[10][11][12] During her presidency, she was the leading voice of the ALA in speaking out against provisions of the newly passed United States Patriot Act, which impacted public information services.

Her father's maternal side of the family, who eventually settled in Du Quoin, Illinois, had been enslaved, which is chronicled in the book, It's Good to Be Black, by Ruby Berkley Goodwin.

[2][19] Hayden said that her passion for reading was inspired by Marguerite de Angeli's Bright April, the 1946 book about a young African-American girl who was in the Brownies.

At Chicago's South Shore High School, Hayden became interested in books on British history and "cozy mysteries".

[2] While she loved libraries she didn't consider it as a career until after she had graduated from Roosevelt University with majors in political science and African history in 1973.

During the 2015 protests of the death of Freddie Gray, Hayden kept Baltimore's libraries open, an act for which she received extensive praise.

[28]When later asked to reflect about the incident in a 2016 Time magazine interview she stated that the library became a command center of sorts as many stores in the community closed, and that "we knew that [people] would look for that place of refuge and relief and opportunity.

[34]In her role as ALA president, Hayden was vocal in her public opposition to the Patriot Act, leading a battle for the protections of library users' privacy.

[2][35] She especially objected to the special permissions contained in Section 215 of that law, which gave the Justice Department and the FBI the power to access library user records.

[37] Hayden's response was immediate, stating that the ALA was "deeply concerned that the Attorney General would be so openly contemptuous" (to the library community), while also pointing out that librarians had been monitored and been under FBI surveillance as far back as the McCarthy Era.

This outreach program included "an after school center for Baltimore teens offering homework assistance and college and career counseling."

[41] This scholarship program seeks to "actively recruit and provide scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA".

[24] In a press release from the White House, President Obama stated: Michelle and I have known Carla Hayden for a long time, since her days working at the Chicago Public Library, and I am proud to nominate her to lead our nation's oldest federal institution as our 14th Librarian of Congress.

She has the proven experience, dedication, and deep knowledge of our nation's libraries to serve our country well and that's why I look forward to working with her in the months ahead.

The letter said in part that Congress had "an opportunity to equip the library and the nation with the unique combination of professional skills and sensibilities that Dr. Hayden will bring to the post.

[46][47] On April 20, 2016, the Committee on Rules and Administration, chaired by Senator Roy Blunt with Charles E. Schumer as ranking member, held the confirmation hearing.

[44][48][49] Hayden opposed the 2000 Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which was a sticking point in her nomination to become Librarian of Congress.

[20] Hayden hopes for the library to have live performances and broadcasts and have traveling exhibits tour America that tie in with educational programming for schoolkids.

I believe that through her visionary leadership the Library of Congress will soon mirror society's rapidly changing information environment, while successfully preserving the cultural record of the United States.