Black History Archives | American Libraries Magazine

ALA Honors African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation

July 3, 2018

Resolution to Honor African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation Whereas the system of “Jim Crow” laws and customs officially existed into the 1960s—a century after the official end of slavery in the United States; Whereas virulent racism, disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually … Continue reading ALA Honors African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation →

Members of an African drum and dance ensemble lead patrons in a performance routine as part of Richland Library's day-long Black History Month Fair on January 28, 2017. Photo: Richland Library

Every Month Is Black History Month

By Quincy Pugh | March 1, 2018

Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina, needed a better way to reach its African-American community. Quincy Pugh, film and sound manager, explains how the decision to celebrate black history year-round and start “I Have a Problem with That”—a series of panel discussions that address challenging social issues—has boosted program attendance and engagement among its target … Continue reading Every Month Is Black History Month →

Jessie Carney Smith in 1965, her first year as a university librarian at Fisk University in Nashville.

Blazing Trails

By Greg Landgraf | January 2, 2018

American Libraries spoke with five leading African-American librarians about their careers, the changes they have witnessed over the decades, and the current issues in librarianship. While no two people have the same story, all five interviewees note inclusivity as an important theme. They discuss libraries as safe havens, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the … Continue reading Blazing Trails →

Patricia Bearden (left) and Raquel Flores-Clemons present “Partners in History: Chicago State University Archive and International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry Digital Collaboration" at DPLAfest in Chicago on April 20.

DPLAfest Comes to Chicago

By John Amundsen | April 25, 2017

Several presentations highlighted efforts to document, preserve, and share digital collections on social justice and community engagement. Preserving African-American history on Chicago’s South Side “Partners in History: Chicago State University Archive and International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry Digital Collaboration,” led by Chicago State University (CSU) Archivist Raquel Flores-Clemons, Patricia Bearden, president … Continue reading DPLAfest Comes to Chicago →

Former Broward County (Fla.) Library Director Samuel F. Morrison stands next to a replica of himself. It stands at the entrance of the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale.

This Former Library Director Is Beside Himself

By Alison Marcotte | October 9, 2015

Morrison, who received his master’s in library science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, became director of the Broward County library system in 1990 and retired in 2003. As director, he began campaigning to build AARLCC, and in 2002, the 60,000-square-foot facility opened as a branch of Broward County Library. Its collection of books, … Continue reading This Former Library Director Is Beside Himself →

Black History Month Graphic Novels for Your Collection

By Sarah Hunter | February 5, 2015

Need to refresh your Black History Month offerings? Here are some graphic novels, both fiction and nonfiction, that address Black History in dynamic, engaging ways. For Adults: Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White By Lila Quintero Weaver. Illus. by the author. 2012. Univ. of Alabama, paper, $24.95 (9780817357146). Perry County, Alabama, was a hotbed … Continue reading Black History Month Graphic Novels for Your Collection →

Latest Library Links

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Charles McClure has been selected to receive the 2019 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, sponsored by OCLC and LITA. McClure is the Francis Eppes Professor of Information Studies in the School of Information at Florida State University and the Director of its Information Use Management and Policy Institute. The award honors research relevant to the development of information technologies and recognizes a body of work spanning years, if not the majority of a career.

LITA, Mar. 25
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Next week’s vote on the European Union’s Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market is an opportunity to advance library services. But unless an article that would effectively force the filtering of speech on the internet is removed, it could also do a lot of harm. The directive includes valuable progress on key dossiers for libraries, making it easier to carry out text and data mining, preserve documents, and give access to works that are not available on the market. But blocking free speech would be inevitable under Article 13 (renumbered to 17 in the voting document), a point already underlined by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Mar. 24
17h

Neely Tucker writes: “Our colleague Cait Miller published a pair of delightful posts about songs in the women’s suffrage movement on the In the Muse blog recently, the most recent of which is here. But it being Women’s History Month, we just had to know more about one of the sheet music covers she featured—the one with the remarkable title, ‘She’s Good Enough to be Your Baby’s Mother and She’s Good Enough to Vote with You.’ Published in the winter of 1916,when the suffrage movement was a hot-button political issue, the song (and its sheet music) are a nifty bit of insight into an earlier version of American pop culture.”

Library of Congress Blog, Mar. 25
17h

Susan Kriete writes: “When family historians come to the New York Public Library’s Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History, and Genealogy, they want to immediately ‘type their name’ into a database, not be referred to a book about how to trace their family tree. Genealogists are willing to hunt through thousands of digitized records to (not) find their ancestors instead of referring to a genealogy guidebook. Consulting a genealogy research guide will save you time, effort, and frustration, and also lead you to information and sources you might never discover otherwise. Here are a few examples of how that happens.”

New York Public Library blogs, Mar. 25
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Reforma, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, has received the 2019 Angel Award, sponsored by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, that recognizes outstanding contributions to children’s literacy and efforts to bring picture books to children everywhere. The award will be presented at Guastavino’s in New York City on September 26. Reforma is an ALA affiliate organization.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Mar. 20
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April 9 is National Library Workers Day, a time to recognize library professionals for their expertise and leadership skills in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. The day also reminds the public that library workers serve as community compasses that lead users to endless opportunities for engagement, enrichment, and development. Library users are invited to “submit a star” by providing a testimonial about a favorite library employee. Examples of nominations can include how library staff helped with learning 3D printing or writing a résumé.

Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Mar. 25
18h

The ALA-Allied Professional Association is recognizing libraries that go above and beyond in meeting the wellness needs of their staff. The organization is seeking nominations for its Presidential Citation for Wellness in the Workplace. The deadline to submit nominations is April 30. Candidates will be libraries that address staff needs in the areas of continuing education, wellness, positive work environment, unions, salaries, gender equity, pay equity initiatives, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers.

ALA-Allied Professional Association, Mar. 25

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