Saturday, January 28, 2012

Clara Stanton Jones: ALA's First African American President

In July 1976, Clara Stanton Jones (1913-2012) became the first African American president of the American Library Association. In addition, Ms. Jones was the first African American female director of the Detroit Public Library. Ms. Jones once worked as a reference librarian at Dillard University (1938-1940) and an associate librarian at Southern University (1940-1944). She began her career at the Detroit Public Library in 1944, and served as the library's director from 1970 until her retirement in 1978.

Sources: "Detroit's Top Librarian: In Race to Make City Libraries Serve Today's Needs, No One Keeps Up with Mrs. Jones." Ebony 27.1 (1971): 115-116, 118, 120, 122. Print. ; "ALA Past Presidents." American Library Association. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. ; Battles, David M. The History of Public Library Services to African Americans in the South or, Leaving Behind the Plow. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009. 145. Print. ; Josey, E.J. "A Dreamer-- With A Tiny Spark." The Black Librarian in America. Ed. E.J. Josey. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1970. 323. Print. ; Dawson, Alma. "Celebrating African American Librarians and Librarianship." Library Trends 49.1 (2000): 58. Print. ; Jones, Clara S. "The Black Librarian." The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 16-19. Print. ; McPheeters, Annie L. Library Service in Black and White: Some Personal Recollections, 1921-1980. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1988. 132. Print. ; Jordan, Casper Leroy and Josey, E.J. "A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 11-14. Print. ; Poinsett, Alex. "1976: Year of the Black Voter." Ebony 32.3 (1977): 85. Print. ; Garner, Carla W. "Jones, Clara Stanton (1913-)." BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. ; DeLoach, Marva. "Clara Stanton Jones." Women of Color in Librarianship: An Oral History. Ed. Kathleen de la Pena McCook. [Chicago]: ALA, Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, 1998. 28-57. Print.  ; Bobinski, George S. Libraries and Librarianship: Sixty Years of Challenge and Change, 1945-2005. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2007. 100. Print.

Update 10/04/2012:

On Sunday, September 30, 2012, Ms. Clara Stanton Jones passed away at the age of 99 in Oakland, California. She received her Bachelor of Library Science (BLS) from the University of Michigan in 1938.

Update 01/03/2013:

On December 27, 2012, Maurice Wheeler wrote an article in tribute to Ms. Clara Stanton Jones for Library Journal (Online):

Wheeler, Maurice. "Remembering Clara Stanton Jones: Backtalk." Library Journal (Online). Library Journal, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2013.

Update 03/19/2013:

See related posts: The E. Azalia Hackley Collection of Negro Music, Dance, and Drama (Detroit Public Library) and Marcus Bruce Christian, Louisiana Librarian.

Sources: Laitner, Bill. "Clara Stanton Jones: First Woman, First African American to Lead Detroit Library." Detroit Free Press (Online). Detroit Free Press, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. ; Goldberg, Beverly. "Library Mentor and Pioneer Clara Stanton Jones Dies." Inside Scoop: News and Views from Inside ALA.  American Library Association, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. ; "Clara Stanton Jones: Significant Figure in Librarianship and Her Husband Honored with Scholarship." SI@umich 32 (2007):1, 5. Print. ; Schwartz, Meredith. "Obituary: Clara Stanton Jones, Detroit Director and ALA President."  Library Journal (Online). Library Journal, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. ; Wheeler, Maurice. "Remembering Clara Stanton Jones: Backtalk." Library Journal (Online). Library Journal, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2013.

Update 05/04/2013:

Today, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the results of its 2013 election. The winning candidate for the office of ALA president is Courtney Young. When she takes office, Ms. Young will be the fifth African American to serve as president of ALA. Her term as president will be 2014-2015.
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Sources: Kempf, JoAnne. "Young Wins ALA Presidency." ALA News. American Library Association, 3 May 2013. Web. 3 May 2013. ; "ALA Election Results: Young Wins President, Gonzalez Treasurer;  Dues Measure Passes by Wide Margin." INFOdocket. INFOdocket.com, 3 May 2013. Web. 3 May 2013. ; Borman, Laurie. "Young Wins 2014-2015 ALA Presidency." Inside Scoop. American Library Association, 3 May 2013. Web. 3 May 2013.

Update 10/06/2014:
 
On September 30, 2014, Tom Joyner's BlackAmerica Web featured an article by D.L. Chandler in its "Little Known Black History Fact" column on Clara Stanton Jones. To view, click on the following link:

http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/09/30/little-known-black-history-fact-clara-stanton-jones/2


Thursday, January 19, 2012

ALA History: 1928 Annual Conference of the American Library Association, West Baden, Indiana

The 1928 Annual Conference of the American Library Association was held May 27-June 2, 1928 in West Baden, Indiana at the West Baden Springs Hotel. Several notable African American librarians were attendance:

Etka F. Braboy Gaskin (Gary Public Library, Gary, Indiana)

Lillian Sunshine Haydon Childress Hall (Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Hallie Beachem Brooks (Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Othella Roberts (Evansville Public Library, Evansville, Indiana)

Elnora McIntyre Roy (Atlantic City Public Library, Atlantic City, New Jersey)

Rebecca M. Bond (Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois)

Edward C. Williams (Howard University, Washington, D.C.)

Rev. Thomas Fountain Blue (Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, Kentucky)

Rachel Davis Harris (Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, Kentucky)

Sources: "West Baden, Ind." Indianapolis Recorder 9 June 1928: 7. Print. ; Fiftieth Annual Meeting Advanced Attendance Register, May 27-June 2, 1928, West Baden, Indiana. [Chicago]: American Library Association, 1928: 4, 14. Print. ; "Annual Conference, 1920-1929." Past Annual Conferences, 1876-Present. American Library Association, 2012. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. ; "West Baden Conference May 28 to June 2." Library Occurrent 8.7 (1928): 255-256. Print. ; ALA Travel Committee. "ALA Conference 1928, West Baden, Indiana, May 28-June 2." Bulletin of the American Library Association 22.3 (1928): 46-50. Print.

*Update 06/24/2012:

 African Americans were not allowed to stay at the West Baden Springs Hotel because of the segregation laws of the time. The only hotel available for African American travelers was the Waddy Hotel and Spa. Built in 1913, the Waddy Hotel was owned and operated by George and Nannie Waddy, a prominent African American couple who resided in the town. There's also the possibility that African American conference attendees stayed in the homes of African Americans families in West Baden. This was a common practice during the Jim Crow Era. You can learn more about the Waddy Hotel and Spa from the following sources:

"Waddy Hotel." The Negro Motorist's Green Book. New York, NY: Victor H. Green & Co., 1949. 29. Print.

Lane, Laura. "The Waddy Hotel: Hotel Popular Resort for Blacks." Herald Times (Bloomington, Indiana). 28 July 1991: A1, A12.

Foster, Mark S. "In the Face of 'Jim Crow': Prosperous Blacks and Vacation, Travel and Outdoor Leisure, 1890-1945." Journal of Negro History. 84.2 (1999): 139. Print.

*Update 08/07/2012:

You can view a picture postcard of the Waddy Hotel at the CardCow.com website:

http://www.cardcow.com/34410/hotel-waddy-west-baden-springs-indiana/

*Update 12/16/2012:

  The following article on the 1928 ALA Annual Conference was recently published in Indiana Libraries:

Preer, Jean and Lydia Spotts. "Meeting under the Dome: The ALA Holds its 1928 Conference in West Baden." Indiana Libraries. 31.2 (2012): 11-16. Print.

*Update 12/23/2012:

  See related post: ALA History: 1936 Meeting in Richmond, Virginia

*Update 04/18/2014:

I wrote an article on one of the conference attendees, Lillian Haydon Childress Hall (1899-1958). The article was published in the latest issue of Indiana Libraries (v. 33, no. 1). Click on the link below to access:

Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print.

*Update 05/27/2023:

 I created a bibliography of additional sources and facts relating to the 1928 ALA Annual Conference:



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Henry Proctor Slaughter: Compositor for the United States Government Printing Office, Bibliophile, Collector, and Newspaper Editor

Henry Proctor Slaughter (1871-1958), a native of Louisville, Kentucky and a graduate of Howard University, was a collector of materials on African American history. Mr. Slaughter was a friend and colleague of Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, another well-known collector of African American history materials. He and Schomburg were the editors of the Odd Fellows Journal. Mr. Slaughter also once served as editor for the Lexington Standard. In addition, Mr. Slaughter worked for the United States Government Printing Office where he served as compositor from 1896 until 1937. Henry Proctor Slaughter passed away in 1958. Slaughter's collection is housed at Clark-Atlanta University's Woodruff Library. The collection was acquired by the university in 1946.

See related posts: Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, 1874-1938: Noted Bibliophile, Collector, Curator, and Scholar ; William Henry Smith: Librarian for the U.S. House of Representatives, 1881-1891 ; and John F.N. Wilkinson and the Law Library of Congress.

Sources: 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. 21. Print. ; Sinnette, Elinor D. V. Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, Black Bibliophile & Collector: A Biography. New York: New York Public Library, 1989. 3, 63, 67-68, 73-74, 80-82, 94, 154, 184, 190, 192, 214. Print. ; Black Bibliophiles and Collectors: Preservers of Black History. Ed. Elinor D. V. Sinnette, W. Paul Coates, and Thomas C. Battle. Washington, D.C.: Howard UP, 1990. 8, 10-12, 84-87, 209. Print. ; Garner, Carla W. "Slaughter, Henry Proctor (1871-1957)." BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. ; Owens, Irene. "Stories Told But Unfinished: Challenges Facing African American Libraries and Special Collections in Historically Black Colleges and Universities." Diversity Now: People, Collections, and Services in Academic Libraries. Ed. Teresa Y.Neely and Kuang-Hwei (Janet) Lee-Smeltzer. Binghamton: Haworth Information P, 2011. 167. Print. ; "Slaughter, Henry Proctor." Encyclopedia of Louisville. Ed. John E. Kleber. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 2001. 824-825. Print. ; Britton, Helen H. "Dorothy Porter Wesley: Bibliographer, Curator, and Scholar." Reclaiming the American Library Past: Writing the Women In. Ed. Suzanne Hildenbrand. Norwood: Ablex, 1996. 173. Print. ; Jefferson, Julius C. “The Black Male Librarian: An Endangered Species.” The National Diversity in Libraries Conference. Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville, KY. 3 Oct. 2008. Pdf.
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Saturday, January 7, 2012

Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, 1874-1938: Noted Bibliophile, Collector, Curator,and Scholar

Arthur Alfonso Schomburg (also known as Arturo Alfonso Schomburg), a native of Puerto Rico, was a noted bibliophile and scholar of African and African American history. Mr. Schomburg devoted his life, time, and energy in acquiring and archiving materials relating to the history and culture of people of African descent. In 1926, Mr. Schomburg sold his collection to the New York Public Library. Mr. Schomburg served as curator of the collection, which the New York Public Library housed at its 135th Street Branch. Schomburg also worked at Fisk University where he was instrumental in building the library's Negro history collection. Mr. Schomburg was a member of the Prince Hall Mason Lodge and the Negro Society for Historical Research. In addition, he was the president of the American Negro Academy, a co-founder of the Negro Book Collectors Exchange, and chairman of the Negro Library Association's research committee. Mr. Schomburg passed away in 1938. Schomburg's collection is still housed at the 135th Street Branch, which is now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

See related posts: John Edward Bruce: Ex-Slave, Bibliophile, Historian, and Journalist ; Henry Proctor Slaughter: Compositor for the U.S. Government Printing Office, Bibliophile, Collector, and Newspaer Editor ; The Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center (MCL) ; and The E. Azalia Hackley Collection of Negro Music, Dance, and Drama (Detroit Public Library).


Sources: Sinnette, Elinor D.V. Arthur Alfonso Schomburg, Black Bibliophile & Collector: A Biography. New York: New York Public Library, 1989. Print. ; Black Bibliophiles and Collectors: Preservers of Black History. Ed. Elinor D.V. Sinnette, W. Paul Coates, and Thomas C. Battle. Washington, D.C.: Howard UP, 1990, 10, 28-29, 33-45, 48, 62, 109, 210. Print. ; Cooper, Glendora Johnson. "African American Historical Continuity: Jean Blackwell Hutson and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture." Reclaiming the American Library Past: Writing the Women In. Ed. Suzanne Hildenbrand. Norwood: Ablex, 1996. 27-51. Print. ; "Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture." New York Public Library. New York Public Library, 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. ; "Schomburg Center Celebrates 75th Anniversary." Ebony 56.1 (2000): 144-146, 148, 150. Print. ;  "Schomburg Center: Harlem's Gold Mine of Black Research Material." Ebony 37.11 (1982): 62-63, 66. Print. ; "Black History Prophets and Custodians: Handful of Men and Women Created Foundations of Saga of Persistence and Creativity." Ebony 50.4 (1995): 90. Print. ; "Schomburg's Ailing Collection." Ebony 22.12 (1967): 60. Print. ; Dodson, Howard. "The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library." Library Quarterly 58.1 (1988): 74-82. Print. Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 5-6, 20-21, 40, 236, 243, 245, 260. Print. ; Lee, Felicia R. "Harlem Center's Director to Retire in Early 2011." New York Times 19 Apr. 2010: C1. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. ; "IU Historian Named Director of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture." Indiana University News Room 19 Nov. 2010: n.pag. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. ; Copage, Eric V. "The Race to Save Black History: As Art Collections Deteriorate, Preservationists Struggle to Save Our Culture." Ebony 58.4 (2008): 122. Print. ; Des Jardins, Julie. "Black Librarians and the Search for Women's Biography during the New Negro History Movement." OAH Magazine of History 20.1 (2006): 15-17. Print. ; Patton, Stacey. "Guarding the Schomburg's Rich Fabled Legacy: Khalil Muhammad Becomes the First Scholar to Run the Schomburg Center." Crisis 118.1 (2011): 30-31. Print. ; Diouf, Sylviane Anna. "Schomburg, Arturo Alfonso (1874-1938)." BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. ; Jefferson, Julius C. “The Black Male Librarian: An Endangered Species.” The National Diversity in Libraries Conference. Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville, KY. 3 Oct. 2008. Pdf.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Doris Hargrett Clack: Noted Cataloger, Professor, and Author

Doris Hargrett Clack, a noted cataloger, was once a professor of library science at Florida State University. She also was a cataloger at Florida A&M University. Ms. Clack received her library education at the University of Michigan and at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition, Ms. Clack was the author of several books, including An Illustrative Manual for Use with AACR2; Authority Control: Principles, Applications, and Instructions; and Black Literature Resources: Analysis and Organization. She passed away in 1995.

Sources: Reason, Joseph H. "Black Librarians in Florida." The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 30. Print. ; Dawson, Alma. "Celebrating African American Librarians and Librarianship." Library Trends 49.1 (2000): 56. Print. ; Wilkes, Adeline W. "Doris Hargrett Clack, 1928-1995: Called to Teach." Cataloging and Classification Quarterly 25.2-3 (1998): 111-125. Print. ; Shockley, Ann Allen. "Librarians, Archivists, and Writers: A Personal Perspective." The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Ed. E.J. Josey. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1994. 322. Print. ; Tallman, Karen. "Doris Hargrett Clack: Not Subject to Classification." American Libraries 9.8 (1978): 467. Print. ; Stone, Alva T. " Doris Hargrett Clack, 1928-1995: Educator, Gentle Activist, and Mentor." Library Resources & Technical Services 40.2 (1996): 197-200.Print.