Karen Keninger

Karen Keninger
Keninger in 2019
Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
In office
2012–2021
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byFrank Kurt Cylke
Succeeded byJason Broughton
Director of the Iowa Department for the Blind
In office
2008–2012
GovernorChet Culver
Terry Branstad
Preceded byAllen C. Harris
Succeeded byRichard L. Sorey
Personal details
Born1944 (age 81–82)
Ashton, Iowa, U.S.
Children6
EducationDrake University (BA)
Iowa State University (MS)
University of Iowa

Karen A. Keninger (born 1944) is an American librarian and public administrator who served as the director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled for the Library of Congress. She is the first blind person to direct the agency in its history. Keninger previously served as the director of the Iowa Department for the Blind.

Early life and education

Karen A. Keninger was born in 1944 and raised on a farm in Ashton, Iowa, the daughter of Donald "Butch" Keninger and Dortena Mae VanderPol. She lost her sight at age seven due to retinitis pigmentosa, and received her first Braille books that year.[1][2]

She received a bachelor's degree from Drake University in Journalism and a master's degree from Iowa State University in business and technical writing. She also studied library science and information science at the University of Iowa.[3][4][5]

Career

Iowa Department for the Blind

Keninger joined the Iowa Department for the Blind in 1995, serving in various roles. She was a delegate and presenter at a 1995 White House Conference on Aging.[6]

She became the director of the Iowa Library for the Blind in 2000.[7] During that period, she helped establish the Friends of the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.[8] From 2002-2008, she served as chair of the Consortium of User Libraries.[4]

From 2008 to 2012, she served as the appointed director and agency head.[9] As director of the agency, she led the state library program's transition from analog to digital talking books, part of a broader nationwide shift that was roughly 90% complete by 2012. In her time at the agency, she also led the development of a recording studio and enhancements to programming.[10][11]

In 2012, Keninger was elected as president of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, but did not take the office due to her appointment with the Library of Congress.[4][12] Keninger also served on the Digital Long-Term Planning Group and its successor Digital Transition Advisory Committee.[13]

National Library Service

In March 2012, she was appointed by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington as the new director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, a division of the Library of Congress.[4][14][15] At the time of her appointment, she became the first person who is blind to direct the program.[10][16][17]

In 2013, she organized the first braille literacy conference of the Library of Congress, bringing together about 100 participants, including braille literacy professionals, readers, technology and production specialists, policymakers, and parents, to develop recommendations for the future of braille services.[18] Outcomes of the conference included recommendations for expanded braille training materials, more outward-facing promotion of braille, the reintroduction of tactile drawings in hard-copy Braille materials, and a shift toward braille-on-demand production.[1][19] Keninger also commissioned a consulting firm to study the cost savings associated with a shift to fully digital braille, and a 2016 Government Accountability Office study of NLS operations lent further support to the effort.[20]

Keninger's primary accomplishments during her time as director include launching a braille E-reader program, tripling the number of titles added to the collection annually, and implementing BARD Express and BARD Mobile apps.[21] Under her direction, the program also developed mobile applications for iOS and Android devices allowing patrons to read the agency's braille and audio books, and implemented text-to-speech technology for supplementary material such as long bibliographies or indexes.[22] During her time in the role, the program also partnered with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to help distribute a currency reader as part of a broader outreach effort.[1]

Under Keninger's leadership, the program obtained approval for regulatory changes making it easier for people with reading disabilities such as dyslexia to qualify for services. In 2019, the agency changed its name from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a name it had held since 1978, to the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, in order to remove outdated language.[20][23]

Keninger also advocated for the United States government joining the Marrakesh Treaty for the Blind, which occurred in 2019.[24][1][25] She served as the Marrakesh Treaty liaison for the Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and presented at international symposia in Helsinki, Finland; Zagreb, Croatia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[20][26]

Keninger retired from her role in 2021.[20][16] Upon her retirement, she was the subject of a United States House of Representatives floor speech by congressman Danny Davis honoring her service.[27]

Personal life

Keninger resides in Newton, Iowa with her guide dog.[28] She has six children and 11 grandchildren.[2]

She serves on the board of directors of The Seeing Eye, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.[3]

Works

  • Nature's Wonders (1976)[29]
  • Creating Opportunities for Independence (2010)
  • My Leadership Journey (2016)[30]
  • The Treaty of Marrakesh: From Good Law to Good Implementation (2016)[31]
  • Getting Started: Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities - A practical guide for librarians (2018)
  • The Continued Significance of the National Library Service for the Blind (2019)[32]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "My Job: Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  2. 1 2 "Getting things done on a national level". Visions Across America. 2013. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  3. 1 2 "Karen Keninger". The Seeing Eye. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Price, Gary (2012-02-15). "Karen Keninger Appointed Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped". Library Journal infoDOCKET. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  5. ↑ "Speakers - International Summit of the Book | Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  6. ↑ Toward the 1995 White House Conference on Aging: Priorities and Policies for Library and Information Services for Older Adults : Proceedings of a National Pre-White House Conference on Aging, February 3, 1995, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. 1995.
  7. ↑ Nielsen, Chris (2001-04-06). "Iowa Department for the Blind officials in Spencer". The Daily Reporter. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Friends History and Constitution". IowaFriendsLBPH. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  9. ↑ Henderson, Kay (2013-08-15). "Former director of Iowa Department for the Blind given $21,000 for expenses - Radio Iowa". Radio Iowa. Archived from the original on 2025-03-30. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  10. 1 2 "An Interview with Karen Keninger". American Libraries. 2012-08-07. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  11. ↑ "Women Who Helped Shape the Iowa Department for the Blind | Department for the Blind". blind.iowa.gov. 2026-03-25. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  12. ↑ "NCSAB Executive Committee Members - NCSAB". www.ncsab.org. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  13. ↑ "Here and There | American Council of the Blind". www.acb.org. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  14. ↑ "Future of Book Publishing | Video | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  15. ↑ Kelley, Michael. "Library People News: Hires, Promotions, Retirements, and Obituaries 2/24/12". Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  16. 1 2 Cioffi, Chris (2021-11-18). "Jason Broughton has a mission at the Library of Congress: 'Expand and be inclusive'". Roll Call. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  17. ↑ "Newsmaker: Karen Keninger". American Libraries. 43 (7/8): 20–20. 2012. ISSN 0002-9769.
  18. ↑ "News January–March 2025". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) | Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  19. ↑ Dizard, Jr., Robert (2014-08-01). "A Standard of Literacy for the Blind from the Library of Congress". Braille Monitor. 57 (8): 684. ISSN 0006-8829.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "News January–March 2021". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) | Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  21. ↑ "Blind and Physically Disabled: Library Services". Taylor & Francis. 2017-03-15. doi:10.1081/E-ELIS4-60/blind-physically-disabled-library-services-jane-rosetta-virginia-caulton-stephen-prine. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15.
  22. ↑ "Talking Books | OIB-TAC". www.oib-tac.org. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  23. ↑ Tucker, Neely (2019-10-01). "Library's Service for the Blind: New Name, New Look | Timeless". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2026-01-23. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  24. ↑ "USA Joins Marrakesh Treaty as 50th Member". wipo.int. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  25. ↑ "A Good Day for Access to Knowledge: the Treaty of Marrakesh Enters into Force". IFLA. Archived from the original on 2024-04-21. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  26. ↑ "Karen Keninger & Kirsi Ylänne: Marrakesh Treaty - Getting started". Kirjastokaista. 2019-03-15. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  27. ↑ Davis, Danny (2021-05-20). "Honoring Karen Keninger" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives.
  28. ↑ Myron, Vicki (2001-04-04). "Celebrating National Library Week". The Daily Reporter. p. 6.
  29. ↑ Iowa Conservationist. Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 1976.
  30. ↑ Keninger, Karen (2016-11-01). "My Leadership Journey". Braille Monitor. 59 (10): 735. ISSN 0006-8829.
  31. ↑ Kawooya, Dick; Keninger, Karen; Owen, Victoria; Tabb, Winston (2016-01-01). "The Treaty of Marrakesh: From Good Law to Good Implementation". World Libraries. 22 (1): 2. ISSN 1092-7441.
  32. ↑ "The Continued Significance of the National Library Service for the Blind: Expanding Braille and Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty". nfb.org. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
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