The Black Librarian In America

The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening is the latest in the powerful line of The Black Librarian in America volumes. While previous editions we organized around library types, this edition is organized in four thematic sections”: A Rich Heritage: Black Librarian History Celebrating Collective and Individual Identity Black Librarians across Settings Moving Forward: Activism, Anti-Racism, and Allyship” Issues pertaining to Black librarians’ intersectional identities, capacities, and contributions take center stage. The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening is not only the first edition to be edited entirely by Black women, but it is officially produced by BCALA members in commemoration of the organization’s 50th anniversary. Dr. Carla Hayden (14th Librarian of Congress) and Julius Jefferson, Jr. (president of the American Library Association for the 2020-2021 term) contribute moving foreword and afterword segments.

The 1970 and 1994 editions of The Black Librarian in America by E.J. Josey singled out racism as an important issue to be addressed within the library profession. Although much has changed since then, this latest collection of 48 essays by Black librarians and library supporters again identifies racism as one of many challenges of the new century. Essays are written by library educators, library graduate students, retired librarians, public library trustees, veteran librarians, and new librarians fresh out of school with great ideas and wholesome energies. They cover such topics as poorly equipped school libraries and the need to preserve the school library, a call to action to all librarians to make the shift to new and innovative models of public education, the advancement in information technology and library operations, special libraries, recruitment and the Indiana State Library program, racism in the history of library and information science, and challenges that have plagued librarianship for decades. This collection of poignant essays covers a multiplicity of concerns for the 21st-century Black librarian and embodies compassion and respect for the provision of information, an act that defines librarianship. The essays are personable, inspiring, and thought provoking for all library professionals, regardless of race, class, or gender.

This sequel to The Black Librarian in America (Scarecrow, 1970) contains an array of contributors representing a new generation of African American librarians, addressing the same perplexing problems that their predecessors examined. This volume is being issued at a time when there is a great concern about cultural diversity in the country. Cultural diversity is laudable, but the pervasive problem in the country is institutional racism. All of the contributors aggree that it is racism that should be eradicated if a truly multicultural society that represents cultural diversity is to develop. A wide range of topics are explored. In addition, a profile of Dorothy Porter Wesley, one of the pioneer African American librarians; librarians and archivists as writers, and a provocative essay by Congresswoman Major R. Owens on "The Specter of Racism in an Age of Cultural Diversity: The New Paradigm for African American Librarians." Among the contributors are Carolyn O. Frost, Herman L. Totten, Carla Hayden, Charles M. Brown, Alexander Boyd, Jesse Carney Smith, James F Williams, II, Lou Helen Saunders, Ina A. Brown, Vivian Davidson Hewitt, Monteria Hightower, Ella Gaines Yates, and Ann Allen Shockley. Especially designed for professional librarians, library school students, and other information professionals, this volume would be a useful addition to African American collections and other scholarly collections dealing with American society. A copious index that is cross referenced makes it very useful as a reference tool.

This book contains essays reflecting on the role of the black librarian at the beginning of the 1970s. It looks at the librarian's profile; why he or she chose librarianship; the opportunities and obstacles faced; and projections for the future for black librarians.

The Instant New York Times Bestseller! A Good Morning America* Book Club Pick! Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR! Named a Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post! “Historical fiction at its best!”* A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American. The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.

This book delves into how Freedom Libraries were at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, and the remarkable courage of the people who used them. As the Civil Rights Movement exploded across the United States, numerous libraries were desegregated on paper only, and there was another virtually unheard of struggle— the right to read.

This first Special Report in a two-volume set on Black and African Americans’ experiences in libraries provides an overview of their historical exclusion from libraries and educational institutions in the United States, also exploring the ways in which this legacy is manifest in our contemporary context. A compelling call to action, it will serve as the beginning of many conversations in which librarianship reckons with its racist past to move towards a more equitable future. Still a predominantly white profession, librarianship has a legacy of racial discrimination, and it is essential that we face the ways that race impacts how we meet the needs of diverse user communities. Identifying and acknowledging implicit and learned bias is a necessary step toward transforming not only our professional practice but also our scholarship, assessment, and evaluation practices. From this Special Report, readers will learn the hidden history of Africa’s contributions to libraries and educational institutions, which are often omitted from K-12, higher education, and library school curricula; engage with the racist legacies of libraries as well as contemporary scholarship related to Black and African American users’ experiences with libraries; be introduced to frameworks and theories that can help to identify and unpack the role of race in librarianship and in library users’ experiences; and garner practical takeaways to bring to their own views and practice of librarianship.

E. J. Josey and Marva DeLoach have compiled a treasure trove of information about black librarianship. This volume includes history, statistics, and documentation of contemporary issues related both to African American participation in librarianship and to the organizations that they built to provide information resources for their people. Of interest to all librarians, bibliophiles, bibliographers, and students of American culture, this handbook fills a niche in American cultural history. Like the first edition, published in 1977, this new edition chronicles the history and achievements of black librarians in their chosen profession. Chapters documenting pioneering individuals and events are juxtaposed with historical descriptions of early professional organizations. Other sections provide important information related to diversity, including the language of diversity and salient statistical facts about African American librarians. New or revised chapters treat issues related to information technology and electronic resources, library services to African Americans, and library education. Of special interest is the section on African American resources, which covers archival and fugitive literature, library holdings, literature, oral history programs, and museums, with several chapters on awards. A complete section is devoted to the important issue of health sciences libraries and blacks. Another new section covers libraries, library education, and publishing in Africa. The final section highlights the role of African Americans in selected areas of the knowledge industry.