From 1972 to 1976 Martin was an Archives Assistant in the Barker Texas History Center at the
University of Texas at Austin, where he developed an interest in the cartographic history of Texas and the Southwest. In 1977 he was appointed Research Associate in the library at the
University of Texas at Arlington’s budding Cartographic History Collection. From 1979 to 1980 he served as Director of Special Collections at the University of Texas at Arlington. From 1980 to 1983 he was a student in the Doctoral program of the
School of Information and Library Science at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In December 1983 he was appointed Lecturer at the School of Library and Information Studies at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. In January 1985 he became Associate Dean for Special Collections in the library at
Louisiana State University. During that period he also served as adjunct professor in the LSU School of Library and Information Science. In June 1995 Martin was appointed Director and Librarian of the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission. During his tenure he oversaw the expansion of the
TexShare resource sharing program, coordinated the development of new school library standards for the state, fostered the participation of libraries in the Telecommunication Infrastructure Fund, and assisted First Lady Laura Bush in the establishment of the
Texas Book Festival. In 1999 Martin was appointed professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at
Texas Woman’s University. From September 2000 to July 2001 he served as Interim Director of the School. In 2001, Martin was nominated by
President George W. Bush to lead the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS.) In 2002, at the invitation of Mrs. Bush, Martin presided over the White House Conference on School Libraries. Martin also oversaw the establishment of the Museums for America program, which supports projects that strengthen the ability of an individual museum to serve its public. Martin was a member of the U.S. Delegation to the
UNESCO General Conferences in Paris in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2003 he participated in a Ministerial Roundtable "Toward Knowledge Societies" and served on a working group that drafted the ministerial communiqué issued by the Round Table in preparation for the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). He subsequently was a member of the U. S. Delegation to WSIS in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2003. In 2004 and 2005 he served as co-head of the U.S. Delegation to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Meetings on Cultural Diversity. In 2004 he was the head of the U.S. Delegation to the
Organization of American States Intergovernmental Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities in Mexico City. From 2003 through 2008 he served as a member of the U. S. National Commission on UNESCO, and was a member of its executive committee. From 2008 through 2011 he served as a member and chairman of the National Archives and Records Administration's Advisory Committee on the Electronic Records Archives (ACERA). In accordance with legislation governing IMLS, Martin’s term as director concluded after four years in 2005. He returned to
Texas Woman’s University as the Lillian Bradshaw Endowed Chair in the School of Library and Information Studies. He discussed the development and future of the Institute of Museum and Library Services in an interview with
Library Journal editor,
John N. Berry He retired from TWU in August 2008 and was conferred Professor Emeritus. In November, 2008, he was appointed by the
Archivist of the United States to serve as chair of the Advisory Committee on the Electronic Records Archives. Throughout his career, Martin held elected and appointed positions in numerous professional organizations, including the
American Library Association,
Association for Library and Information Science Education,
Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association, National Association of Governments Archivists and Records Administrators,
Society of American Archivists, Society of Southwest Archivists, Urban Libraries Council, and the Texas Map Society. == Honors ==