An overview of the San Diego Public Library System"

Misty Jones serves as the Director of the San Diego Public Library, where she oversees the Central Library and 35 branch locations. In her previous role as Deputy Director for the Central Division, she managed the complex move, grand opening, and day-to-day operations of the Central Library at Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common.

A graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the University of South Carolina, Misty began her career at the Greenville County Library in South Carolina. She then spent nine years at the Charleston County Library, where she founded and chaired Libraries Out Loud, a grassroots advocacy initiative dedicated to restoring library funding through public engagement and legislative outreach.

Upon relocating to San Diego, Misty immediately joined the California Library Association’s Legislative and Advocacy Committee and went on to serve as CLA President in 2016. She currently contributes her expertise to the Public Library Association’s Committee for Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships and sits on the boards of Calix and the USC Center for Library Leadership and Management.

Misty believes that libraries are the great equalizer, always inclusive and never exclusive, and thrives on their capacity to evolve with community needs. She is passionate about shifting public perception of libraries as essential components of both educational and economic ecosystems, and she remains committed to making the San Diego Public Library a dynamic hub for opportunity, discovery, and inspiration.