Robert S. Martin

Robert S. Martin, Ph.D. (born 1949) is an American librarian, archivist, administrator, and educator. He is the former director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and is currently a member of the National Council on the Humanities.[1]

Martin was nominated director of IMLS by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate in July 2001. Prior to his appointment, he was Professor and Interim Director of the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University. From 1995 to 1999, he served as Director and Librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. In addition, Dr. Martin has held positions at Louisiana State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Woman's University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Dr. Martin has authored several publications and served on editorial boards of scholarly library journals such as American Archivist, The Library Quarterly, Libraries and Culture and Meridian. He has held elected and appointed roles in professional library and archives organizations, and has been honored for his contributions. Among his many awards is the Justin Winsor Prize from the American Library Association.

“ America's libraries are the fruits of a great democracy. They exist because we believe that memory and truth are important. They exist because we believe that information and knowledge are not the exclusive domain of a certain type or class of person, but rather the province of all who seek to learn. A democratic society holds these institutions in high regard.[2] ”

—Dr. Robert S. Martin at a House Subcommittee hearing on education.

On November 17, 2008, President Bush awarded Martin the Presidential Citizens Medal “for his leadership in strengthening libraries and museums across the country.”[3] The medal is one of the highest honors the President can confer upon a civilian, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Notes

  1. ↑ "National Council on the Humanities". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  2. ↑ "Opening Remarks by Mrs. Bush at the White House Conference on School Libraries". The White House. June 4, 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  3. ↑ "President and Mrs. Bush Attend Presentation of the 2008 National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals". The White House. November 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-08.