David S. Mao

David Mao
David Mao
Librarian of Congress
	Acting
	In office; October 1, 2015 – September 14, 2016
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	James Billington
Succeeded by	Carla Hayden
Personal details
Born	New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	George Washington University (BA); Georgetown University (JD); Catholic University of America (MLIS)

David S. Mao is an American law librarian serving as the 12th Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States^[1] since 2024. Mao served as acting Librarian of Congress from September 30, 2015, until the confirmation of Carla Hayden in 2016.

Early life

David S. Mao was born in New York City and grew up in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey^[2] where he attended the Lawrenceville School.^[3] He completed his undergraduate studies with a degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University^[4] in 1990, and subsequently earned a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993 and a master's degree in library science from The Catholic University of America in 1998.^[1]

Career

Mao came to the Library of Congress in 2005, when he was hired by the American Law Division in the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Before arriving at CRS, he held positions at the Georgetown University Law Library and within the research library of the international law firm of Covington and Burling LLP. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland–College Park. In 2010, he joined the Law Library of Congress as its first Deputy Law Librarian, and then became the 23rd Law Librarian of Congress January, 2012.^[5] On January 12, 2015, Mao was appointed to the Deputy Librarian of Congress office, by then-Librarian of Congress James Billington.^[6]

As Law Librarian, Mao managed the operation and policy administration of the Law Library of Congress, which contains the world's largest collection of legal materials and serves as the leading research center for foreign, comparative, and international law.^[7] During his tenure as Law Librarian, he brought to the Library a copy of the 1215 Magna Carta for a historic exhibition on the eve of the charter's 800th anniversary.^[8]

Mao served as the first acting Librarian of Congress from September 30, 2015, until the confirmation of Carla Hayden in 2016. He is the first Asian-American to hold the position.

In 2017 he became the chief operating officer of his alma mater, Georgetown University Law School.^[9]

In 2024, he became the 12th Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States^[1].

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "David S. Mao Named Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States" (Press release). May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
^ Weber, Andrew (19 January 2011). "An Interview with David Mao, Deputy Law Librarian of Congress". In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
^ "David Mao '86 Appointed Law Librarian of Congress". The Lawrenceville School. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
^ Cardenas-Dow, Melissa I. (12 April 2015). "APA Library Leader Interview – David Mao, Deputy Librarian of Congress". Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
^ "American Bar Association Profile – David Mao, Deputy Librarian of Congress". American Bar Association. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
^ Osterberg, Gayle (22 January 2015). "Librarian of Congress Makes Senior Staff Appointments". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
^ "About the Librarian". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
^ Urschel, Donna (2 April 2014). "Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor Exhibition". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
^ "David Mao". www.law.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-23.

External links

Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by James Billington	Librarian of Congress Acting 2015–2016	Succeeded by Carla Hayden

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[SCOTUS-1] "David S. Mao Named Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States" (Press release). May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

[LC-2] Weber, Andrew (19 January 2011). "An Interview with David Mao, Deputy Law Librarian of Congress". In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[3] "David Mao '86 Appointed Law Librarian of Congress". The Lawrenceville School. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-19.

[APA-4] Cardenas-Dow, Melissa I. (12 April 2015). "APA Library Leader Interview – David Mao, Deputy Librarian of Congress". Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[5] "American Bar Association Profile – David Mao, Deputy Librarian of Congress". American Bar Association. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

[6] Osterberg, Gayle (22 January 2015). "Librarian of Congress Makes Senior Staff Appointments". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

[7] "About the Librarian". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.

[8] Urschel, Donna (2 April 2014). "Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor Exhibition". US Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 5 November 2015.

[9] "David Mao". www.law.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-23.

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