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    The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship
    When They Dared to Be Powerful

    Nicole A. Cooke (Author), Aisha M. Johnson (Afterword by)

    9798892553261

    Paperback / softback, published 2 May 2025

    232 pages
    22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.313 kg

    Black women have historically been hidden figures in librarianship, yet their passion, courage, and tenacity paved the way for future generations of knowledge workers. Profiling more than a dozen librarians, book champions, activists, and pioneers of the profession from across the country, this powerful work of archival storytelling will inspire readers both inside and outside of the library field. These personal histories of advocacy and resilience

    • span the entire 20th Century, stretching from rural South Carolina and Florida to urban centers like New York and Los Angeles;
    • profile better known figures such as Augusta Baker and Eliza Atkins Gleason as well as many who have yet to receive their due;
    • grapple with the toxic legacy of segregation in library education, universities, public libraries, schools, and other institutions, showing how these persevering Black women dared to strive and work towards more equitable futures;
    • include an inspiring Afterword by Dr. Aisha Johnson-Jones, an educator and revelator of Southern intellectual history;
    • will encourage LIS students and newer librarians of all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the profession’s long and rich heritage; and
    • shed light on how librarianship can become ever more diverse and community centered.

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction, by Nicole A. Cooke

    Prologue: Children at Augusta Baker’s Feet, poem by Jennifer Bartell Boykin

    Chapter 1
    Augusta Baker: An Early Advocate for Diverse Books
    Nicole A. Cooke and Michael Weisenburg

    Chapter 2
    Ella Baker at the New York Public Library
    Courtney Becks

    Chapter 3
    Ethel Bolden
    Cynthia Johnson and Cearra Harris

    Chapter 4
    Doris Hargrett Clack: Pioneer, Activist, and Educator
    Wendy Moore

    Chapter 5
    Sweet Resolve: Mayme A. Clayton’s Response to the Precarity of African American Lives and Historical Materials
    Chaitra Powell

    Chapter 6
    Resurgence of a Bibliotherapist: Exploring the Life and Times of Sadie “Sara” Marie Peterson Delaney
    S. Michele Echols

    Chapter 7
    Eliza Atkins Gleason: Researcher, Dean, Advocate*
    LaKeshia Darden

    Chapter 8
    Miriam Matthews and the Legacy of Black Documentation in Los Angeles
    Jesse R. Erickson, Laura E. Helton, and Dalena Hunter

    Chapter 9
    Black Quiet: Continuing the Work of Activist Librarian and Community Advocate Annie L. McPheeters
    Roberta Price Gardner and Morris R. Gardner

    Chapter 10
    Alice Roberts and the Breakdown of Segregation in Northern Library Schools, 1890-1940
    Anthony Cocciolo

    Chapter 11
    A Life of Service: Mattie Herd Roland in Birmingham, Alabama*
    Brooke Becker

    Chapter 12
    A Fulfilling Legacy of Florida Firsts: The Pioneering Impact of Henrietta Mays Smith
    Jason Alston

    Chapter 13
    Exploring Six Decades of Librarianship with Jessie Carney Smith
    Jahala Simuel and Bethany McGowan

    Chapter 14
    Gently Daring: The Story of Anne Bethel Spencer—Poet, Librarian, Gardener, and Activist
    Shaina V. Anderson

    Chapter 15
    Lucille C. Thomas: Championing Diversity Through Library Leadership
    Taina Evans

    Chapter 16
    Charlemae Hill Rollins: Out of One, Many
    LaVerne Gray

    Epilogue: Charlemae Rollins at the Willard School, 1955, poem by Jennifer Bartell Boykin

    Afterword: Black Women—The Resilient Force Uplifting All, by Aisha M. Johnson

    About the Editor and Contributors

    Index

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