David S. Ferriero

David S. Ferriero ’74MS (born 1949) is a librarian who served as the 10th Archivist of the United States from 2009 to 2022, first appointed by President Barack Obama. In this position, Ferriero oversaw the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), safeguarding and enabling access to governmental records and historical materials, including the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Previously, Ferriero served as the Director of the New York Public Library and the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. He also served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and became a Navy hospital corpsman on the hospital ship, the USS Sanctuary. Following his military service, Ferriero obtained a Master’s in Library Science from Simmons.

In an interview with National Archives News, Ferriero reflected on his proudest professional achievements: “We were fortunate that President Obama, in his Open Government Initiative, recognized the importance of good record keeping for open government and transparency. . . . [President Obama also realized that we need to involve the American public in our work]. That resulted in the Citizen Archivist program, where we're having people transcribe records. We've got people all over the world who are helping us transcribe records, tagging records. . . . [And] it's become a model for other institutions; the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, lots of libraries around the country are providing those kinds of tagging opportunities to involve the public in their work.”

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the government