Kevin Starr graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA, Harvard University with an MA and PhD, and UC Berkeley with a Master of Library Science. He has held the positions of San Francisco City Librarian and California State Librarian. He is currently a professor of history and the director of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. Starr has received numerous fellowships, prizes, and honorary degrees for his numerous essays and books, including his Americans and the California Dream series.