Cyndee Landrum
Cyndee Landrum was appointed as Acting Director of IMLS, as of March 21, 2024. IMLS, an independent government agency, is the primary source of federal support for the nation's museums and libraries.
She has been serving as the Deputy Director of the Office of Library Services since June 2019. In her current role she collaborates with IMLS's senior leadership to support agency priorities, policy, and partnerships, and provide leadership and direction for the library grant programs.
Ms. Landrum oversees the agency's largest program, Grants to States, which is the primary source of federal funding for library services in the United States, and the agency's discretionary grant programs, including National Leadership Grants for Libraries, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program, Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services, and the newest library grant initiative, Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries.
As Deputy Director, Ms. Landrum led efforts to streamline grant making processes that resulted in the expedited distribution of $200M American Rescue Plan Act funds. She secured $1.5M in private foundation support for the REALM project, a research partnership between OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle to create and distribute science-based information and recommended practices designed to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to staff and visitors who are engaging in the delivery or use of museum, library, and archival services. In partnership with the Office of Museum Services, Ms. Landrum has advanced support for several national museum, library, and archives collaborative efforts, such as the Queens Public Library Collections of Culture: 50 Years of Hip Hop Inside Libraries, Museums and Archives; and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference. She enabled and facilitated cross-agency engagement with library and archives stakeholders serving small, rural, and under resourced communities to identify pathways to IMLS funding opportunities. Her contributions to IMLS Tribal Broadband initiatives led to the recognition of tribal libraries in FCC E-rate eligibility.
Over a professional career of more than 20 years, Ms. Landrum has served in public libraries across the country. Prior to her IMLS appointment, she served as CEO-director of the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Indiana. She also served as assistant director for public services at Oak Park Library in Illinois, assistant director of Mt. Lebanon Public Library in Pittsburgh, and held various positions at the Glendale Public Library in Arizona. She has been active in local, state, and national professional associations including serving as president of the Arizona Library Association. Ms. Landrum also has volunteered on local nonprofit and municipal boards, including the Evansville Promise Zone Governance Advisory Board.
Ms. Landrum holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Southern Mississippi and is a doctoral candidate in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University.