Carla Hayden to Moderate Conversation with Michelle Obama at ALA Annual Conference

June 5, 2018

Cover of Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming (inset) and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden — Cover of Michelle Obama's memoir *Becoming* (inset) and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will moderate a conversation with former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama during the Opening General Session of the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference and Exhibition on Friday, June 22. This session will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans from 4–5:30 p.m.

The Opening General Session will feature a performance by Trombone Shorty and students from his foundation, followed by ALA President Jim Neal’s presentation of key ALA Awards. Hayden and Obama will end the program with an in-depth conversation around Obama’s forthcoming memoir Becoming (Crown Publishing Group, November) and the experiences that have impacted her life, her family, and the country.

Hayden is the first woman and the first African American to lead the Library of Congress. She was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama in February 2016, and her nomination was confirmed by the US Senate in July 2016. Prior to her current post, she served as CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and was nominated by President Obama to be a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board in 2010. She began her career with Chicago Public Library and served as ALA president 2003–2004.

Obama’s memoir will be published in the US and Canada and in 25 languages around the world on November 13. The book invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.

Hayden’s appearance is sponsored by the Library of Congress. Obama’s appearance at the conference is sponsored by Penguin Random House. For more information, visit the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition website.

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