Bertha Pleasant Williams (1923-2008) and the Union Street Library, Montgomery, Alabama

Bertha Pleasant Williams was Montgomery, Alabama's first African American librarian. Ms. Williams was born on Friday, June 29, 1923 in Montgomery, Alabama to Reuben P. and Mary Green Pleasant.  She was a 1943 graduate of Alabama State University where she earned a bachelor of library science degree (BLS) and a 1946 graduate of Atlanta University (Clark-Atlanta University) where she earned her Master of Library Science (MLS). Previously, Ms. Williams had tried to attend the library science program at the University of Alabama but was refused admission because she was African American. In 1950, she married Robert H. Williams.

Library service in Montgomery, Alabama began with the Montgomery Library Association, a small subscription library above a drugstore on Dexter Avenue in 1899. In 1904, with funds from the Carnegie Endowment (founded by businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie) the Carnegie Library of Montgomery, Alabama was built (later called the Montgomery City-County Public Library). However, library services were not extended to Montgomery's African American community. This changed in June 1947, when the Montgomery Negro Ministerial Association met to formulate plans to establish a library branch for the African American community. At the meeting, a task force, the Friends of the Library Association, was created and charged with making the library branch a reality. Members of the task force included:

Rev. Ralph A. Daley
Zenovia Johnson
Alice Martin
M. L. Pace
Dr. V. E. Daniel

A building was found on 409 South Union Street and was renovated for housing the library. The building was provided by the Sojourner Truth Club, an African American women's club. The name chosen for the library branch was the Union Street Library. Through the encouragement of library science professor  Dr. Virginia Lacey Jones, Bertha Pleasant Williams applied for and accepted the position as librarian for the newly created library.

The Union Street Library opened for service on December 8, 1948. Ms. Williams was determined to provide patrons with the best service and resources possible. She promoted the library and it services on the local African American radio station and in the local African American newspaper. She worked closely with the city's African American teachers to promote reading in the classroom and loaned books for the schools to use. Williams also established deposit stations, authorized locations to lend library books for patrons to use. Williams had help from people in the community -- some would help transport books to patrons since the city refused to fund bookmobile service for African Americans; others would contribute funds in support of the library.

As time went by, the Union Street Library outgrew its space and needed to expand. In 1960, a new location for the library was secured and it was renamed the Cleveland Avenue Branch.  In 1963, the entire library system of the Montgomery City-County Public Library was integrated. The Cleveland Avenue Branch was later renamed the Rosa Parks Avenue Branch. The branch was renamed again in 2012 as the Bertha Pleasant Williams Library at the Rosa L. Parks Avenue Branch.

Ms. Williams later worked at the library at Alabama State University. She was employed at the university for 14 years, 7 of which she served as head of the university's rare book collection and archives.

Bertha Pleasant Williams passed way on Monday, November 24, 2008 at the age of 85.  Her funeral was held at the Dexter King Memorial Baptist Church, in Montgomery, Alabama.  In 2012, a historic marker commemorating her work with libraries was placed at the Bertha Pleasant Williams Library at the Rosa Parks L. Avenue Branch.


Sources: Graham, Patterson Toby. A Right to Read: Segregation and Civil Rights in Alabama's Public Libraries, 1900-1965. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2006. 56-62, 68, 75-80. Print. ; Battles, David M. The History of Public Library Access for African Americans in the South, or Leaving Behind the Plow. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009. 94, 126. Print. ; Knott, Cheryl. Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow. U of Massachusetts P, 2015. 28, 143, 262. Print. ; Wiegand, Wayne A. and Shirley A. Wiegand. The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South: Civil Rights and Local Activism.  LSU P, 2018. 51-53., 118-125. Print. ;  Robinson, Carrie C. "Alabama Association of School Librarians." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 51. Print. ; Blumenstein, Lynn. "Bertha Pleasant Williams Dies." Library Journal.com,  Library Journal, 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 30 May 2020. ; Edwards, Brian. "Montgomery Officials Honor Recognition of Bertha Williams Library with Unveiling of Historic Marker." Montgomery Advertiser, USA Today Network, 28 June 2019. Web. 30 May 2020. ; "Council Reaches Compromise over the Renaming of Rosa Parks Library." WFAS.com, WFAS12 News, 18 July 2012. Web. 30 May 2020. ; "Bertha Pleasant Williams." Legacy.com, Legacy, 28 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 May 2020.

Three Notable Figures in Librarianship in Jamaica

Daphne Rowena Douglas

Daphne Rowena Douglas (1924- ) was head of the University of the West Indies' Library Science Program 1976-1980, and again from 1982-1993. She received the Institute of Jamaica's Centenary Medal for Meritorious Service in the Field of Librarianship and Library in 1979. Ms. Douglas is a 1974 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh's library science program.

Sources: "Biographies of Jamaican Personalities: Daphne Douglas." National Library of Jamaica. National Library of Jamaica, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2010. ; "Professor Daphne Rowena Douglas." Douglas Archives. Douglas Archives, 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2010.

Kenneth Everard Niven Ingram

Kenneth Everard Niven Ingram (1921-2007) was one of  the earliest known black professional librarians in Jamaica. He was the University Librarian at the University College of the West Indies for ten years and helped found the Jamaica Library Association. Also, Mr. Ingram received the Gold Musgrave Medal for his contributions to library services and was president of the Association of Caribbean Universities, Research and Institutional Libraries. Mr. Ingram passed away in 2007.

Sources: "Biographies of Jamaican Personalities: Kenneth Everard Niven Ingram." National Library of Jamaica. National Library of Jamaica, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. ; "Kenneth Everard Niven Ingram, OD, DLitt, MPhil, FLA, BA." University of the West Indies at Mona. University of the West Indies at Mona, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. ; Dunn, Pat and Mordecai, Pamela. " Ingram, Kenneth Everard Niven." Encyclopedia of Latin and Caribbean Literature. Ed. Daniel Balderston and Mike Gonzalez. New York: Routledge, 2004. 276. Print.

Dorothy G. Williams Collings

Dorothy G. Williams Collings (1911-1991) helped found the library science program at the University of the West Indies. Ms. Collings, whose parents were Jamaican, was also a librarian at the New York Public Library and an instructor at the library school at Columbia University. She also worked at Atlanta University, UNESCO, and Fisk University. Ms. Collings received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1947.

Sources: Jackson, William Vernon. "The Pioneers: Dorothy G. Collings (1911-1991)." World Libraries 11.1-2 (2001):n.pag. Dominican Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 2001. Web. 8 Dec. 2010.; "Dorothy Collings: Tribute from the Library Association of Guyana." University of the West Indies at Mona, Library & Information Studies. University of the West Indies at Mona, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. ; Jordan, Casper Leroy. "Georgia Peaches and Cream: Afro-American Librarians in the State of Georgia."  Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Durham: NCCU School of Library Service, 1980. 34 . Print. ; Cooper, Glendora Johnson. "African American Historical Continuity: Jean Blackwell Huston and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture." Reclaiming the American Library Past: Writing the Women In. Ed. Suzanne Hildenbrand. Norwood: Ablex, 1996. 38. Print.

African and African American Presidents of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

Robert Wedgeworth, IFLA President 1991-1997

Sources:"IFLA Presidents." IFLA.org. IFLA, 1 Apr. 2019. Web. 15 Sept. 2019.; Wilhite, Jeffrey M. 85 Years IFLA: A History and Chronology of Sessions 1927-2012. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012.72, 77,269, 273, 283. Print. ; "Voice of 3,000 Librarian: Robert Wedgeworth, Executive Director of American Library Association Seeks to Make Librarians Visibile." Ebony 28.8 (1973): 107-108, 110-112. Print. ; "Arts and Letters." Ebony 28.3 (1973): 39. Print. ; Tate, Thelma H. "African Americans in International Librarianship." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 615, 618-619. Print. ; Dawson, Alma. "Celebrating African American Librarians and Librarianship." Library Trends 49.1 (2000): 61. Print. ; "Wedgeworth Named Dean of N.Y. Library School." Jet 68.21 (1985): 34. Print. ; "American Library Assn. Names Black Executive." Jet 42.4 (1972): 25. Print. ; "Lerome J. Bennett Unveils 'Wade in the Water' ." Jet 57.5 (1979): 55. Print. ; "People." Jet 22.25 (1962): 45. Print. ; "The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. Celebrates 40 Years." Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. Newsletter 39.2 (2010): 4. Print.

Kay Raseroka, IFLA President 2003-2005

Sources: "IFLA Presidents." IFLA.org. IFLA, 1 Apr. 2019. Web. 15 Sept. 2019. ; Raseroka, Kay. "'Not in My Wildest Dreams': IFLA Journal Interviews Kay Raseroka." IFLA Journal 29.3 (2003): 205-208. PDF. ; Byrne, Alex. "Kay Raseroka, IFLA President 2003-2005." IFLA Journal 31.4 (2005): 355-356. PDF. ; Raseroka, Kay. "Reports to Council in Oslo: President's Report." IFLA Journal 31.4 (2005): 350-354. PDF. ; Wilhite, Jeffrey M. 85 Years IFLA: A History and Chronology of Sessions 1927-2012. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012.78-79, 304, 307, 314. Print. ; Shimmon, Ross. Kay Raseroka Wins Presidential Election. The Hague, Netherlands: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2001.PDF. ; Raseroka, H. Kay. "Seizing the Moment: Issues and Opportunities towards the Creation of an Information Society." IFLA Journal 27.5-6 (2001): 322-327. PDF.

Ellen Tise, IFLA President 2009-2011

Sources: "IFLA Presidents." IFLA.org. IFLA, 1 Apr. 2019. Web. 15 Sept. 2019.; "Newsmaker: Ellen Tise." American Libraries 41.10 (Oct. 2010): 31. Print. ; "Gates Foundation Contributes $1.5 Million to IFLA Advocacy." American Libraries. ALA,  25 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2019; Carlton, Amy. "IFLA President's Program Reunites Leaders: Past Presidents Take to the Stage to Talk Change." American Libraries. ALA, 26 Aug. 2018. Web. 15 Sept. 2019; Tise, Ellen R. and Raju, Reggie. "African Librarianship: A Relic, a Fallacy, or an Imperative?" Library Trends 64.1 (2015):3-18. Print. ; Tise, Ellen R. "Strategies by LIASA to Develop Library Services and the Profession in Africa." Information Development 20.1 (2004): 36-42. PDF. ; "South Africa's Libraries Highlighted at LC Talk for African American Month." Capital Librarian 1.6-7 (Jan./Feb. 2008): 10. PDF. ; Tise, Ellen R. "Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge (A2K)." Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge. Ed. Jesus Lau, Anna Maria Tammaro, and Theo J. D. Bothma. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012. 17-34.Print. ; Wilhite, Jeffrey M. 85 Years IFLA: A History and Chronology of Sessions 1927-2012. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012.79-80, 88, 326, 330. Print.

Some Early Librarians of Roosevelt High School, Gary, Indiana

Built in 1930, the Theodore Roosevelt High School of Gary, Indiana (now Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy) was established to educate the city's African American students. Some of the early librarians employed at the school: 

1931-1934 -- Wilhemina Turner was hired as a librarian at the Theodore Roosevelt High School where she worked until 1934. After receiving her library science degree in 1935, Turner became an assistant librarian at the Du Sable High School in Chicago, Illinois. 

1935-1936  -- Hortense Houston Young, was hired in 1935. A 1934 graduate of the University of Illinois Library School, Young remained at Roosevelt High School until 1936 when she became an assistant librarian at the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes (now Simmons College of Kentucky; Eliza Atkins Gleason and her sister, Ollie Atkins Carpenter once worked at the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes; Eliza became the first African American to earn a PhD in library science). 


1935-1937? -- Marjorie Adelle Blackistone Bradfield began working at Roosevelt High School (at that time she was Marjorie Blackistone). A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Bradfield was the daughter of John Roger and Lucy Comfort Winston Blackistone. Bradfield was a 1935 graduate of the Columbia University School of Library Service (the school closed in 1992) and also attended the University of Michigan.  

In 1937, she became the first African American librarian hired by the Detroit Public Library in Detroit, Michigan. On June 29, 1938, she married Horace F. Bradfield.  Ms. Bradfield remained at the Detroit Public Library until 1968, when she left to accept a position as a school librarian for the Detroit Public Schools. 

In 1970, Ms. Bradfield was instrumental in the appointment of Clara Stanton Jones as the Detroit Public Library’s first African American female director (Ms. Jones would later serve as the first African American president of the American Library Association, 1976-1977). Also, in July 1970, Ms. Bradfield participated in a panel discussion, “Black History in Libraries”, given by the History Section of the American Library Association (now the Library History Round Table) at the 89th American Library Association Annual Conference held in Detroit.

Ms. Bradfield remained at the Detroit Public Schools until 1980. She passed away on November 19, 1999 at the age of 88.

Sources: A Directory of Negro Graduates of Accredited Library Schools, 1900-1936.  Washington: Columbia Civic Library Association, 1937. 7, 22, 25. Print. ; Jones, Reinette F. Library Service to African American in Kentucky: From the Reconstruction Era to the 1960s. Jefferson: McFarland, 2002. 91, 103, 126, 163. Print. ; Spradling, Mary Mace. “Black Librarians in Kentucky.” The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 50. Print. ; Audi, Tamara. "Marjorie Bradfield: Put Black History into Library." Detroit Free Press 20 Nov. 1999: 123. Print. ; "Marjorie A. Blackistone and Horace Ferguson Bradfield Papers: 1931-1978." Bentley Historical Library. University of Michigan. May 2017. Web. 23 Feb. 2019. ; Taliaferro, Trudy Bradfield. "Special Guest Column: Benjamin Brown, Buffalo Soldier, Family Hero." AAGSNC.org. African American Genealogical Society of Northern California. 2000. Web. 23 Feb. 2019.

F. Blanche Foster (1918-1988): Librarian, Teacher, and Author

F. Blanche Foster (1918-1988), a writer of travel books for middle school students, served as a school librarian for South Vigo High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. A native of Tennessee, Ms. Foster was a graduate of Wiley High School in Terre Haute, Indiana (the school was merged with Honey Creek High School in the early 1970s to form South Vigo High School). She received her library science degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and was a school librarian in Detroit before returning to Terre Haute, Indiana.

On April 17, 1977, Ms. Foster, along with five other local authors, was honored by the Friends of the Indiana State University Cunningham Memorial Library at a reception held at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In 1979, Ms. Foster donated from her personal collection, four first edition volumes of the works of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar to the Vigo County Public Library.

She passed away in February 1988 at the age of 69 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Her books:

Kenya. New York: Watts, 1969.

Dahomey. New York: F. Watts, 1971.

The West Indies: A Conceptual View. New York: Carlton, 1976.

East Central Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. New York: Watts, 1981.

Sources: "F. Blanche Foster." Indiana Odyssey: Celebrating Local African American Authors. Vigo County Public Library, Feb. 2000. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. ; Davis, Bettie. "Terre Haute News." Indianapolis Recorder 3 Mar. 1979: 14. Print. ; Clark, Dorothy J. "Patrons Preview Set for YWCA Yule Bazaar." Terre Haute Tribune (Terre Haute, Ind.) 23 Nov. 1975: 65. Print. ; "Plan Reception to Honor Six Local Authors." Terre Haute Tribune (Terre Haute, Ind.) 7 Apr. 1977: 11. Print. ; "ISU to Fete Local Authors." Terre Haute Tribune (Terre Haute, Ind.) 16 Apr. 1977: 3. Print. ; "Local Authors Honored by Friends Group (Photo)". Terre Haute Tribune (Terre Haute, Ind.) 20 Apr. 1977: 12. Print. ; "Carole Jones Memorial Speaker." Terre Haute Tribune (Terre Haute, Ind.) 21 Apr. 1977: 9. Print. ; "An Afternoon of Black Art (Photo)." Indianapolis Recorder 12 Oct. 1974: 4. Print. ; "Newlyweds at the Webbs." Indianapolis Recorder 6 Oct. 1979: 7. Print. ; Davis, Bettie. "Terre Haute News." Indianapolis Recorder 3 Mar. 1979: 14. Print. ; "Indiana Black Assembly Endorses Hatcher Plan to Form New Group." Indianapolis Recorder 16 Aug. 1975: 1, 13. Print. ; "Deaths."  Indianapolis Star 16 Feb. 1988: 32. Print.

Dr. Daniel Thomas Williams (1932-2010): University Archivist for Tuskegee University

Dr. Daniel Thomas Williams (1932-2010), was the University Archivist at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama from 1968-1999. A native of Miami, Florida, Dr. Williams was the son of Willie Mae and Daniel T. Williams, Sr.

Dr. Williams completed his undergraduate education in 1956 at West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) in Institute, West Virginia. In 1957, Dr. Williams received his M.L.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was hired the same year by Tuskegee where he worked first as a serials librarian, then as director of the university's professional libraries, and finally, in 1968 as the university's archivist. In 1969,  Dr. Williams received a certificate in archival administration from American University.

Dr. Williams was part of the U.S. Delegation of the World Congress on Archives which met in Moscow, Russia in 1972. Dr. Williams further his education at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama where he earned his PhD. in Education in 1987.

In 1989, Dr. Williams was honored by the Academy of Certified Archivists and named a fellow by the Society of American Archivists in 1992. He was also the curator for Tuskegee's Daniel James Memorial Hall.

In 1994 and again in 1997, Dr. Williams discussed Tuskegee University's history on C-SPAN2. Video recordings of both sessions are available at:

Dan Williams, Archivist, Tuskegee University
https://www.c-span.org/person/?danwilliams

Dr. Williams remained at Tuskegee University until his retirement in 1999. He passed away on June 24, 2010 in Hollywood, Florida.



Sources: Shockley, Ann Allen. "Librarians, Archivists, and Writers: A Personal Perspective." The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Ed. E.J. Josey. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1994. 320, 322. Print. ; "Former TU Archivist Dr. Daniel Williams Dies." The Tuskegee News (Online Edition) 8 July 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. ; The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library of Science, 1980. 24, 29, 192-193. Print. ; Fields, Dorothy Jenkins. "Remembering Two Colleagues Who Made History." Miami Herald 24 Feb. 2011. Web, 27 Feb 2011. ; "Dan Williams - SAA Fellow." African-American and Third World Archivists Roundtable Newsletter 6.2 (1992): 1, 4. Print. ; "Another Honor for the Peanut Man: Botanist George Washington Carver Named to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans." Ebony 32.9 (1977): 103. Print. ; "People." Jet 83.2 (1992): 20. Print.

Andrew Venable, Jr. (1944-2016): First African American Director of the Cleveland Public Library

Andrew Venable, Jr., a native of Staunton, Virginia, was the first African American director of the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born on November 11, 1944 to Andrew and Catherine Venable. Andrew Venable, Jr. was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School (now Booker T. Washington Community Center) in Staunton, Virginia; a graduate of Virginia State University (formerly Virginia State College) in Petersburg, Virginia; and a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Library Science (Note: In 1981 the library school's name was changed to the Matthew A. Baxter School of Information and Library Science; the library science program was in operation from 1903 until 1986).

Mr. Venable began his library career at the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio in 1970. He remained there for 13 years. In 1983, Mr. Venable left the Cleveland Public Library to become the director of the East Cleveland Public Library. He served there for five years. After leaving the East Cleveland Public Library, Mr. Venable served as the director of the Gary Public Library in Gary, Indiana from 1988 until 1992. After his tenure at the Gary Public Library, Mr. Venable became library director at the Ivy Tech Community College-Northwest Region (the college is also known as Ivy Tech). He served there from 1992 until 1993.

In 1993, Mr. Venable left Indiana and headed east to Washington, D.C. where he held the position of Deputy Director at the D.C. Public Library. Four years later, Mr. Venable returned to the place where he began his library career -- The Cleveland Public Library. He served as deputy director (1997-1999) and then director (1999-2008). He retired in 2008.

Andrew Venable, Jr. passed away on May 5, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Highlights of Andrew Venable Jr.'s Career:

First African American director of the Cleveland Public Library

Named Librarian of the Year by the Ohio Library Council in 2001

Instrumental in the creation of the Greater Access Library Card

Awarded the Key to the City of Cleveland in 2008

Credited with describing public libraries as "The Peoples' University"

Awarded an honorary doctorate from Cleveland State University in 2007

A member of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha


Sources: Oder, Norman. "Q & A with Cleveland's Andrew Venable." Libraryjournal.com. Library Journal. 15 May 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "Andrew Venable Appointed Director of CPL." PR Newswire.com. PR Newswire, 9 June 1999. Web. 20 Dec. 2010. ; Henson, Jane E. E. Libraries--Link to Learning. Final Report on the Indiana Governor's Conference on Libraries and Information Services (2nd, Indianapolis, Indiana, November 16-18, 1990). Indianapolis: State of Indiana, 1990. Print. ; Hanson, Debbie. "Andrew Venable: Leading the Peoples' University." ClevelandSeniors.com, N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "Reading Recruiter Gary Library Chief Hustles to Bring in Customers." Post-Tribune (Ind.) 18 Feb. 1990. Highbeam Research. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "City of Gary Says Farewell as Old Friend Tries Something New." Post-Tribune (Ind.) 6 Oct. 1993. Highbeam Research. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. ; "Venable Named Director of Cleveland Public Library." American Libraries. American Library Association, 14 June 1999. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. "Andrew Venable (1944-2016), Cleveland Library Director." Cleveland Public Library Archives. 9 May 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Kuehner, John C. "Andrew A. Venable Jr. Cleveland Public Library Leader Who Coined the Term 'The Peoples University': Black History Month." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Cleveland Public Library." Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. 23 Sept. 2004. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Marco, Guy A. "Cleveland Public Library." The American Public Library Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2012. 94. Print. ; "The Schools of CRWU." University Archives. Case Western Reserve University. 2009. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Mr. Andrew Venable, Jr. (Obituary)." efboyd.com. E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home and Crematory. 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Cleveland Public Library to Open Circulating eBook Collection." Independent Publisher (Online). Jenkins Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Rogers, Michael, and Norman Oder. "Venable Named Cleveland Director." Library Journal 124.12 (Jul. 1999): 18. Print. ; Gray, Lisa. "Balancing the Books: Budget Cuts Strike Deep at the D.C. Public Library." Washington City Paper (Washington, D.C.) 17 Feb . 1995. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Carnegie's Commemorative Grants to Urban Public Libraries." Carnegie.org. Carnegie Corporation of New York, 10 June 1999. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Albanese, Andrew Richard. "Culture Keepers: ALA's Black Caucus Continues to Make a Critical Difference in Library Services."  Libraryjournal.com. Library Journal. 15 Sept. 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2017.