September 12, 2005 Dianne L. van der Reyden Named Director For Preservation

Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services, has named Dianne L. van der Reyden as Director for Preservation at the Library of Congress. Van der Reyden has been serving as acting director since 2004, while she continued to perform her duties as chief of the Conservation Division.

“After a nationwide search, our own Dianne van der Reyden emerged as the best-qualified applicant for Director for Preservation. Dianne, already well established in the world of preservation and conservation, will provide leadership not only to the Library of Congress but also to other cultural institutions around the world. It has been a privilege to work with Dianne this past year as she served as acting Director for Preservation. I am delighted she has agreed to continue on a permanent basis,” Marcum said.

Van der Reyden said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Library in this capacity. My career in preservation was most influenced by an internship here at the Library 25 years ago. This is a very exciting time in the field of preservation, with so many challenges facing us, particularly in light of new needs, including the preservation of electronic collections as well as emergency preparedness and recovery.”

As Director for Preservation, van der Reyden will be responsible for Library-wide activities relating to preservation, conservation, restoration, protection and maintenance of the Library’s collections.

From 1984 to 2002, van der Reyden served as head of paper conservation at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, formerly known as the Conservation Analytical Laboratory. She joined the Smithsonian originally in 1981. In 2002 she came to the Library to serve as chief of the Conservation Division.

Van der Reyden received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s in art history from New York University. She has diplomas in conservation and paper conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and from Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University.

Van der Reyden is active in the preservation community, having published widely and served on the boards of a number of professional organizations.