The 51st Library of Camp Montford Point (Jacksonville, North Carolina )

The 51st Library of Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina was a library that served the African American Marines that were stationed at the base during World War II. In the 1940s, Martha Darwin Roney Leathers, a 1935 graduate of the Hampton Institute Library School, was hired as an assistant librarian for the library (she once served as  the branch librarian for the Cherry Street Branch of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library in Evansville, Indiana). The camp was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in 1974.

Sources: "Montford Point Library, 1945 - Marines Make Good Use of the Library after Routine Duty Hours (Photo)." Montford Point Marines, 1942-1949 - Images. Library of the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. ; "51st Library - Montford Point Marines - Camp Life (Photo)." Montford Point Marines Loyalty and Service in the Face of Prejudice and Discrimination. Randall Library, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. ; Grant, George, comp. "Roney, Marth D." The Directory of Ethnic Professionals in LIS. Winter Park: Four-G Publishers, 1991. 194. Print. ; A Directory of Negro Graduates of Accredited Library Schools, 1900-1936. Washington, D.C.: Columbia Civic Library Association, 1937. 20. Print. ; "Mrs. Leathers Becomes Top Black Administrator." Indianapolis Recorder 20 Mar. 1971: 3. Print. ; Tuohy, John. "Pioneering Marines Get Their Badge of Courage." Indianapolis Star 25 Oct. 2011: n.pag. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. ; An Act to Grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 2011. Print.

Update 05/14/2012:

You can learn more about the story of the Montord Point Marines at:

http://www.lifeasamarine.com/marines/story/bhm-montford-point

Update 07/30/2012:

   On November 23, 2011, the United States Congress approved an act to grant the Montford Point Marines the Congressional Gold Medal:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-112publ59/pdf/PLAW-112publ59.pdf

Update 08/12/2012:

   The Montford Point Marines are briefly mentioned in the article below:

Meadows, Bob and Kelsie Bonaparte. "10 Things We're Talking About." Essence 43.5 (2012): 94. Print.