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{{Short description|African American libraries in the United States}}
{{Short description|African American libraries in the United States}}
{{Draft topics|biography|north-america|libraries-and-information}}
{{AfC topic|soc}}
{{AfC submission|||ts=20240425164531|u=FloridaArmy|ns=118}}
{{AFC submission|d|reason|This is probably suitable as a disambiguation page, so just nix the references and external links|u=FloridaArmy|ns=118|decliner=Pbritti|declinets=20240425152520|ts=20240425121321}} <!-- Do not remove this line! -->
::Not a disambiguation page. [[User:FloridaArmy|FloridaArmy]] ([[User talk:FloridaArmy|talk]]) 16:46, 25 April 2024 (UTC)


The '''history of libraries for African Americans''' in the United States includes the earliest [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] [[Library|libraries]] for African Americans that were school libraries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=A History of US Public Libraries: Segregated Libraries |url=https://dp.la/exhibitions/history-us-public-libraries/segregated-libraries |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=Digital Public Library of America |language=en}}</ref> The fastest library growth happened in urban cities such as Atlanta while rural towns, particularly in the American South, were slower to add Black libraries.<ref name=":0" /> [[Andrew Carnegie]] and the [[Works Progress Administration]] helped establish libraries for African Americans, including at [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically Black college and university]] campuses.<ref name=":0" /> Many public and private libraries were segregated until after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of [[Brown v. Board of Education]] (1954).
Libraries in the United States with collections and research materials related to the history of African Americans include;

Books for and about African Americans were scarce in the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/630016 | doi=10.1086/630016 | title=Books for Black Children: Public Library Collections in Louisville and Nashville, 1915-1925 | date=2000 | last1=Malone | first1=Cheryl Knott | journal=The Library Quarterly | volume=70 | issue=2 | pages=179–200 }}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[William Whipper]] helped found the Reading Room Society established in Philadelphia in 1828 was a social library for African Americans. In 1831 the Female Literary Society, a social library for women, was established in Philadelphia. [[Enoch Pratt Free Library]] was integrated. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of segregating public venues in the 1896 [[Plessy v. Ferguson]] decision. In 1901 a [[Carnegie Library]] is built at [[Tuskegee Institute]]. In 1926 the Schomburg Center is established in New York City with the collection of historian [[Arturo Alfonso Schomburg]]'s collection of materials. In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court's [[Brown v. Board of Education]] decision renders "separate but equal" unconstitutional.
[[William Whipper]] helped found the Reading Room Society established in Philadelphia in 1828 was a social library for African Americans. In 1831 the Female Literary Society, a social library for women, was established in Philadelphia. [[Enoch Pratt Free Library]] was integrated. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of segregating public venues in the 1896 [[Plessy v. Ferguson]] decision.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25649066#:~:text=The%20legal%20foundation%20for%20segregated,of%20public%20accommodations%2C%20including%20libraries | title=A Brief History of Library Service to African Americans | last1=Wheeler | first1=Maurice | last2=Johnson-Houston | first2=Debbie | last3=Walker | first3=Billie E. | journal=American Libraries | date=2004 | volume=35 | issue=2 | pages=42–45 }}</ref>


[[File:1909 Cheyney Library.JPG|thumb|Cheyney University Library]]
[[Edward Christopher Williams]] was one of the first professionally trained black librarians. He worked at [[Western Reserve University]] in Cleveland, Ohio. [[Catherine Latimer]] became a librarian at the New York Public Library and headed its Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints. [[Dorothy Porter Wesley]] wrote bibliographies of African American literature at Howard University. [[Carla Hayden]] became a Librarian of Congress.<ref>https://librarynews.blog.fordham.edu/2021/02/22/leaders-in-library-history/</ref>
In 1901 a [[Carnegie Library]] is built at [[Tuskegee Institute]]. In 1926 the Schomburg Center is established in New York City with the collection of historian [[Arturo Alfonso Schomburg]]'s collection of materials. The library at [[Cheyney University of Pennsylvania]] was built in 1909, funded by Andrew Carnegie.


In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court's [[Brown v. Board of Education]] decision ruled "separate but equal" unconstitutional. [[Eliza Atkins Gleason]] established a training program for African American librarians.
==Libraries==

*[[National Museum of African American History and Culture]] Library<ref>https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/library</ref>
[[Edward Christopher Williams]] was one of the first professionally trained black librarians. He worked at [[Western Reserve University]] in Cleveland, Ohio. [[Catherine Allen Latimer|Catherine Latimer]] became a librarian at the New York Public Library and headed its Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints. [[Dorothy Porter Wesley]] wrote bibliographies of African American literature at Howard University. [[Carla Hayden]] became a Librarian of Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://librarynews.blog.fordham.edu/2021/02/22/leaders-in-library-history/|title=Black Leaders in Library History – Fordham Library News|date=22 February 2021 }}</ref>

==List of libraries related to African American history==
Libraries in the United States with collections and research materials related to the history of African Americans include;

*[[National Museum of African American History and Culture]] Library<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/library|title=The National Museum of African American History and Culture Library {{pipe}} National Museum of African American History and Culture}}</ref>
*[[African-American Research Library and Cultural Center]] in [[Washington Park, Florida]]
*[[African-American Research Library and Cultural Center]] in [[Washington Park, Florida]]
*[[Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library]] in Denver, Colorado's Five Points neighborhood
*[[Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library]] in [[Five Points, Denver|Five Points]], Denver, Colorado
*[[Amistad Research Center]]
*[[Amistad Research Center]]
*[[Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History]] in Atlanta, Georgia
*[[Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History]] in Atlanta, Georgia
*[[African American Library at the Gregory School]]<ref>https://www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/the-african-american-library-at-the-gregory-school/23216/</ref>
*[[African American Library at the Gregory School]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/the-african-american-library-at-the-gregory-school/23216/|title=The African American Library at the Gregory School {{pipe}} Things To Do in Houston, TX|website=Visit Houston}}</ref>
*[[Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture]]<ref>https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/schomburg</ref>
*[[Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture]], a research library that is part of the New York Public Library system<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/schomburg|title=About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture|website=The New York Public Library}}</ref>
*[[Moorland–Spingarn Research Center]]
*[[Moorland–Spingarn Research Center]] in Washington D.C.
*North Greenwood Library in the [[North Greenwood]] neighborhood of Clearwater, Florida
*North Greenwood Library in the [[North Greenwood]] neighborhood of Clearwater, Florida
*[[Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum]] in St. Petersburg, Florida
*[[Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum]] in St. Petersburg, Florida
*[[Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library]] in Tampa, Florida<ref>https://hcplc.org/research/african-american</ref>
*[[Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library]] in Tampa, Florida<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hcplc.org/research/african-american|title=African American Resources {{pipe}} HCPLC|website=hcplc.org}}</ref>
*African American Cultural Resource Center at Betty J. Johnson North [[Sarasota Public Library]]<ref>https://www.bettyjjohnsonfriends.org/our-history2</ref>
*African American Cultural Resource Center at Betty J. Johnson North [[Sarasota Public Library]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bettyjjohnsonfriends.org/our-history2|title=Our History|website=Betty J. Johnson}}</ref>
*Black Resource Center at Los Angeles County Library at the A C Bilbrew Library in Los Angeles<ref>https://lacountylibrary.org/black-resource-center/</ref>
*Black Resource Center at Los Angeles County Library at the A C Bilbrew Library in Los Angeles<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lacountylibrary.org/black-resource-center/|title=LA County Library|website=LA County Library}}</ref>
*Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at the Chicago Public Library's [[Woodson Regional Library]]<ref>https://www.chipublib.org/vivian-g-harsh-research-collection/</ref>
*[[Vivian G. Harsh]] Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at the Chicago Public Library's [[Woodson Regional Library]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chipublib.org/vivian-g-harsh-research-collection|title=Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection|website=www.chipublib.org}}</ref>
*[[Louisville Western Branch Library]] in Louisville, Kentucky<ref>https://www.lfpl.org/separateflame</ref>
*[[Louisville Western Branch Library]] in Louisville, Kentucky<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lfpl.org/separateflame|title=African American History Archives {{pipe}} Louisville Free Public Library|website=www.lfpl.org}}</ref>
*[[African American Museum and Library at Oakland]] in Oakland, California<ref>https://oaklandlibrary.org/aamlo/</ref>
*[[African American Museum and Library at Oakland]] in Oakland, California<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oaklandlibrary.org/aamlo|title=African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO)|website=oaklandlibrary.org}}</ref>
*[[Gainsboro Branch Library]] in [[Roanoke, Virginia]]<ref name=Cox>{{cite news |last=Cox |first=Ray |date=February 21, 2022 |title=Library serves for 100 years |work=The Roanoke Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times-gainsboro-library-1/140935413/ |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times-gainsboro-library-1/140935413/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times-gainsboro-library-2/140935478/ 2] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>


==Further reading==
*''African‐Americans and U.S. Libraries: History'' by Cheryl Knott Malone
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''African-Americans and U.S. Libraries: History'' by Cheryl Knott Malone
*''Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow'' by Cheryl Knott Malone
*''The Southern Negro and the Public Library'' by [[Eliza Atkins Gleason]]'s (1941)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160301123229/http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/schomburg-center-opens The Schomburg Center Opens]
*[https://librarynews.blog.fordham.edu/2021/02/22/leaders-in-library-history/ Black Leaders in Library History]
[[Category:Lists of libraries in the United States]]
[[Category:Library history]]
[[Category:American librarianship and human rights]]
[[Category:African-American segregation in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 16:27, 17 October 2024

The history of libraries for African Americans in the United States includes the earliest segregated libraries for African Americans that were school libraries.[1] The fastest library growth happened in urban cities such as Atlanta while rural towns, particularly in the American South, were slower to add Black libraries.[1] Andrew Carnegie and the Works Progress Administration helped establish libraries for African Americans, including at historically Black college and university campuses.[1] Many public and private libraries were segregated until after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Books for and about African Americans were scarce in the early 20th century.[2]

History

[edit]

William Whipper helped found the Reading Room Society established in Philadelphia in 1828 was a social library for African Americans. In 1831 the Female Literary Society, a social library for women, was established in Philadelphia. Enoch Pratt Free Library was integrated. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of segregating public venues in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision.[1][3]

Cheyney University Library

In 1901 a Carnegie Library is built at Tuskegee Institute. In 1926 the Schomburg Center is established in New York City with the collection of historian Arturo Alfonso Schomburg's collection of materials. The library at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was built in 1909, funded by Andrew Carnegie.

In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision ruled "separate but equal" unconstitutional. Eliza Atkins Gleason established a training program for African American librarians.

Edward Christopher Williams was one of the first professionally trained black librarians. He worked at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Catherine Latimer became a librarian at the New York Public Library and headed its Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints. Dorothy Porter Wesley wrote bibliographies of African American literature at Howard University. Carla Hayden became a Librarian of Congress.[4]

[edit]

Libraries in the United States with collections and research materials related to the history of African Americans include;

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "A History of US Public Libraries: Segregated Libraries". Digital Public Library of America. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  2. ^ Malone, Cheryl Knott (2000). "Books for Black Children: Public Library Collections in Louisville and Nashville, 1915-1925". The Library Quarterly. 70 (2): 179–200. doi:10.1086/630016.
  3. ^ Wheeler, Maurice; Johnson-Houston, Debbie; Walker, Billie E. (2004). "A Brief History of Library Service to African Americans". American Libraries. 35 (2): 42–45.
  4. ^ "Black Leaders in Library History – Fordham Library News". 22 February 2021.
  5. ^ "The National Museum of African American History and Culture Library | National Museum of African American History and Culture".
  6. ^ "The African American Library at the Gregory School | Things To Do in Houston, TX". Visit Houston.
  7. ^ "About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture". The New York Public Library.
  8. ^ "African American Resources | HCPLC". hcplc.org.
  9. ^ "Our History". Betty J. Johnson.
  10. ^ "LA County Library". LA County Library.
  11. ^ "Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection". www.chipublib.org.
  12. ^ "African American History Archives | Louisville Free Public Library". www.lfpl.org.
  13. ^ "African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO)". oaklandlibrary.org.
  14. ^ Cox, Ray (February 21, 2022). "Library serves for 100 years". The Roanoke Times. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

[edit]