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.

Poets and Libraries: Countee Cullen Visits the Indianapolis Public Library, 1927

Countee Cullen (1903-1946), a graduate of New York University and Harvard University, was a renowned African American poet, author, and playwright who achieved fame during the Harlem Renaissance. He was also a Guggenheim Fellow, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, an instructor of French, English, and creative writing at Frederic Douglass High School in the Bronx, New York; and wrote a column for Opportunity Magazine called "The Dark Tower". Cullen's first wife, Nina Yolande Du Bois, was the daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois; his second wife was Ida Mae Robertson.


On Saturday, February 26, 1927, Countee Cullen made a visit to the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana where a tea was held for him by the library's staff. Hallie Beachem Brooks (1907-1985), manager of the Dunbar Branch; and Lillian Haydon Childress Hall (1889-1958), head librarian at the Crispus Attucks Branch served as the program's hostesses. Other attendees present at the tea were Charles E. Rush, director of the Indianapolis Public Library; music teacher Lillian LeMon, singer Lucretia Mitchell, Ada Dodson, Lucille Armsted, Juanita Bobson, Dora Atkins, Murray Atkins, and Sophia Freeman. Attendees at the tea were treated to a poetry reading by Cullen.


Cullen had travelled to Indianapolis, Indiana at the invitation of the Senate Avenue YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association). The Senate Avenue YMCA was preparing its annual recital and wanted Cullen to give a poetry reading at the event. [Note: Founded in 1913, the Senate Avenue YMCA served the African American men and boys of Indianapolis. Madame C.J. Walker gave a gift of $1,000 to aide in the building's construction; Booker T. Washington attended the dedication ceremony].


The Senate Avenue YMCA's recital took place on Friday, February 25, 1927 at Caleb Mills Hall inside Shortridge High School. In addition to Countee Cullen, other performers at the recital included Walter M. Price, a baritone who studied under Oscar Seagel; and the Reginald DuValle Orchestra, also known as the "Ten Blackbirds" (the group's leader, Reginald DuValle worked with musician Hoagy Carmichael and was an alumni of Shortridge High School; DuValle also performed at the 1927 grand opening of the Madame Walker Theatre). [Note: YouTube has a video of Reginald DuValle's son, Reginald Jr. speaking about his father's work with Hoagy Carmichael: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-5ppnee7eU ].


Lillian Haydon Childress Hall of the Indianapolis Public Library; Lula Hoss of the All Souls Unitarian Church; Homer Borst of the Indianapolis Community Fund; the Kirshbaum Center; the  Kautz Stationary Company; the Senate Avenue YMCA Committee of Management along with Marimon Hansberry, Ada Dodson, Phyllis Waters, Daisy Payne, J.B. Coleman, J.K. Lilly, and Sue Artis successfully combined their efforts in selling as many tickets as possible to this historic event. [Note: Sue Artis was the wife of Lionel F. Artis. Lionel F. Artis was the assistant secretary of the Senate Avenue YMCA, served as an officer of the Indianapolis branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, served on the board of the Urban League of Indianapolis, worked with the Boy Scouts, and was a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Chicago. His papers are housed at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis, Indiana]


Before leaving town, Countee Cullen visited his friend Hale A. Woodruff (1900-1980), an African American painter and muralist famous for the murals "Amistad Mutiny". Woodruff studied under artist Diego Rivera (his wife was painter Frida Kahlo), attended the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis (now the Herron School of Art and Design), and once worked for the Senate Avenue YMCA. In addition, he taught art at Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University and New York University. Mr. Woodruff passed away in 1980 at the age of 80.


Sources: "Negro Poet to Read." Indianapolis News 12 Feb. 1927: 8. Print. ; "Gives Tea for Mr. Cullen." Indianapolis Recorder 5 Mar. 1927: 5 Print. ; Thompson, Aaron Belford. "Welcome to Countee Cullen." Indianapolis Recorder 26 Feb. 1927: 2. Print. ; "Cullen, Price, DuValle Orchestra Recital Promise Treat at Caleb Mills Hall." Indianapolis Recorder 19 Feb. 1927: 5. Print. ; "Author is to Speak at Monster Meeting." Indianapolis News 5 Feb 1927: 3 Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 7. Print. ; Molesworth, Charles. And Bid Him Sing: A Biography of Countee Cullen. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2012. 162-163. Print. ; "Countee Cullen." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 17 May 2015. ; "Wavelengths - Bits of Static." Indianapolis News 10 Feb. 1927: 16. Print. ; Williams, David Leander. Indianapolis Jazz: The Masters, Legends, and Legacy of Indiana Avenue. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2014. 27-29. Print. ; Bolden, C. Nickerson. Indiana Avenue: Entertainment Boulevard. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print. ; Bundles, A'Lelia. Madam Walker Theatre Center: An Indianapolis Treasure. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2013. Print. ; Warren, Stanley. "The Monster Meetings at the Negro YMCA in Indianapolis." Indiana Magazine of History 91.1 (1995): 57-80. Print. ; Burlock, Melissa Grace. "The Battle Over a Black YMCA and Its Inner-City Community: The Fall Creek Parkway YMCA As a Lens on Indianapolis' Urban Revitalization and School Desegregation, 1959-2003." MA thesis. Indiana University, 2014. PDF file. ; Jennings, Corrine. "Hale Woodruff: African-American Metaphor, Myth, and Allegory." A Shared Heritage: Art by Four African Americans. Ed. William E. Taylor and Harriet G. Warkel. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1996. 78. Print. ; Dunkley, Tina. "Hale Woodruff (1900-1980)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 6 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 May 2015. ; Yoon, Christina Jin. "Woodruff, Hale Aspacio (1900-1980)." BlackPast. BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. ; Davis, Donald F. "Hale Woodruff of Atlanta: Molder of Black Artists." Journal of Negro History 69.3-4 (1984):147-154. Print. ; Taylor, William E. "Woodruff, Hale Aspacio (Aug. 6, 1900-Sept. 6, 1980)." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Eds. David J. Bodenhamer and Roger G. Barrows. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1994. 1452. Print.; Taylor, William E. "Hardrick, John Wesley (1891-Oct. 18, 1968)." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Eds. David J. Bodenhamer and Roger G. Barrows. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1994. 660. Print. ; Pierce, Richard. "Little Progress 'Happens'": Faburn E. DeFrantz and the Indianapolis Senate Avenue YMCA." Indiana Magazine of History 108.2 (2012): 98-103. Print. ; Warren, Stanley. Senate Avenue YMCA: For African American Men and Boys, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1913-1959. Indianapolis: Donning, 2006. Print. ; "Lionel F. Artis Eulogized as Outstanding Leader in the Indianapolis Community." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Sept. 1971: 1, 15. Print. ; "Lionel Artis (Photo)." Indianapolis Recorder 4 Sept. 1971:1. Print. ; "Local Branch of N.A.A.C.P. Elects Officers." Indianapolis Recorder 7 Apr. 1928: 2. Print. ; "Governor Speaks to Y.M.C.A. Men." Indianapolis Recorder 20 Feb. 1926: 1. Print. ; "St. Philip's Episcopal Church." Indianapolis Recorder 18 Sept. 1915: 4. Print. ; "Indianapolis Business Association." Indianapolis Recorder 12 Mar. 1927: 3. Print. ; "Local N.A.A.C.P. Selects Committee for Conference." Indianapolis Recorder 12 Mar. 1927: 2. Print. ; "Y.M.C.A. Notes." Indianapolis Recorder 18 Sept. 1915: 4. Print. ; "Y.M.C.A." Indianapolis Recorder 15 Sept. 1911: 2. Print. ; "Twelfth Annual Lenton Tea to Be Given By Members of St. Monica's Guild." Indianapolis Recorder 6 Mar. 1937: 5. Print. ; "Simpson M.E. Will Observe Anniversary." Indianapolis Recorder 5 Nov. 1932: 3. Print. ; "Guidance Program for H.S. Seniors." Indianapolis Recorder 21 May 1932: 6. Print. ; "Kappas Will Give Prom Soon." Indianapolis Recorder 21 May 1932: 6. Print. ; "Lockefield Rents on Same Level as Slum Houses." Indianapolis Recorder 15 May 1937: 1.Print. ; Skeleton, Robert E. "Donations Received for Drum and Bugle Corps." Indianapolis Recorder 6 Mar. 1936. 5. Print.

The Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN): Empowering Indiana's African American Librarians and Paraprofessionals

An affiliate chapter of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN) was officially organized on October 13, 2001 at the Black Culture Center Library of Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is the first library association in Indiana created for African Americans. The purpose of the Indiana Black Librarians Network is “to provide an opportunity for black librarians to exchange and share ideas, collaborate on library-related projects, promote professional development activities, sponsor scholarship initiatives, serve as a network for the sharing of information between librarians and paraprofessionals throughout the State of Indiana, and to establish channels of communication between black librarians and paraprofessionals statewide.” 

In the summer of 2005, the Indiana Black Librarians Network launched its website.  It also launched its listserv. The Indiana Black Librarians Network gave its first conference presentation at the 2008 Indiana Library Federation (ILF) Conference in Indianapolis on November 19, 2008. The title of the presentation was “Always Here: History of Blacks in Librarianship in Indiana.”  Also, in 2008, the Indiana Black Librarians Network became one of several supporting organizations for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) -funded Indiana Librarians Leading Diversity Fellowship Program (I-LLID). This fellowship program was established to educate and recruit minorities into the library and information science profession in Indiana. Several members of the Indiana Black Librarians Network signed on to serve as mentors for the students in the program.

By the fall of 2009, the Indiana Black Librarians Network had a Facebook page, a Twitter page, and a group blog on Black Librarian Nation, a social networking site founded by Marcellaus Joiner in 2008 for African American librarians.  On October 14-15, 2011, the Indiana Black Librarians Network celebrated its tenth anniversary. The celebration was held at the Black Culture Center Library on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana --- the place where the Indiana Black Librarians Network was organized and held its first meeting. Roland Parrish, a Purdue alumnus and CEO/owner of Parrish McDonald’s Ltd., was the keynote speaker. A year earlier, Parrish gave a gift of $2 million to Purdue University’s Management and Economic Library (the library was re-named the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics – the first library on the Purdue campus to be named for an African American). Other speakers included Jos Holman (BCALA President, 2010-2012) and Pamela Goodes (associate editor for American Libraries Magazine).

In April 0f 2013, the Indiana Black Librarians Network held a meet-n-greet reception for African American attendees of the 2013 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference (held in Indianapolis). The reception was held at the Crispus Attucks Museum on the campus of Crispus Attucks High School. The program was informal, allowing attendees to network and meet other library professionals from across the country. Light refreshments were served. The reception was such a success that IBLN decided to plan one for the 2014 Public Library Association Conference (PLA).

In March of 2014, IBLN held a meet-n-greet at the Indiana State Library for African American librarians who were in town for the 2014 Public Library Association (PLA) Conference. The program was informal, allowing attendees to network and meet other library professionals from across the country. Light refreshments were served. Like the previous meet-n-greet, this one was also a success.

On Sunday, June 29, 2014, at the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Membership Meeting and Literary Awards Program held during the 2014 American Library Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Indiana Black Librarians Network received the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Affiliate Chapter of the Year Award (the New York Black Librarians Caucus was the co-recipient).

As the Indiana Black Librarians Network looks to the future, it is hoped that the organization will continue to grow and evolve in its mission to serve, support, and encourage the African American librarians of Indiana.

See related posts:  Purdue University Black Cultural Center (West Lafayette, Indiana) ; and Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana).

Update 12/01/2014:

See related posts: Willa Resnover and the Norwood Library (Indianapolis, Indiana) ; Lillian Sunshine Haydon Childress Hall: Pioneer in the History of Library Services to African Americans in Indiana ; and Hallie Beachem Brooks: Librarian, Professor, and Indiana Native.

Sources: "About." Indiana Black Librarians Network. Indiana Black Librarians Network, n.d. Web. 4 July 2014. ; Washington, Dorothy Ann. "Indiana Black Librarians Network." BCALA Newsletter 32.1 (2003): 29. Print. ; Dartis, Michelle. "Indiana Black Librarians Network Celebrates 10th Anniversary." BCALA Newsletter 39.3 (2012): 6. Print. ; "Indiana Black Librarians Network Marks 10th Year." American Libraries (Online). American Library Association, n.d. Web. 4 July 2014. ; Piotrowicz, Rebekah. "BCC to Host Indiana Black Librarians Network Conference." University News Service. Purdue University, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 4 July 2014. ; Holliday, Deloice and Michele Fenton. "We Need Some Color Up Here: Educating and Recruiting Minority Librarians in Indiana." The 21st Century Black Librarian in America: Issues and Challenges. Eds. Andrew P. Jackson, Julius Jefferson, Jr., and Akilah S. Nosakhere. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2012. 143-146. Print. ; Freeman, Rodney. "A Snapshot of Indiana's Librarians Leading in Diversity Fellowship Participants After the Program Has Concluded." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 12-15. Print. ; Smith-Woodard, Marcia. "The Importance of Achieving Diversity in Libraries." Indiana Libraries 31.1 (2012): 50-53. Print. ; "ILF Member Elected as President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA)." Focus on Indiana Libraries 64.9 (2010): 3. Print. ; Holman, Jos. "Making the Grade as an African American Library Director in a Majority Community." The 21st Century Black Librarian in America: Issues and Challenges. Eds. Andrew P. Jackson, Julius Jefferson, Jr., and Akilah S. Nosakhere. Ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2012. 143-146. Print. ; "Local Librarian to Be Recognized." Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Ind.) 30 Aug. 2014:n.pag. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. ; "2013 ILF Awardees." Focus on Indiana Libraries 67.9 (2013): 3. PDF. ; "Indiana Librarians Honored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association." Focus on Indiana Libraries 67.9 (2013): 10. PDF. ; Page, John S. "BCALA National Conference Awards and Honors Recipients Named (Press Release)." Black Caucus, Inc., American Library Association 30 June 2013: 1-2. PDF. ; Alston, Jason. "BCALA Announces 2014 Presidential Awards Recipients (Press Release)." Black Caucus, Inc., American Library Association 19 June 2014: 1-2. PDF.





 

William "Bill" Passmore: Library Trustee and Advocate for the Disabled

Today's blog post will pay tribute to William "Bill" Passmore, former library trustee, community activist, and advocate for the disabled.

William "Bill" Passmore (1929-1992), son of Ben and Laura Passmore, was born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1929. He was a member of the East Chicago (Indiana) Public Library's Board of Trustees for sixteen years. Mr. Passmore was a 1975 graduate of Saint Joseph's College in Whiting, Indiana, and in 1969 was named "Handicapped American of the Year" by United States President Richard Nixon (Passmore suffered a football injury in high school that left him confined to a wheelchair; his legs were later amputated). Mr. Passmore was also involved with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, the Easter Seals Society, the Lake County Salvation Army (Indiana), the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals, the President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped, and served on Indiana Governor Otis R. Bowen's Commission on the Handicapped.

In 1976, Passmore was named to "Who's Who in Black America", and on December 10, 1979, United States President Jimmy Carter appointed Passmore to the Transportation Barriers Compliance Commission. In 1984, Mr. Passmore was named "Outstanding Citizen of the Year" by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was instrumental in the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), and received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1987 from Indiana Governor Robert D. Orr.

On Saturday, October 27, 1990, United States Representative Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana honored Mr. Passmore for his life's work and advocacy for the disabled. In 1991, Mr. Passmore received the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Distinguished Service Award. William Passmore passed away at the age of 63 on April 18, 1992 in East Chicago, Indiana.

In April 2013, the East Chicago Public Library held a re-dedication ceremony for the William B. Passmore Career Services Center (named for Mr. Passmore). A video of the dedication ceremony can be viewed on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DI9ZJy6mpU

 Sources: Smith, Cheryl. "East Chicago Public Library to Honor William Passmore." Northwest Indiana Times (Online). Northwest Indiana Times, 4 Apr. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. ; Holocek, Andrea. "Activist Passmore Dies at 63." Northwest Indiana Times 22 Apr. 1992:B1-B2. Print. ; "William Passmore Dies, Fostered Rights, Work for Nation's Disabled." Jet 82.3 (1992):13. Print. ; "President's Awards to Passmore, Wonder." Baltimore Afro-American 13 May 1969: 5. Print. ; "Passmore Selected Handicapped American of '68." Jet 35.24 (1969): 49. Print. ; "A Kiss and Pearl (Photo)." Jet 44.9 (1973): 44. Print. ; Heise, Kenan. "William Passmore, Hero of Disabled." Chicago Tribune (Online). Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 1992. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. ; Dorson, Richard M. "Is There a Folk in the City?" Crisis in Urban Schools: A Book of Readings for the Beginning Urban Teacher. New York, NY: MSS Information Corp., 1973. 24, 27. Print. ; Visclosky, Peter J. "William Passmore, East Chicagoan of the Year." Congressional Record 136 (1990):E3603-E3604. Print. ; "Records of the White House Press Office: A Guide to Its Records at the Jimmy Carter Library." Atlanta: The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. 127. PDF file. ; "BCALA Distinguished Service Awards 1970-2010." Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Black Caucus of the American Library Association, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. ; "William Passmore." United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
 

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The Flanner Guild Deposit Station, Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch, Crispus Attucks Branch, and the George Washington Carver Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Today's blog post features historical facts relating to three former branches and a former deposit station of the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana: Flanner Guild Deposit Station, and the Crispus Attucks, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and George Washington Carver Branches. Pioneer black librarians such as Lillian Childress Hall, Hallie Beachem Brooks, Betsie Lou Baxter Collins, Edna Howard, Effie Stroud, and others spent all or part of their careers at these locations. Although these three branches and deposit station are now closed, they played an important part in providing access to library services to African Americans in Indianapolis.

Note: The Flanner Guild Deposit Station, and the Dunbar, Attucks, and Carver Branches were not built specifically for African Americans. These locations just happened to be in African American neighborhoods. From the day it opened its doors in 1873, the Indianapolis Public Library has always welcomed members of any race to all of its locations. 

The Flanner Guild Deposit Station

In 1919, the Indianapolis Public Library established a deposit station at the Flanner Guild African American Settlement (now Flanner House) in Indianapolis. Deposit stations were not branches, but were off-site locations authorized by the Indianapolis Public Library to lend books.

Sources: "New Libraries and Buildings." Library Occurrent 5.9 (1919): 316. Print. ; Downey, Lawrence J. A Live Thing in the Whole Town: History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Carmel: Guild P of IN, 1991. 156-158. Print. 

The Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch

In 1922, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library opened its doors. The branch was located inside of Indianapolis Public School #26, an all-black elementary school on the city’s east side. Lillian Haydon Childress Hall was the branch’s first manager (1921-1927; note: Hall was appointed as the branch manager in the summer of 1921 but the branch did not officially open until the spring of 1922).

Previously, Hall was the branch manager of the Cherry Street Branch of the Evansville Public Library in Evansville, Indiana (1915-1921).  She was the first African American graduate of the Indiana Public Library Commission Summer School for Librarians (she graduated on July 24, 1915). In addition, Hall was an alumna of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1927, patrons of the Dunbar Branch were treated to a special visit and poetry reading from Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen at a tea hosted by the library in his honor. Hallie Beachem Brooks, former library science professor at the Atlanta University Library School, was the branch manager at the time of Cullen's visit.

Effie Stroud, a graduate of the Hampton Institute Library School, was the manager of the Dunbar Branch from 1935 until 1944. Ms. Stroud previously worked at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library (now the Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture). Olivia Mitchell Anderson, a graduate of Fisk University, was the Dunbar Branch's last manager (1962-1967).

The Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch operated for 45 years before becoming a regular school library in 1967.

 

Sources: Downey, Lawrence J. A Live Thing in the Whole Town: History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Carmel: Guild P of IN, 1991. 156-158. Print. ; "Personals." Library Occurrent 6.2 (1921): 89. Print. ; "Among Librarians." Library Journal 46.19 (1921): 912. Print. ; "News from the Field." Public Libraries 27.1 (1922): 68. Print. ; "News from the Field." Public Libraries 27.7 (1922): 458. Print. ; "District Meetings." Library Occurrent 6.10 (1923): 386. Print. ; Cain, Mary J. "History of the Indianapolis Public Library." Library Occurrent 11.4 (1933): 118. Print. ; Shores, Louis. "Public Library Service to Negroes." Library Journal 55.4 (1930): 153. Print. ; "Local News." Indianapolis Recorder 28 May 1932: 3. Print. ; "Dunbar Library Observes Week." Indianapolis Recorder 17 Nov. 1934: 2. Print. ; "Literary Corner: Book Reviews." Indianapolis Recorder 3 July 1937: 10. Print. ; "Books: Attucks-Dunbar." Indianapolis Recorder 29 July 1939: 10. Print. ; "Gives Tea for Mr. Cullen." Indianapolis Recorder 5 Mar. 1927: 5. Print. ; "Negro History Week is Observed Here." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939: 1-2. Print.  ; "Library Facilities Opened to the Public." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939. 2. Print. ; McGuire, Mary P. "Voice of the Eastside." Indianapolis Recorder 23 Feb. 1963: 4. Print. ; "School 26 PTA Meet is Dated." Indianapolis Recorder 3 Mar. 1965: 5. Print. ; McGuire, Mary P. "Voice of the Eastside." Indianapolis Recorder 26 Jan. 1963: 5. Print. ; McGuire, Mary P. "Voice of the Eastside." Indianapolis Recorder 25 Apr. 1964: 6. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 11.8 (1934): 303. Print. ; McFarland, Bernard C. The Hill and the Bottoms: The Story from the Thousand Yard Stare. Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Co. Publishers, 2009. 64-68. Print. ; A Directory of Negro Graduates of Accredited Library Schools, 1900-1936. Washington: Columbia Civic Library Association, 1937. 22. Print. ; "Miss Effie Stroud Speaks." Indianapolis Recorder 22 Feb. 1936: 5. Print. ; Stroud, Effie. "Literary Corner about Books and Reviews." Indianapolis Recorder 2 May 1936: 10. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 12.4 (1936): 116. Print. ; "News Notes." Library Occurrent 14.8 (1943): 223. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 15.7 (1946): 552. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Way Down Yonder at the Cherry Street Branch: A Short History of Evansville's Negro Library." Indiana Libraries 30.2 (2011): 37-38. Print. ; Berry, S.L. and Gadski, Mary Ellen. Stacks: A History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, 2011. 103. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print. ; "News from the Field: Central." Public Libraries: A Monthly Review of Library Matters and Methods 27.7 (1922): 458.Print.
 

The Crispus Attucks Branch

In 1927, the Crispus Attucks Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library opened on the city’s west side. The library was located on the first floor of Crispus Attucks High School, a high school for the African American residents of Indianapolis. 

In January 1935, Lawrence Dunbar Reddick visited the Crispus Attucks Library while in Indianapolis on business. Mr. Reddick was the curator at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library (now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture) from 1939 until 1948.

The Attucks Branch ceased operation as a branch on June 30, 1959 and became a regular high school library on July 1, 1959. Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, former manager of the Dunbar Branch, was the Attucks Branch’s first manager (1927-1956). Betsie Lou Baxter Collins was the last manager (1956-1959).

Betsie Lou Baxter Collins was a graduate of the Atlanta University School of Library Science. After serving at the Attucks Branch, Ms. Collins worked at the Rauh (now closed), Broadripple, Riverside (now closed), Haughville, and College Branches. In 1972, she received the Helen L. Norris Distinguished Service Award from the Indianapolis Public Library. Mrs. Collins passed away in 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

*Note: Crispus Attucks High School is still in operation today and is the home of the Crispus Attucks Museum.

Sources: "Library Has Formal Opening." Indianapolis Recorder 24 Sept. 1927: 5. Print. ; "Personals." Library Occurrent 8.3 (1927): 118. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent (1927): 122. Print. ; Warren, Stanley. Crispus Attucks High School: Hail to the Green, Hail to the Gold. Virginia Beach: Donning, 1998. 35. Print. ; Downey, Lawrence J. A Live Thing in the Whole Town: History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Carmel: Guild P of IN, 1991. 132, 135, 148, 160, 202. Print. ; Cain, Mary J. "History of the Indianapolis Public Library." Library Occurrent 11.4 (1933): 118. Print. ; LeMon, Lillian M. "Indiana State: Indianapolis News." Chicago Defender 9 June 1934: 18. Print. ; Shores, Louis. "Public Library Service to Negroes." Library Journal 55.4 (1930): 153. Print. ; "Neighborhood Clubs." Indianapolis Recorder 24 Oct. 1936: 5. Print. ; "Libraries Observe Garden Week; Exhibits of Miniature Gardens on Display at Attucks." Indianapolis Recorder 26 Mar. 1938: 5. Print. ; "Negro History Week is Observed Here." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939: 1-2. Print. ; "Library Facilities Opened to the Public." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939: 2. Print. ; Brascher, Nahum Daniel. "Random Thoughts: A Little Light Along the Way." Chicago Defender 25 Feb. 1939: 17. Print. ; "Social Scene." Indianapolis Recorder 9 May 1959: 8. Print. ; "Society." Indianapolis Recorder 2 Feb. 1935: 3. Print. ; Crispus Attucks High School Yearbook, 1957. Indianapolis: Crispus Attucks High School, 1958. 84. Print. ; "Names in the News." Library Occurrent 24.3 (1972): 108. 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. 42. Print. ; Berry, S.L. and Gadski, Mary Ellen. Stacks: A History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, 2011. 103. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print.

 

The George Washington Carver Branch

In 1937, the George Washington Carver Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library opened. The library was located inside of Indianapolis Public School #87, an all-black elementary school on the city’s north side. Edna M. Howard was the branch’s manager from the time it opened in 1937 until its closure in 1950. After its closure, the branch was converted into a regular school library.

Ms. Howard was a graduate of the Hampton Institute Library School. Before becoming manager of the George Washington Carver Branch, she was a junior assistant at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch. In addition, Ms. Howard was a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ms. Joyce G. Taylor, former librarian at the Indianapolis Public Library and retired professor at the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science (now called the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing), mentions visiting the George Washington Carver Branch during her childhood in her article "The Smile That Hooked Me for Life". The article was published in v. 22, no. 2 of the journal Indiana Libraries in 2003:

https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/1307/The%20Smile%20That%20Hooked%20Me%20for%20Life.pdf?sequence=1

Sources: "School Board Likely to Reject Proposal to Build All-Colored Library Branch." Indianapolis Recorder 6 July 1935: 1. Print. ; "Branch Library Opens at School 87." Indianapolis Recorder 16 Oct. 1937 5. Print. ; "School 87 Gets Library Unit." Indianapolis Recorder 9 Oct. 1937 1. Print. ; "Librarian." Indianapolis Recorder 2 Oct. 1937: 4. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 12.7 (1937): 212. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 12.8 (1937): 250. Print. ; "Negro History Week Is Observed Here." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939: 1-2. Print. ; "Library Facilities Opened to the Public." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Feb. 1939: 2. Print. ; "School No. 87 PTA Plans Annual Matinee Musicale." Indianapolis Recorder 17 Apr. 1948: 5. Print. ; "School 87 PTA Plans Travelogue." Indianapolis Recorder 1949 Dec. 3: 5. Print. ; "Library Acquires Negro Collection." Indianapolis Recorder 7 Oct. 1950: 5. Print. ; Downey, Lawrence J. A Live Thing in the Whole Town: History of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Carmel: Guild P of IN, 1991. 162-163. Print. ; Taylor, Joyce G. "The Smile That Hooked Me for Life." Indiana Libraries 22.2 (2003): 8-10. Print. ; Shuck, Johari. "The George Washington Carver School: An Early History of Indianapolis School 87." Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History  (2014): 24-31. Print.

See related posts: Willa Resnover and the Norwood Library (Indianapolis, Indiana) ; Lillian Sunshine Haydon Childress Hall: Pioneer in the History of Library Services to African Americans in Indiana ; and Hallie Beachem Brooks: Librarian, Professor, and Indiana Native.

Update November 26, 2022:

I wrote an article about the Flanner Guild, Dunbar, Attucks, and Carver that was recently published in the American Library Association Library History Round Table's peer-reviewed journal, Libraries: Culture, History, and Society:

Fenton, Michele. "A Light in the Circle City: A History of Public Library Services to African Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana." Libraries: Culture, History, and Society 6.2 (2022): 258-277. Print.

Bernice Appleton Wilder: First African American Director of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana)

Bernice Appleton Wilder (1923-1988) was the first African American director of the Gary Public Library in Gary, Indiana. Ms. Wilder, a native of Missouri, was a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and received her library science degree from the University of Southern California. She also was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 

Ms. Wilder began her career at the Gary Public Library in 1954 at the Roosevelt Branch as the branch’s manager (now closed, the Roosevelt Branch was located at the corner of 25th and Jackson Streets --about a block and a half from the former home of the Jackson 5). In 1956, she became an assistant in the Gary Public Library's Extension Department.

After working in the extension department, Wilder worked for the Louis J. Bailey Branch*, and in 1963, was appointed Children's Librarian at the John F. Kennedy Branch (formerly the Glenn Park Branch). Nine years later, Wilder was appointed manager of the Tolleston Branch. In 1977, she became Assistant Director of the Gary Public Library's Extension Department.

In 1978, Wilder was appointed director of the Gary Public Library. It was during Ms. Wilder's tenure that the W.E.B. DuBois Branch was built and the Gary Public Library began automating some of its services. She served as director until her retirement in 1983. On May 18, 1988, Ms.Wilder passed away at the age of 64.

*Notes:  

The Louis J. Bailey Branch was named for the first director of the Gary Public Library.  Louis J. Bailey, a former employee of the the New York State Library and the Library of Congress, was a graduate of the New York State Library School (Edward Christopher Williams, the first African American male to receive a formal library science education, was a 1900 graduate of the New York State Library School). Mr. Bailey served as director of the Gary Public Library from 1908 until 1922.

The Gary Public Library was originally housed in a rented facility on 33rd West 7th Avenue before receiving a grant of $65,000 in 1910 from Andrew Carnegie for a new building at the corner of 5th Avenue and Adams Street (Carnegie's brother-in-law, Henry D. Whitfield, served as the library's architect). The Carnegie building opened in November 1912 (Father John Cavanaugh of the University of Notre Dame gave the dedication address). The Carnegie building served as the location of the main branch of the Gary Public Library until 1962 when it was razed to make way for a new facility. The Gary Public Library's new main branch was opened in 1964 on the same spot on which the Carnegie building was built 52 years earlier.

See related posts: Etka F. Braboy Gaskin and the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana) ; Helen Price Sawyer Braxton: Hampton Institute Library School Graduate and Librarian at Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri) ;  Annette Hoage Phinazee: Dean, Professor, Author, and Librarian ; and Dhrathula Millender: Librarian, Author, and Historian - One of Indiana's Own.

Sources: Gary Public Library. ; “Missouri Girl Is Appointed Gary Librarian.” Indianapolis Recorder 6 Mar. 1954: 9. Print. ; “Personnel Appointments.” Gary Library Bulletin 12.3 (1954): 2. Print. ; “Personnel Changes.” Gary Library Bulletin 14.2 (1956): 4. Print. ; “Bernice Wilder, Past Director at Gary Library Dies at 64.” Gary Post-Tribune (Ind.) 20 May 1988: B9. Print. ; “Final Respect Paid 10th Library Director.” Gary Post-Tribune (Ind.) 26 May 1988. Highbeam Research, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. ; “Certificates Issued by the Library Certification Board – All Permanent Certificates Issued February 1 – April 30, 1961.” Library Occurrent 20.6 (1961): 176. Print. ;  “Bernice Appleton.” United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. ; “Bernice Appleton.” United States Census, 1940. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. ; “Bernice L. Wilder.” Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. ; Peters, Orpha Maud. The Gary Public Library: 1907-1944. Gary: Gary Public Library, 1945. Print. ; “Roosevelt Branch Library.” Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print. ; “History of the Alcott Branch Library.” Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print. ; “New Library Buildings.” Library Occurrent 3.5 (1912): 93-95. Print. ;  “Bailey Honored by Librarians.” Indianapolis Star 8 Dec. 1933: 15. Print. ;  “State Library Activities Outlined by Indianan.” Indianapolis News 15 May 1929: 14. Print. ;  McPherson, Alan. Temples of Knowledge: Andrew Carnegie's Gift to Indiana. Kewanna, IN: Hoosier's Nest Press, 2003. 215, 227, 231, 234. Print.

The Diplomat and the Librarian: George Washington Buckner and Anna Cowen Buckner

Dr. George Washington Buckner (1855-1943), a former slave and a native of Greensburg, Kentucky, served as the U.S. Diplomat to Liberia from 1913-1915. He received his appointment from President Woodrow Wilson. In addition, Dr. Buckner was a physician and a teacher, and a graduate of the Indiana State Normal School (now Indiana State University) and the Indiana Eclectic Medical College. He wrote a column for the Indiana Democrat called "Colored Folks". 

His wife, Anna Cowen Buckner, a former school teacher and an 1893 graduate of Fisk University, began her library career at the Cherry Street Branch of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library in 1922. The third Carnegie library built in Evansville, Indiana, the Cherry Street Branch provided library services to African Americans from 1914 until its closure in 1954. The library was located on Cherry Street, the same street on which the Cherry Street Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), co-founded by Dr. Buckner, was located. In the same vicinity was McFarland Baptist Church (corner of 5th and Cherry Streets), where Dr. Buckner had an office for his medical practice. This same church was where the dedication ceremony for the Cherry Street Branch Library was held (Rachel Davis Harris of the Eastern Colored Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library was the keynote speaker). The library and church were torn down in the 1970s to make way for the expansion of Wellborn Baptist Hospital.

Dr. Buckner passed away in 1943 and is buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville, Indiana (his gravestone incorrectly shows his death date as 1941). Mrs. Buckner passed away in 1948.

Update 2/23/2012:

The Buckners' son, George Buckner, Jr., was a lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II.  George Jr. was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Cochise County, Arizona, and in 1943, he married Patricia Thompson. Ms. Thompson was once a librarian at the Cherry Street Branch of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library in Evansville, Indiana, and at the Army Camp in Hopkinsville, Kentucky (See: "Derbyville." The Evansville Argus 16 Apr. 1943: 6. Print).

Fort Huachuca was the base where the 10th Calvary Regiment of the United States Army was stationed. The 10th Calvary Regiment was one of several all-black army regiments authorized by the United States Congress in 1866 to serve in the Western United States. Native American tribes living in the area referred to these regiments as the "Buffalo Soldiers" because their bravery, fighting skills, and curly hair reminded them of the buffalo that roamed the lands of the Western United States.

YouTube has a short video on the Buffalo Soldiers that were stationed at Fort Huachuca. Click on the link below to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vLAH7r_MKU

See related post: Article on Evansville, Indiana's Former African American Library Branch

Sources: "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 6.6 (1922): 271. Print. ; "Indianapolis Visitor Honored with Party." Chicago Defender 3 Sept. 1938, natl. ed.: 13. Print. ; "Education and the Professions." This Far by Faith: Black Hoosier Heritage. Indianapolis: Indiana Humanities Council, n.d. 19-20. Print. ; "Dr. George Washington Buckner." The Evansville Boneyard. University of Southern Indiana, Feb. 2008. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. ; Kestenbaum, Lawrence, comp. "Index to Politicians: Buckner." Politicalgraveyard.com. The Political Graveyard, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. ; "Anna Buckner." FamilySearch.org. Family Search, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. ; Hite, Edith E. "Evansville, Ind." Indianapolis Recorder 4 Aug. 1928: 7. Print. ; "Dr. Buckner May Resign: Colored Minister to Liberia Wishes to Educate His Children." Indianapolis Recorder 19 June 1915: 1. Print. ; "Ex-Minister Revisits City: Former Minister to Liberia Believes Italy Riding to Fall." Indianapolis Recorder 10 Aug. 1935: 1. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Way Down Yonder at the Cherry Street Branch: A Short History of Evansville's Negro Library." Indiana Libraries 30.2 (2012): 38-39. Print. ;  "Class of 1893." Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee: 1902-1903. Nashville: Brandon Printing Co., 1903. 84. Print. ; "Buckner, George Washington." The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Ed. John E. Kleber. Lexington: U P of Kentucky, 1992. 136. Print. ; Harden, Cleona. "Evansville, Ind." Indianapolis Recorder 5 June 1965: 13. Print. ; "George Washington Buckner (1855- )." U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State, n.d. Web. 10 May 2011. ; "Dr. George W. Buckner Dies at Residence After Long Illness." The Evansville Argus 20 Feb. 1943: 1. Print. ; "Derbyville." The Evansville Argus 16 Apr. 1943: 6. Print.

Willa Resnover and the Norwood Library (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Willa Resnover (1894-1978) was the earliest known African American librarian to work in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Although she had no formal library training, Ms. Resnover, a graduate of  Emmerich Manual High School and  Madame Blaker’s Teachers College (was also known as Teachers College of Indianapolis ; now the Butler University College of Education), served as the librarian for the Norwood Library, the first library in Indianapolis for African Americans. The library was housed inside the Norwood Boys’ Club on the city’s southeast side in the Norwood neighborhood. The Norwood Library was built in 1912 as a replacement for the Norwood School's  library collection which was lost in a fire in 1909 (the Norwood School was later known as Indianapolis Public School No. 64). Ada B. Harris, principal of the Norwood School, along with citizens and several organizations donated a total of 1,000 materials for the library's collection. Willa Resnover later married William Donaldson and taught school in Illinois in the cities of Carbondale and Cairo. She passed away in 1978.

*Note: The Norwood Library was an independent library. It was never part of the Indianapolis Public Library System.

See related posts: The Flanner Guild Deposit Station, Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch, Crispus Attucks Branch, and the George Washington Carver Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library (Indianapolis, Indiana) ; Lillian Sunshine Haydon Childress Hall: Pioneer in the History of Library Services to African Americans in Indiana ; and Hallie Beachem Brooks: Librarian, Professor, and Indiana Native.

Sources: “News of Indiana Libraries.” Library Occurrent 3.5 (1912): 96. Print. ; “Colored Library Opened in Norwood.” Indianapolis Recorder 28 Sept. 1912: 1. Print. ; “Norwood Library.” Indianapolis Recorder 6 May 1911: 1. Print. ; Ferguson, Earline Rae. “Indianapolis: Civic, Literary, and Mutual Aid Associations.” Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations. Ed. Nina Mjagkij. New York: Garland, 2001. 235. Print. ; “Norwood.” Indianapolis Recorder 10 Aug. 1912: 6. Print. ; “Norwood School Now Public School No. 64.” Indianapolis Recorder 12 Oct. 1912: 2. Print. ; “Progress of the Norwood Schools.” Indianapolis Recorder 21 June 1913: 7. Print. ; “United States Census, 1920.” FamilySearch 4 Oct. 2011. Web. FamilySearch.org. ; Hine, Darlene Clark. Hine Sight: Black Women and the Re-Construction of American History. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1997. 111-112. Print. ; “Playmates of School 19 Enjoy Home-coming, Impromptu Program.” Indianapolis Recorder 25 Sept. 1943: 5. Print. ; “Ethical Culture.” Indianapolis Recorder 9 Dec. 1916: 3. Print. ; “Local Social Events.” Indianapolis Recorder 18 Nov. 1916: 2. Print.  ; “Local News: Personal Mention.” Indianapolis Recorder 1 Aug. 1914: 8. Print. ; “Local News: Personal Mention.” Indianapolis Recorder 4 Apr. 1914: 8. Print. ; Gibbs, Wilma L. “June Resnover Curry Collection, 1905-1921 [Finding Aid].” Indiana Historical Society, 2 Feb. 1995. Pdf File. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. ; Blair, Francis G. “Illinois School Directory, 1922-1923.” Circular (Illinois. Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) 166 (1922): 71. Print.

Etka Braboy Gaskin and the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana)

Etka F. Braboy Gaskin (1888-1972), a native of Kokomo, Indiana and the daughter of Joseph A. and Alice McCoy Braboy, was the earliest known African American librarian in Gary, Indiana. She was hired as a librarian at the Alcott Branch of the Gary Public Library in 1924. In 1931, Ms. Gaskin began working as a librarian at the Roosevelt Branch of the Gary Public Library (now closed, this branch was located on the corner of 25th and Jackson Streets -- about a block and a half from the former home of the Jackson 5). She had previously worked at the Roosevelt Branch as an assistant before graduating from the Indiana Public Library Commission Summer School for Librarians in 1923. In 1928, Ms. Gaskin, Lillian Sunshine Hayden Childress Hall, Edward C. Williams, Rev. Thomas Fountain Blue, Rachel Davis Harris, Othella Roberts, Hallie Beachem Brooks, Rebecca M. Bond, and Elnora McIntyre Roy were among several noted African American attendees at the American Library Association's 50th Annual Conference held in West Baden, Indiana. Ms. Gaskin passed away in 1972 in Gary, Indiana.

See related posts: ALA History: 1928 Annual Conference of the American Library Association, West Baden, Indiana ; Bernice Appleton Wilder: First African American Director of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana) ; and Dharathula Millender: Librarian, Author, and Historian - One of Indiana's Own.

Update 10/28/2012:

Two branches of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana), the Carter G. Woodson Branch and the W.E.B. Dubois Branch, are featured in George Grant's book In Honor of... : Libraries Named for African Americans.  The book is published by Grant House Publishers.

Update 11/09/2012:

Additional articles about Ms. Gaskin, the Roosevelt Branch, and the Alcott Branch of the Gary Public Library:

"Roosevelt Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print.
"History of the Alcott Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print.

Update 2/15/2013:

Etka Braboy Gaskin was one of three African American females to graduate in the 1904 Class of Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Indiana. In July 1909, she was one of five African American women selected by the Indianapolis Recorder to participate in a 12-day vacation trip to Niagra Falls. Ms. Gaskin later wrote about her trip in an article, "A Trip to Niagra Falls", which appeared in the August 28, 1909 issue of the Indianapolis Recorder. She later married Edward R. Gaskin, also from Kokomo, and the couple settled in Gary, Indiana.

Etka Braboy Gaskin's father, Joseph Albert Braboy (also known as J.A. Braboy), was a native of Franklin County, Indiana. Mr. Braboy was a United States Civil War veteran, having enlisted in the Union Army at the age of seventeen and assigned to the 28th Regiment United States Colored Troops. After his service with the army ended, Mr. Braboy became a barber, a three-term member of the Kokomo City Council, and the owner of a furniture and music store in Kokomo, Indiana. In January 1879, he married Alice McCoy. 

Ms. Gaskin's brother, Otis Burgess Braboy (1882-1955), was a 1901 graduate of Kokomo High School. He worked as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. In 1918, he married Vashti McDonald. Otis Braboy later settled in Toledo, Ohio.

Update 5/18/2014:

Etka Braboy Gaskin is briefly mentioned in an I wrote an article on Lillian Haydon Childress Hall. The article was featured in the latest issue of Indiana Libraries (v. 33, no. 1). The link is below:

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

Sources: "West Baden, Ind." Indianapolis Recorder 9 June 1928: 7. Print. ; Peters, Orpha Maud. The Gary Public Library: 1907-1944. Gary: Gary Public Library, 1945. 21, 53. Print. ; "New Library Buildings." Library Occurrent 6.10 (1923): 401. Print. ; "Summer School Students 1923." Library Occurrent 6.11 (1923): 411-412. Print. ; "In Local Society: Librarians in City." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Dec. 1926: 5. Print. ; "Free Vacation Trip, 12 Days Sightseeing for the Five Most Popular Colored Women: The Recorder's Second Popular Contest Closes and Names of Winners Announced." Indianapolis Recorder 24 July 1909: 1. Print. ; "Free Vacation Trip." Indianapolis Recorder 7 Aug. 1909: 1. Print. ; Braboy, Etka F. "A Trip to Niagra Falls." Indianapolis Recorder 28 Aug. 1909: 1-2. Print. ; "Roosevelt Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print. ; "History of the Alcott Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print. ; "Etka Gaskin." Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.  ; "Etka Gaskin." United States Census, 1920. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. ; "Etka Gaskin." United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. ; Fiftieth Annual Meeting Advance Attendance Register, May 27-June 2, 1928, West Baden, Indiana. [Chicago]: American Library Association, 1928. 4, 14. Print. ; "Colored Circles." The Kokomo Daily Tribune 16 Nov. 1918: 4. Print. ; "Summer School Students 1923." Report of the Public Library Commission of the State of Indiana for the Year Ending September 30, 1923. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Buford, Contractor for State Printing and Binding, 1924. 6. Print. ; "Braboy, Eletka [i.e., Etka]." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro in Indiana: A Study of a Minority. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1957. 314, 362. Print. ; "City and Society." The Freeman (Indianapolis, Ind.) 18 Sept. 1909: 8. Print. ; "Annual Banquet of I.U. Graduates." Indianapolis Recorder 11 June 1910: 1. Print. ; "Otis B. Braboy." Kokomo Tribune 23 Nov. 1955: 2. Print. ; "1904." Sargasso 1905. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1905. 129. Print. ; "Kokomo High School Alumni: 1875-1905." INGenWeb. INGenWeb Project, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "J.A. Braboy." United States Census, 1910. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013; "Joseph A. Braboy." Indiana Marriages, 1789-1992. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward Gaskin." United States Census, 1940. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward R. Gaskin." United States Census, 1900. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward Gaskin." United States Census, 1880. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis B. Braboy." United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis B. Braboy." United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis Burgess Braboy." Indiana Marriages, 1789-1992. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward R. Gaskin." Kokomo Tribune 9 Sept. 1946: 7. Print. ; "Our Class." Sargasso 1901. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1902. 36. Print. ; "Braboy, Otis, Mail Agent." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; "Senior Class of '01." Sargasso 1901. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1902. 36. Print. ; "Braboy, J.A. (Alice M.), Pianos, Organs, Sewing Machines, Etc." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; "Joseph Braboy." United States, Civil War Service Records of Union Colored Troops, 1863-1865. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. ; Millender, Dharathula. Gary's Central Business Community. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2003. 47. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print.

Hallie Beachem Brooks: Librarian, Professor, and Indiana Native

Hallie Beachem Brooks (1907-1985) was a professor of library science at the Atlanta University Library School from 1942-1977. In 1964, she was appointed chairman of the Asia Foundation Grants Committee of the American Library Association. The Georgia Library Association awarded Ms. Brooks the Nix-Jones Award in 1979. In addition, Ms. Brooks was a librarian at the High School of Spelman College, an instructor in the Negro Teacher-Librarian Project, and the director of the Carnegie Corporation Field Service Program for Negro School Libraries.

Born in 1907, Ms. Brooks was a native of West Baden, Indiana, and worked as a library assistant and later a librarian at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library from 1922-1930. She received her librarian's certificate from the Indiana Public Library Commission Summer School for Librarians in 1924, and her Master of Library Science (MLS) from the University of Chicago in 1947. Ms. Brooks was a graduate of Shortridge High School in Indianapolis and attended Butler University (also in Indianapolis). She passed away in 1985.

See related posts: ALA History: 1928 Annual Conference of the American Library Association, West Baden, Indiana ; Lillian Sunshine Haydon Childress Hall: Pioneer in the History of Library Service to African Americans in Indiana ; and The Flanner Guild Deposit Station, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch, the Crispus Attucks Branch, and the George Washington Carver Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library (Indianapolis, Indiana).

Update 12/17/2012:

Hallie Beachem Brooks was one of several African American attendees at the 1928 American Library Association Annual Conference in West Baden, Indiana. One of the other attendees, Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, was the earliest known African American to receive a library science education in the state of Indiana. Hall was Ms. Brooks' supervisor, mentor, and friend when they worked together at the Indianapolis Public Library in the 1920s. Both women were graduates of the Indiana Public Library Commission Summer School for Librarians.

Update 5/18/2014:

Hallie Beachem Brooks is briefly mentioned in an I wrote an article on Lillian Haydon Childress Hall. The article was featured in the latest issue of Indiana Libraries (v. 33, no. 1). The link is below:

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

Sources: Woodson, Almeta Gould. "Fifty Years of Service: A Chronological History of the School of Library Service Atlanta University, 1941-1979; the School of Library and Information Studies Atlanta University, 1979-1989; the School of Library and Information Studies, Clark Atlanta University, 1989-1991." Georgia Librarian 28.3 (1991): 71-73, 76-78. Print. ; "Summer School Students Accepted for 1924." Library Occurrent 7.3 (1924): 69. Print. ; "News of Indiana Libraries." Library Occurrent 8.3 (1927): 122. Print. ; "Gives Tea for Mr. Cullen." Indianapolis Recorder 5 Mar. 1927: 5. Print. ; " Indianapolis Girls Leave for Positions in South." Indianapolis Recorder 9 Sept. 1930: 6. Print. ; LeMon, Lillian M. "Indiana News." Chicago Defender 2 Jan. 1932: 11 . Print. ; "Atlanta U. Professor Heads Asian Study Fund." Jet 27.8 (1964): 20. Print. ; Jones, Reinette. Library Service to African Americans in Kentucky from the Reconstruction Era to the 1960s. Jefferson: McFarland, 2002. 116. Print. ; "Georgia Library Association Award Winners." Georgia Library Association. Georgia Library Association, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. ; Miller, Rosalind. "One Georgia Librarian: Hallie Beachem Brooks Remembers -1930 to 1977." Georgia Librarian 14.2 (1977): 29-38. Print. ; Totten, Herman L. "Southeastern Black Educators." The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscence, Activities, Challenges. Ed. Annette L. Phinazee. Durham: NCCU School of Library, 1980. 200-201. Print. ; McPheeters, Annie L. Library Service in Black and White: Some Personal Recollections, 1921-1980. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1988. 11. Print. ; "Georgia Library Association Award Winners." Georgia Library Association Handbook, Appendices. 2003 rev. Rex: GLA, 2003. 58. Print.