The Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center (MCL)

The Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center (MCL) in Culver City, California is named for Mayme Agnew Clayton (1923-2006). Ms. Clayton was a librarian at the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. In the 1960s, she began assembling a collection of items relating to African American culture and history which is housed at the center. Today, the Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center's collection consists of over 3.5 million items and is believed to be the largest private collection of African American history and culture. Ms. Clayton passed away in 2006.

See related posts: Miriam Matthews and the Los Angeles Public Library ; The E. Azalia Hackley Collection of Negro Music, Dance, and Drama ; and Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, 1874-1938: Noted Bibliophile, Collector, Curator,and Scholar.

Sources: Kaiser, Ernest. "Library Holdings on African Americans." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 272. Print. ; "Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum: Mission  & History." Claytonmuseum.org. Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center, n.d. Web. 4 December 2010. ; Thompson, Kathleen, and Austin, Hilary Mac. "In Praise of Mayme A. Clayton: Images of the African American West." BlackPast.org. Black Past, n.d. Web. 4 December 2010. ; Wilkin, Binnie Tate. "Introduction." African American Librarians in the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers. Ed. Binnie Tate Wilkin. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2006. xviii. Print. ; Copage, Eric V. "The Race to Save Black History: As Art Collections Deteriorate, Preservationists Struggle to Save Our Culture." Ebony 58.4 (2008): 116-118, 120, 122. Print.

Susan Dart Butler and the Dart Hall Branch Library (Charleston, South Carolina)

In 1927, Susan Dart Butler (1888-1959), the daughter of Rev. John Lewis and Julia Pierre Dart,  established the Dart Hall Library for  the African American citizens of Charleston, South Carolina. The library was located in a room in Dart Hall which was formerly used as the printing office for the newspaper, The Southern Reporter. Prior to his death, Ms. Butler's father, Rev. John Lewis Dart, was the editor and owner of the newspaper.

The Dart Hall Library  became a branch of the Charleston Free Library in 1931. Ms. Butler, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, served as the branch's manager from 1931 until her retirement in 1957. She passed away in 1959.

Update 03/22/2013:

Susan Dart Butler was the wife of Nathaniel Lowe Butler, Sr. whom she married in 1912. Ms. Butler attended the Avery Normal Institute, Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University), the McDowell Millinery School, and the Hampton Institute Library School (Hampton Institute is now Hampton University).

Ethel Evangeline Martin Bolden, a 1959 graduate of the Atlanta University Library School, wrote her Master's thesis on Susan Dart Butler. Ms. Bolden was responsible for establishing the first elementary school library in Columbia, South Carolina for African American students. Ms. Bolden's thesis is now available online through the efforts of the University of South Carolina (click on the link below to access):

http://www.libsci.sc.edu/histories/biographies/butler/butler-index.htm

Sources: Lee, Dan R. "From Segregation to Integration: Library Services for Blacks in South Carolina, 1923-1962." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of the U of I, 1998. 95. Print. ; Battles, David M. The History of Public Library Access for African Americans in the South, or, Leaving Behind the Plow. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009. 61. Print. ; Jordan, Casper LeRoy. "African American Forerunners in Librarianship." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 20-30. Print. ; Walker, Lillie S. "Black Librarians in South Carolina." The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 90-93. Print. ; Josey, E.J. "Foreword." Educating Black Librarians: Papers from the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the School of Library and Information Science, North Carolina Central University. Jefferson: McFarland, 1991. x-xi. Print. ; "Susan E. Dart." United States Census, 1900. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. ; "Ethel Bolden Papers, ca. 1900-2002." University of South Carolina, University Libraries, South Caroliniana Library. University of South Carolina, 24 Aug. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. ; "Ethel Martin Bolden." South Carolina African American History Calendar, Mar. 2004: n.pag. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. ; "AKA Honors Ethel Bolden." Columbia Star. Columbia Star, 30 Mar. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. ; Haith, Dorothy M. "The Southeastern Black School Librarian." The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 90-229. Print. ; Bolden, Ethel Evangeline Martin. "Susan Dart Butler: Pioneer Librarian." MS thesis. Atlanta University, 1959. Pdf.

Nella Larsen: Author and Librarian

Nella Larsen (1891-1964), a writer and the first African American woman to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, was a children's librarian at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. She also worked at the Seward Park and Countee Cullen branches. In 1923, Ms. Larsen received her librarian's certificate from the Library School of the New York Public Library (the school merged in 1926 with the New York State Library School to become Columbia University School of Library Service).

Sources: Potter, Joan. African American Firsts (Updated). New York: Dafina Books, 2009. 105. Print. ; "All Fellows: Nella Larsen." John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. ; Hutchinson, George. In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line. Cambridge: Belknap of Harvard U P, 2006. 8, 65, 68, 139-143, 145-152. Print, ; Davis, Thadious M. Nella Larsen: Novelist of the Harlem Renaissance: A Woman's Life Unveiled. Baton Rouge: Louisiana U P, 1994. 144-147, 149-151, 216-217. Print. ; Shockley, Ann Allen. "Librarians, Archivists, and Writers: A Personal Perspective." Ed. E.J. Josey. The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1994. 322. Print. ; Hill, Claudia. "135th Street Library." Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Ed. Cary D. Wintz and Paul Finkelman. Vol. 2. New York: Routledge, 2004. 926. Print. ; Roffman, Karin. "Nella Larsen, Librarian at 135th Street." MFS Modern Fiction Studies 53.4 (2007): 752-787. Print.

Dudley Randall: Librarian, Poet, and Founder of Broadside Press

Dudley Randall (1914-2000), a librarian, established the Broadside Press in 1965. Mr. Randall was a librarian at Morgan State University from 1954 until 1956. He also held various library positions at the University of Detroit, the University of Michigan, Lincoln University (Missouri), and the Wayne County Federated Library System. Mr. Randall received his library degree from the University of Michigan in 1951. In addition, Mr. Randall was a poet. He passed away in August of 2000.

Update 10/11/2012:

Dudley Randall, Albert P. Marshall, and Helen Price Sawyer Braxton worked together as librarians at Lincoln University (Missouri) during the 1950s.

Update 10/22/2012:

In 1954, Dudley Randall authored the poem Booker T.  and W.E.B.  To read the poem, click here.

Update 01/25/2013:
There is a brief biography of Dudley Randall written by Amber Eaton on the BlackPast.org. Click on the following link to read:

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/randall-dudley-1914-2000

Sources: Joyce, Donald Franklin. "Unique Gatekeepers of Black Culture: Three Black Librarians as Book Publishers." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of the U of Illinois, 1998. 153-154. Print. ; Shockley, Anne Allen. "Librarians, Archivists, and Writers: A Personal Perspective." The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Ed. E.J. Josey. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1994. 322-323. Print. ; Wright, Joyce C. "Black Librarians as Creative Writers." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 653-654. Print. ; Thompson, Julius E. Dudley Randall, Broadside Press, and the Black Arts Movement in Detroit, 1960-1995. Jefferson: McFarland, 1999. Print. ; Boyd, Melba J. Wrestling with the Muse: Dudley Randall and the Broadside Press. New York: Columbia U P, 2003. Print. ; "Dudley Randall Reviews Novel by Alan Paton." Lincoln Clarion (Jefferson City, Mo.) 13 Feb. 1953: 1. Print. ; "Page Has New Service System." Lincoln Clarion (Jefferson City, Mo.) 7 June 1952: 1, 3. Print. ; "Marshall Gets Office in State Library Assoc." Lincoln Clarion (Jefferson City, Mo.) 19 Oct. 1951: 2. Print. ; "Librarians Attend Chicago Meeting." Jefferson City Post-Tribune 5 July 1951: 10. Print. ; "Faculty Spends Holidays Both Near and Far Away." Lincoln Clarion (Jefferson City, Mo.) 7 Jan. 1955: 2. Print.

The Colored Carnegie Library of Houston, Texas

The Colored Carnegie Library (Houston) was founded in 1909. The library was originally housed inside Booker T. Washington High School until 1913, when the library received a building of its own from the Carnegie Foundation. In 1922, the library's administration was returned to the Houston Public Library System after eight years of independent operation by an all-black library board. Emma Myers was the first librarian (1909-1911).

Sources: Battles, David M. The History of Public Library Access for African Americans in the South or, Leaving Behind the Plow. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009. 35. Print. ; Malone, Cheryl Knott. "Autonomy and Accomodation: Houston's Colored Carnegie Library, 1907-1922." Libraries and Culture 34.2 (1999): 95-112. Print. ; Malone, Cheryl Knott. "Quiet Pioneers: Black Women Public Librarians in the Segregated South." Vitae Scholasticae 19.1 (2000): 4, 8-11. Print.

Allen Mercer Daniel: Howard University School of Law Librarian and Member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)

Allen Mercer Daniel (1888-1976), the first African American member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), was also the first law librarian of Howard University (1940-1956).

Sources: Berry, Cynthia. "Allen Mercer Daniel: A Leader in Librarianship." AALL Spectrum 4 (2000): 12. Print. ; Centennial Committee of the Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. "Firsts in Academic Law Libraries." American Association of Law Libraries - Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. American Association of Law Libraries, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. ; "Daniel Online Resource Guide." Howard University School of Law Library. Howard University  School of Law Library, 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. ; "Introducing the AALL Hall of Fame." AALL Spectrum Jul. 2010: 14. Print.

Update 09/24/2012:

The following resource contains additional information about Allen Mercer Daniel:

Nicholson, Carol A., Ruth J.Hill, and Vicente E. Garces. Celebrating Diversity: A Legacy of Minority Leadership in the American Association of Law Libraries. Buffalo, NY: W.S. Hein & Co., 2006. 20-25. Print.

Update 03/15/2013:

See related posts: William Henry Smith: Librarian for the U.S. House of Representatives ; John F.N. Wilkinson and the Law Library of Congress.