Kristen Sorth
Kristen Sorth became St. Louis County Library’s first female director on November 19, 2013. Ms. Sorth has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Missouri–Columbia and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has worked for the library since 1998. Before she was appointed Director, she served as Assistant Director of Administration. Under her leadership, the library embarked on and completed a multi-million dollar capital improvement campaign called Your Library Renewed, which renovated or replaced the library’s 20 facilities.
During Ms. Sorth’s tenure, the library has focused on building community partnerships to provide innovative programming and cultural enrichment. This effort has resulted in several successful and award-winning partnerships with local organizations, including Operation Food Search, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank and Eye Thrive. In 2025, the Library was honored with the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, a national award recognizing libraries for their active collaboration with local governments and communities. The Library received the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries in 2022, the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The Missouri Library Association also named SLCL the 2022 and 2014 Missouri Library of the Year. In 2024, Kristen Sorth received the Community Changemaker Award from Focus St. Louis for What's Right with the Region and the A-List Visionary Award from St. Louis Magazine. She is the recipient of the 2023 Titan Business Award, which acknowledges the achievements of both entrepreneurs and organizations worldwide. She is the 2019 winner of ALA’s Ernest A. DiMattia Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession.
Ms. Sorth is the Chair of the Advisory Council for the Regional Response Team, Chair of the YWCA Academy of Leaders Selection Committee, and the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Kathy J. Weinman Shelter. She also serves on the Connecting All Missourians, Statewide Advisory Council, and is on the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. Ms. Sorth volunteers for several organizations, including FOCUS St. Louis and the YWCA.
