About the Director

Dr. Maria McCauley is Director of Libraries for the City of Cambridge. She leads a team of 150 talented staff members and works closely with three boards and across the city to achieve an inclusive, ambitious vision of library services for all. Under her leadership, the Cambridge Public Library (CPL) has expanded its branch hours by 54+ hours per week, opened the award-winning Net Zero Valente Branch library, and launched a STEAM at the Library program including the first free public maker space in Cambridge. Maria has also eliminated fines, led an opt-in kindergarten library card campaign, which resulted in a 95% registration rate, started a social work program, deepened the reach of the library’s digital equity work, and prioritized the library’s antiracism, equity and inclusion efforts.

Maria began her library career years ago at CPL in Circulation and Reference Services. Before returning to Cambridge, she served as the Director of Libraries in Santa Monica, Director of Libraries for the City of Somerville, and held several library positions at Northeastern University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD from Simmons. She is Past President of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). She served on the ALA’s Executive Board and is on the Board of Advisors of Beacon Press.

As a member of ALA’s Committee on Legislation, she represents Massachusetts in legislative fly-ins to articulate funding and legislative asks to Congress. She also advocates for funding for libraries and legislation on the state level. Maria has advocated for the freedom to read on NBC10 Boston and submitted written testimony in support of intellectual freedom and libraries. In 2024, she participated in an Emergency Connectivity Fund Roundtable with the FCC and Senator Ed Markey.

Maria is global thought leader in the library leadership space. She has spoken on topics such as the evolving role of libraries, advancing inclusiveness, intellectual freedom, and courage and leadership, for audiences in Massachusetts, across the United States, and internationally, including Spain, South Korea, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and more.

Maria has two super great kids and running-scientist spouse, and they can often be found biking to get ice-cream and visiting their favorite libraries and bookstores in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts.

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