Idaho’s board of library commissioners appoints new state librarian
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The following is a news release from the Idaho Commission for Libraries.
BOISE – At its meeting on October 16, Idaho’s board of library commissioners appointed Dylan Baker to the role of Idaho state librarian. Baker will assume his duties on December 22.
The state librarian is the statutory executive officer for the board of library commissioners, managing the administration and operations of the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL). The ICfL builds the capacity of more than 850 public, school, academic, and special libraries in Idaho to best serve their communities.
Baker will navigate a challenging landscape as state librarian, including uncertain library funding
and misconceptions about libraries.
“I look forward to leading our team as we continue supporting libraries in both traditional and innovative ways that nurture and inspire Idahoans of all ages to learn, explore, and thrive,” Baker says.
Baker began his library career as a shelver at Boise Public Library. He then held several positions at
Ada Community Library before joining the ICfL in 2017 as the broadband services library consultant. In that role, Baker helped rural libraries to access reliable, affordable internet service for their patrons and communities. In 2020, Baker was promoted to e-services program supervisor and then to deputy state librarian in January of 2022.
Baker holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Emporia State University and
a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the College of Idaho.
Idaho’s former state librarian, Stephanie Bailey-White, retired after 34 years with the Idaho State
Library / ICfL.
“I was inspired on a daily basis by what Idaho library staff do to make our state an even better place in which to live and learn,” Bailey-White said.
In 1901, the Idaho State Library was established to organize new libraries and improve existing ones. Traveling libraries provided reading materials to the many mining communities and new towns that were springing up across the state. The name and mission of the State Library changed in 2006 when it became the Idaho Commission for Libraries, the state’s library development agency. The ICfL will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2026.
Baker is the 21st state librarian in Idaho. For more about the Idaho Commission for Libraries, click here.