Nichelle M. Hayes
Founding Director of the Center for Black Literature and Culture

Speaker
Nichelle M. Hayes, a smiling Black woman with braided hair wearing pearl earrings and a pearl necklace.

Nichelle M. Hayes MPA, MLS is the leader of the Center for Black Literature & Culture (CBLC), Indianapolis Public Library. Hayes graduated from Indiana University – School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) with her MLS.

She began her library career as a Library Media Specialist at an Elementary School in Indianapolis. Later she worked as an Adult Reference Librarian Specializing in Business.

She serves on a number of community boards throughout the state of Indiana. A few are the Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN) as Treasurer, NAACP, Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. A Public Service Organization (Lifetime Member PIF).

She is a blogger at https://thetiesthatbind.blog/ where she discusses genealogy and keeping families connected.