New State Librarian Deborah Schander is 11th in Post in 150 Years

Taking over the reins in the midst of a pandemic, Deborah Schander became the eleventh State Librarian at the Connecticut State Library at the start of this year.

She succeeded Ken Wiggin, who held the post for two decades, from 1998 through 2019.  Prior to her appointment, Schander served as the Executive Director of the Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Law Library Center for Information & Technology and Associate Professor of Law at the Seton Hall Law School.  Before joining Seton Hall Law, Schander was the Associate Director of the Law Library and Lecturer in Law at Vanderbilt University’s Alyne Queener Massey Law Library in Nashville, TN and a librarian and member of the faculty at Georgia State University College of Law in Atlanta, GA.

“For more than a century, the Connecticut State Library has provided a critical function for our state, not only in regards to preserving archival records but also making available public records for all of our residents and partnering with municipal government libraries to help achieve this goal,” commented Governor Lamont on her selection. “I support the board’s selection of Deborah Schander, and I look forward to having her lead this important function on behalf of the people of Connecticut.”

The Connecticut State Library was established by an act of the Connecticut General Assembly in May 1854. Dr. James Hammond Trumbull was appointed the first State Librarian for Connecticut in that year. The collections were first kept in the State Houses in Hartford and New Haven and then in the present day Capitol. In 1910 they were relocated to the State Library and Supreme Court building in Hartford where they are housed today.

Schander is an active member of regional and national law library associations and is past chair of the Professional Engagement, Growth, and Advancement special interest section of the American Association of Law Libraries as well as past president of the Atlanta Law Libraries Association.

She has written and spoken on a variety of topics within her areas of expertise including legal research instruction, legal information literacy, professional development, and library outreach. Schander holds a J.D. and an M.L.I.S. from Florida State University (2007) and a B.A. in English from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, MD (2003).

In its 150-year history there have been only 11 State Librarians.  The newest State Librarian will be featured on a free webinar on June 16, offered by the Old State House’s Connecticut Democracy Center.  Registration is available here.