John Wesley Cromwell was an influential African American lawyer, educator and activist. He was also an early advocate for a concept librarians and educators still struggle with today: representation of historically marginalized more »
Tag: Black history
In a society that largely relies on motor vehicles for transportation, or even for sport, it may seem difficult to understand why it was so monumental for a plucky twenty-year-old woman to be more »
An activist, a teacher, a poet — Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an extraordinary figure in American history. She was born free in the city of Baltimore in 1825, orphaned at the age more »
This post was researched entirely from materials in the American Art/Portrait Gallery Library collection. Additionally, the images featured in this post are from exhibition pamphlets in James Van der more »
Last year I decided to submit my first proposal for a new Library of Congress Subject (LCSH) term. If you are not familiar with LCSH, consider the last time you more »
In celebration of the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture this weekend, we’ve put together a special digital collection of titles related to the African American experience. Many of these books come from our National Museum of African American History and Culture Library, which will open in the museum later this year. Below are a few highlights from the collection. To see the entire collection, visit Celebrating African American History and Culture in our Digital Library.
Shauna Collier, Librarian for the National Museum of African American History & Culture, contributed this post.
Late last year my dream of becoming the librarian for the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) came true, and a month ago I returned to the Smithsonian Libraries (I worked here years ago as the Anacostia Librarian). After receiving the warmest welcome from my library and museum colleagues, I started receiving the question “So what’s happening with the NMAAHC Library?” Well, it is all still coming together, but I will use this opportunity to give a brief update.