Obama to Tap NYPL’s Ferriero as U.S. Archivist
President Barack Obama announced July 28 that he intended to nominate David S. Ferriero to serve as archivist of the United States. The archivist heads the National Archives and Records Administration, which oversees the public release of presidential papers and other government documents.
Ferriero is currently the Andrew W. Mellon director of the New York Public Library, where he is responsible for collection strategy; conservation; digital experience; reference and research services; and education, programming, and exhibitions. Prior to assuming that position in June 2007 he served as chief executive of NYPL’s Research Libraries for three years and before that as Duke University librarian and vice provost for library affairs. He began his library career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he spent 31 years before leaving in 1996.
The Washington Post observed July 28 that the archivist position has drawn controversy as agencies and administrations seek to keep their records secret while historians and the public call for prompt declassification. The Post noted that the Ferriero announcement came two days before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was schedule to hold a hearing on the National Archives and the open archivist position. The committee was expected to question acting archive officials about the disappearance of computer disks with information from the Clinton administration.
Ferriero will succeed Allen Weinstein, who resigned in December citing health reasons. Weinstein’s 2004 nomination to the post drew controversy over his qualifications for the position and whether his selection was politically motivated.
—Gordon Flagg, American Libraries Online
Posted on July 29, 2009.