The legacy of black women in librarianship

CHICAGO — 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, “The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship: When They Dared to Be Powerful” is a powerful work of archival storytelling that will inspire readers both inside and outside of the library field. Inside this stirring and timely collection, edited by Nicole A. Cooke for ALA Neal-Schuman's Critical Cultural Information Studies series, readers will discover the important stories of many trailblazing Black women who fought racism, sexism, and other hardships in their libraries and communities to become leaders of our profession. 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.

Examination copies are available for instructors who are interested in adopting this title for course use.

Cooke, PhD, MEd, MLS, is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and a professor at the School of Information Science at the University of South Carolina. She was named a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal in 2007, received the 2016 ALA Equality Award, and was honored with the 2017 ALA Achievement in Library Diversity Research Award, presented by the Office for Diversity and Literacy Outreach Services (ODLODS). She was the Illinois Library Association’s 2019 Intellectual Freedom Award winner, recognizing her work in combating online hate and bullying in LIS, and she was selected as the Association for Library and Information Science Education’s 2019 Excellence in Teaching award winner. In 2021, she was presented with the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award by the University of South Carolina; in 2022, the Black Caucus of ALA granted her their Advocate Award; and in 2024, ALA presented her with the Lippincott Award. Founding editor of ALA Neal-Schuman’s Critical Cultural Information Studies book series, Cooke has published numerous articles and book chapters. Her books include "Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-truth Era," and the forthcoming works "Information Services to Diverse Populations, Second Edition" and "Foundations of Social Justice."

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