President Obama will nominate David S. Ferriero to become the United States Archivist, according to a White House spokesman.

Mr. Ferriero currently serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries. Before his position at NYPL, Ferriero worked as the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. He succeeds Professor Allen Weinstein, who resigned as Archivist last December.

Why is this position so important? As the country’s top archivist, he would oversee the activities of the National Archives and Records Administration, including the release of government documents, like presidential papers. And, to quote Al Kamen, “The archivist job has become something of a lightning rod for controversy, particularly as various agencies and administrations press for keeping their records secret for decades despite strong pressures from historians and the public to declassify as much information as soon as possible.” To learn more, both the Washington Post and NY Times Caucus blog both have great pieces on the nomination.