After a nationwide search, the Library of Congress announced Monday that Dianne van der Reyden has been named the Library’s new director for preservation.

[IMGCAP(1)]In her new role, van der Reyden will be responsible for all activities relating to the preservation, conservation, restoration, protection and maintenance of the Library’s collections.

Van der Reyden, who has been serving as acting director for preservation since last year, joined the Library in 2002 as chief of the conservation division. Before that, she spent 18 years as head of paper conservation at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education.

“Dianne, already well established in the world of preservation and conservation, will provide leadership not only to the Library of Congress but also to other cultural institutions around the world,” Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library services, said in a release on Monday.

Van der Reyden, who first worked at the Library as an intern in 1980, earned an undergraduate degree in fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. She went on to earn a master’s in art history from New York University and also holds a diploma in conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and a diploma in paper conservation from Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University.

Meeds Memorial. A memorial service will be held in 345 Cannon House Office Building at 3:30 p.m. Thursday for former Rep. Lloyd Meeds (D-Wash.) following his burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Meeds died Aug. 17 after a long battle with cancer.

Meeds, first elected to the House in 1964, went on to serve seven terms before deciding not to run again in 1978. Prior to his service in the House, Meeds had a brief stint in the Navy and practiced law, eventually serving as the prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County, Wash.

After leaving Congress, Meeds joined the firm then known as Preston Gates & Ellis, practicing from the Washington, D.C., office. He is survived by his wife, three children and eight grandchildren.

— John McArdle and Sonny Bunch