Deborah Schander began her tenure as Connecticut’s first female State Librarian in 2021. As head of the
State Library agency, her work sits at the intersections of state and local history, government records,
civic engagement, education, technology, and the humanities. In each arena, she champions the
agency’s role in government and in the lives of Connecticut residents: by preserving and making our
history accessible to all, we can together shape and inform our state’s future.
Deborah is an appointed member of Connecticut’s Commission on Educational Technology; the
Semiquincentennial Commission; the Data Analysis and Technology Advisory Board; and the CT
Humanities Board of Directors. She represents the State Library on more than two dozen other local,
regional, and national law, history, library, and archives interest groups. Deborah is also an active
member of Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), currently serving on the Policy Committee
as well as COSLA’s liaison to the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a joint initiative of the
Smithsonian and FEMA.
Prior to joining the Connecticut State Library, Deborah was an educator and law librarian, serving in
library administration at Seton Hall University and Vanderbilt University as well as working at law
libraries in Georgia and California, where she specialized in foreign and international legal research,
technology, and library engagement. Before pivoting to law, she trained as a writer and editor, receiving
her university’s inaugural Newsroom Leadership award. She holds Juris Doctor and Master’s in Library
and Information Science degrees from Florida State University (2007).
Last Updated May 2024
History of Connecticut State Librarians
The Connecticut State Library was formed by Connecticut legislature in May, 1854. When the State Library opened, collections were kept in the State Houses in Hartford and New Haven. In 1910, those materials were moved to the Supreme Court building and State Library in Hartford.
Dr. James Hammond Trumbull was the first State Librarian for Connecticut. There have been 11 State Librarians. Officially, the State Library is part of the executive branch of the State of Connecticut, which is run by the Department of Education.