Black Caucus of the American Library Association (1970- )

Black librarians have always gathered at meetings to discuss the relevance of their profession and the needs and desires of the African American community. As far back as the beginning of their first library school for Negroes at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Virginia, … Read MoreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association (1970- )

Pura Belpré (1903-1982)

Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras, author, librarian, storyteller, folklorist, and puppeteer, was born on February 2, 1903 in Cidra, Puerto Rico to Carlota Nogueras, homemaker, and Felipe Belpré y Bernabé, a building contractor. Belpré attended schools in Arroyo, Cayey, Guayama, San Juan and graduated from … Read MorePura Belpré (1903-1982)

Marion Marguerite Butler Stokes (1929-2012)

Marion Stokes, best known for her collection of television news recordings, was born on November 25, 1929 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Girls High in Philadelphia and worked as a librarian for the Free Library of Philadelphia from the 1940’s … Read MoreMarion Marguerite Butler Stokes (1929-2012)

Free Colored Library, Knoxville, Tennessee (1918-1961)

The Free Colored Library of Knoxville, Tennessee was a segregated public library that opened in 1918 and closed 43 years later in 1961. It was the first municipally-supported library for African-Americans in Knoxville, Tennessee and one of twelve segregated public libraries opened in the South … Read MoreFree Colored Library, Knoxville, Tennessee (1918-1961)

Dryades Branch Library, New Orleans, Louisiana (1915-1965)

The Dryades Branch of the New Orleans Public Library was the first municipally-supported library for New Orleans’s black citizens and one of a dozen public libraries in the South established for African Americans between 1908 and 1924 and funded by Andrew Carnegie. Opened in 1915, … Read MoreDryades Branch Library, New Orleans, Louisiana (1915-1965)

Carnegie Negro Library, Greensboro, North Carolina (1924-1963)

The Carnegie Negro Library of Greensboro, North Carolina, a free public library for African Americans, opened in 1924. It stood at 900 East Washington Street on the Bennett College campus and was the last of twelve public libraries for African Americans opened in the South … Read MoreCarnegie Negro Library, Greensboro, North Carolina (1924-1963)

Negro Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee (1916-1949)

The Negro Public Library (later the Negro Branch of the Nashville Public Library) operated for over thirty years as a segregated library facility in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the city’s first public library for African Americans and one of only a dozen segregated public libraries … Read MoreNegro Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee (1916-1949)