Randy Riley
American librarian (1962–2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Randy Joseph Riley (September 21, 1962 – January 3, 2026) was an American librarian who served as the State Librarian of Michigan from 2014 to 2025.
September 21, 1962
Randy Riley | |
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Riley in 2024 | |
| Born | Randy Joseph Riley September 21, 1962 Ionia, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 2026 (aged 63) East Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | State librarian |
Background
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][3][4] After his death, a memorial service was held at the Library of Michigan with over 500 attendees.[5]
Career
Riley began his career as a teacher, teaching history and social studies.[6] He began working for the Library of Michigan after getting his library degree in 1989.[7] He had many roles within the Library of Michigan including being head of special collections, and Michigan eLibrary (MeL) 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.[7] He played a founding role in the creation of the Michigan Service Hub for the Digital Public Library of America and the Michigan Digital Preservation Network.[8] He worked with Archives of Michigan to create SeekingMichigan, an online resource for genealogical research containing over one million freely available death records.[9]
He served as a state librarian after being appointed in 2014.[2][9] He coordinated the Michigan Notable Books program as well as the Michigan Center for the Book.[6] He worked on projects such as the Post-Pandemic Public Library Project, an initiative to help library directors and their communities reconnect after COVID.[7]
Riley had a career belief in outreach saying "We have plenty of librarians that love books. We now need more librarians that love people."[7] In 2023 he was in the advisory board for the University of Michigan School of Information's Civic Librarian Project, a course encouraging librarians to work with local governments and residents on solutions to civic problems.[7]