With Black History month coming to an end, we’ve saved the best for last — a NYLI blog salute to African- American librarians!
Arthur Alfonso Schomburg’s life mission was to teach African Americans about their own history and achievements. A bibliophile, historian, curator and most famously now remembered as a collector: his artwork, manuscripts and rare books became the foundation of The New York Public Library’s world famous Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Dorothy B. Porter was the first African American to earn an an M.S. in library science from Columbia University. Porter not only developed a modern research library at Howard University, but reformed the Dewey Decimal system to include classifications for black history and culture.
Regina Anderson Andrews was the first African-American to lead a New York Public Library Branch. She not only hosted legendary Harlem Renaissance salons, but was involved in various theatre groups and wrote plays under the pen name Ursula Trelling.
We hope you make time to view the above YouTube clip — two great African-American librarians discussed in depth — Clara Stanton Jones and E.J. Josey.… here’s a little introductory information on them…
Clara Stanton Jones was the first African-American President of the American Library Association. Soon after becoming director of the Detroit Public Library, Jones was elected to A.L.A Presidency and used her tenure to desegregate libraries.…
Founder of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, E.J. Josey was a fundamental force in the of A.L.A.’s Southern chapters. Josey was a life-long advocate for civil rights and equal opportunity for librarians of color, as well as a mentor to generations of librarians.
NYLI hopes this blog series has been informative — and as librarians, we hope you are inspired to learn more. Check out our eBook, print, Court Record collections… and consider becoming a member for full access!
