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He received a bachelor’s degree in education from [[Central Michigan University]] and a master’s degree of Information and Library Studies in the Archives and Records Management Program at the [[University of Michigan]] in 1989.<ref name=”SOM”>{{cite web | title=State Librarian Randy Riley Remembered as Champion for Public Libraries | website=State of Michigan | date=2026-01-06 | url=https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/about/library-press-releases/state-librarian-randy-riley-remembered | access-date=2026-01-09}}</ref> |
He received a bachelor’s degree in education from [[Central Michigan University]] and a master’s degree of Information and Library Studies in the Archives and Records Management Program at the [[University of Michigan]] in 1989.<ref name=”SOM”>{{cite web | title=State Librarian Randy Riley Remembered as Champion for Public Libraries | website=State of Michigan | date=2026-01-06 | url=https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/about/library-press-releases/state-librarian-randy-riley-remembered | access-date=2026-01-09}}</ref> |
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Riley died on January |
Riley died on January , 2026, at the age of 63.<ref name=”obit”/> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Latest revision as of 13:18, 10 January 2026
American librarian (1962–2026)
Randy Riley (September 21, 1962 – January 3, 2026) was an American librarian known for being the State Librarian of Michigan.
Riley was born in Ionia, Michigan on September 21, 1962, to Leonard and Camilla Riley.[1] He married Lori Cunningham on August 27, 1988 and the couple had two children.[1]
He received a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree of Information and Library Studies in the Archives and Records Management Program at the University of Michigan in 1989.[2]
Riley died in East Lansing, Michigan on January 3, 2026, at the age of 63.[1]
Riley began his career as a teacher, teaching history and social studies.[3] He began working for the Library of Michigan after getting his library degree in 1989.[4] He had many roles within the Library of Michigan including being head of special collections, and MeL (Michigan eLibrary) coordinator.[1] He was the editor of the Michigan Genealogist newsletter and 2010 received the Filby Award, a recognition given to the leading family history librarian in the U.S.[4] He played a founding role in the creation of the Michigan Service Hub for DPLA and the Michigan Digital Preservation Network.[5] He worked with Archives of Michigan to create SeekingMichigan, an online resource for genealogical research containing over one million freely available death records.[6]
He served as a state librarian after being appointed in 2014.[2][6] He coordinated the Michigan Notable Books program as well as the Michigan Center for the Book.[3] He worked on projects such as the Post-Pandemic Public Library Project, an initiative to help library directors and their communities reconnect after COVID.[4]
Riley had a career belief in outreach saying “We have plenty of librarians that love books. We now need more librarians that love people.”[4] In 2023 he was in the advisory board for UMSI’s Civic Librarian Project, a course encouraging librarians to work with local governments and residents on solutions to civic problems.[4]
