Director
ODL Deputy Director Natalie Currie was appointed Director of the agency by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board of Directors at their meeting on September 23, 2022.
Currie previously served as the Deputy Director for the agency since January 6th, 2020.
In her capacity as Deputy Director, Currie managed the strategic planning and budgetary process and provided administrative oversight for several divisions of the agency, including Library Development, Office of Literacy Development, and Library Resources—which includes interlibrary loan, the statewide full-text information resources for Oklahoma’s libraries, state and federal government information, and law and legislative reference.
“I am so humbled and honored by the trust the ODL Board has placed in me to lead the agency during such a critical season for libraries,” Currie said. “I look forward to continuing ODL’s strong history of collaborating with the field, the Oklahoma Library Association, and the legislative and executive branches of state government to preserve and strengthen library services to Oklahomans.”
Currie’s experience covers a variety of library settings, including a previous stint in ODL’s Library Resources Division. She has also served at the University of Oklahoma Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan Department, Oklahoma City University Law Library, and the Metropolitan Library System’s Belle Isle and Edmond branches.
She holds a Masters in Library and Information Studies and a Bachelors in Public Relations, both from the University of Oklahoma. Currie has served the Oklahoma Library Association in several leadership positions, including Conference Program Chair in 2016-2017 and was elected Secretary for 2017-2018. She has served on the University of Oklahoma School of Library and Information Studies’ Alumni Association Board of Directors.