As Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s 12th President & Director, Andrew Medlar leads the operations of one of the country’s most innovative urban library systems, collaborating with more than 400 colleagues across 20 library locations. Mr. Medlar also leads shared library services across Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  

With extensive experience across the library industry, he understands the pivotal role libraries provide for our community. His work includes deepening and expanding organizational partnerships and ensuring sustainable funding for the future of libraries. In 2023, he led CLP through a successful strategic planning process that seeks to transform library services into a more dynamic, welcoming, and accessible experience for all community members. Developed with and inspired by Pittsburgh neighbors, the plan focuses on four priorities: community connections, responsive services, regional cooperation, and organizational excellence.  

Understanding our collective minds are more robust when services that represent the whole community are readily available, Mr. Medlar is dedicated to strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, and access across all aspects of library services. He is committed to increasing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) representation within the library profession, increasing access to censored books, and addressing systemic barriers in practices and policies. In 2024 he announced the establishment of the Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt Initiative, which honors the legacy of the first Black librarian at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and is intended to inspire and grow the careers of library workers of color in the Pittsburgh region. In 2024, Mr. Medlar oversaw a major hours expansion plan which added an additional 93 hours of service per week across the CLP system. The increase, one of the largest in the Library’s history, improves access and engagement for families, working adults, students, and patrons with busy schedules.

Prior to joining Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in 2022, Mr. Medlar served as Director of BookOps, the shared library services organization responsible for meeting the strategic management, technical services, and logistical needs of the more than 150 locations of New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. He began his career as a page and circulation clerk at the Dayton Metro Library in Ohio, and at Chicago Public Library he served as a children’s librarian and youth materials specialist before moving into senior leadership roles as Assistant Commissioner for Collections and Assistant Chief for Technology, Content, and Innovation. During this time, Mr. Medlar expanded Chicago’s city-wide digital learning services and content by 400%, created dozens of opening day collections for new and renovated libraries, and played a key role in the creation of YOUmedia, a digital learning space for teens which is a model replicated around the world. He was also influential in the expansion of shared access to services and content through leadership positions with the Chicago Collections Consortium and Digital Public Library of America. Throughout his career Mr. Medlar has provided direct oversight of multi-branch library operations, budgets, collections, partnerships, community outreach, strategic visioning, and collaborative planning.     

Mr. Medlar currently serves on the board of the Electronic Information Network (EIN), which provides network and computer integration services to all libraries within Allegheny County. He is a member of the Remake Learning Council, a blue-ribbon commission that supports creative equitable learning opportunities that build skills necessary for navigating lifelong learning, the workforce, and citizenship; and is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh XL, a program that engages and informs the senior leadership of the region. 

As an internationally recognized and forward-focused librarian, Mr. Medlar is a sought-after presenter, writer, book reviewer, advisor, and commentator. He was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of “the country’s most influential literary arbiters,” is the recipient of the Davis Cup for Outstanding Contributions in Library Service and was named Librarian of the Year by the Government of Spain’s Institute for Foreign Trade and the Spanish Association of Publishers Guild. Throughout his career he has contributed to the American Library Association’s Joint Working Group on Digital Content, National eBook Summit, and National Legislative Days. As past president of the Association for Library Service to Children Mr. Medlar was instrumental in creating connections with organizations including the National Summer Learning Association, the White House Office of Public Engagement, and the El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) initiative, which over the years has manifested in a combined front against summer slide and resulted in more young people reading.  

Mr. Medlar is a graduate of Miami University, holds a Master of Library Service degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and earned a professional graduate certificate in organizational behavior from Harvard. He is a member of the American Library Association, Public Library Association, Pennsylvania Library Association, and Urban Libraries Council.