John F. Szabo is the 14^th Director of the Library System since 1897. He began his tenure in 2005.  

Prior to his arrival in Atlanta, Mr. Szabo served as Director of the Clearwater Public Library System in Florida and served as President of the Florida Library Association. He also served as Director of the Palm Harbor Public Library in Florida and as Director of the Robinson Public Library District in Illinois. He holds a Masters Degree in Information and Library Studies from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunication and Film from the University of Alabama. He completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Szabo has over 19 years experience as a library director.

He is a current member of the Executive Board of the Urban Libraries Council, the OCLC Global Council, the American Library Association’s Council, the External Advisory Board for the University of Michigan’s School of Information and he is on the Board of Directors of Lyrasis, the nation’s largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals. He is also an alumnus of Leadership Pinellas and past president of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium Board of Directors. Mr. Szabo was a participant in Rotary International's Group Study Exchange program in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands.