2001. Hildreth served as director of SFPL until 2004. On July 16, 2004, Hildreth was appointed as State Librarian of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. As State Librarian, she managed an annual budget of over $88 million in state and federal funds. In 2009, Hildreth left California to become director of the
Seattle Public Library The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the city in 1890. The syste ...
. Her tenure at SPL was shortlived as she was appointed by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
to serve as director of IMLS in 2011. She was nominated to the position in 2010, and her appointment was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 22, 2010. She was sworn into office on February 24, 2011 by Supreme Court Justice
Stephen G. Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and repl ...
. During her four year term at IMLS, Hildreth oversaw an annual budget of $250M; the agency awarded over $850M to US libraries and museums. When her tenure at IMLS ended in 2015, she briefly returned to California before becoming the first "professor of practice" at the University of Washington Information School. Hildreth is currently a library consultant. She has recently served as the interim executive director of the Sonoma County Public Library.


Association service

She served as the president of the
California Library Association The California Library Association (CLA) is a body of librarians that represents and promotes the interests of librarians and library sciences in the state of California. The association is managed by a board of directors, consisting of 15 members ...
(CLA) in 2004. She was the 2006-2007 president of the Public Library Association, the largest professional association supporting nearly 10,000 public library professionals in the US and Canada. Between 2016 and 2019, Hildreth was the Treasurer for the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
.


Awards

Hildreth received the first annual California Library Association Member of the Year award in 1993. In 2016, Hildreth was named as the winner of the
Internet2 Internet2 is a not-for-profit United States computer networking consortium led by members from the research and education communities, industry, and government. The Internet2 consortium administrative headquarters are located in Ann Arbor, Mi ...
Richard Rose Award for contributions throughout her career to bringing broadband connectivity to citizens through libraries. In 2019, she was inducted into the California Library Hall of Fame.


Education

Hildreth graduated cum laude from
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1972. She holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1973, as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rutgers University.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hildreth, Susan H. American librarians American women librarians Syracuse University alumni University at Albany, SUNY alumni Rutgers University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Washington faculty American women academics 21st-century American women