Primary Sources in the School Library

Above is a gift link to a fascinating article by Jennifer Schuesseler in the July 5, 2024, New York Times about "how the women who ran libraries during the Harlem Renaissance built collections, and just as important, communities of writers and readers." It recounts much of the history of Black librarians and the collections dedicated to Black life and literature that they built.

One of my favorite parts of the article tells about how in the 1950s a librarian at Howard University created new subject headings "like passing, Pan-Africanism and the blues" left out of the early Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress subject headings.

It's also a celebration of librarians and the vital work they do in their communities today. Tracie D. Hall, the first female Black executive director of the American Library Association, believes that librarians need to be warriors. And Black librarians, especially. She says,"Because there are so few of us, our work has to be of consequence."

The article also mentions Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden!

A black-and-white photograph of Black men and women gathered around a desk at a library. Two women are seated behind a wooden counter and facing away from the camera. The others are either reading books or filling out forms. In the background are high windows and shelves of books.

In 1925, the New York Public Library system established the first public collection dedicated to Black materials at its 135th Street branch in Harlem, now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Credit...New York Public Library

Library Black librarians New York Public Library

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This webinar features Tom Bober , District Library Coordinator School District of Clayton, MO, and former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress.

From the National Council of History Education: "A picture book that focuses on a historic event or individual can introduce students to a piece of history. Layering in primary sources allows for new engagement and understanding. This webinar will focus on how the pairing of primary sources and picture books in the elementary classroom can enhance the awareness of a historic event or individual, the research process taken by authors of historically based picture books, as well as the author’s or illustrator’s portrayal of history."

This irresistible article warmed my librarian heart! (The gift link I've shared here should let everyone read the article.) It's about an exhibit of author Robert McCloskey's drawings for his children's books - Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings, and others - at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick. The guest of honor was McCloskey's daughter, Sarah McCloskey, who as a child was the inspiration for Sal herself when Blueberries for Sal came out in 1948.

The article describes a delightful experience for Sarah McCloskey and all the children and parents who came to hear her read five of McCloskey's books, as well as to view the corresponding "Art of Wonder" exhibit. The exhibit items were on loan from Emporia State University in Kansas, which owns the archive of McCloskey's longtime editor. Because I received my MLS degree from Emporia, I even felt a fun little personal connection to the exhibit!

I'm going to share this article in the Primary Sources in the School Library group here in the TPS Teachers Network. If you are a librarian, in Maine or elsewhere, please consider joining that group, too!

In this photograph, Sal McCloskey is reading her father's book,

As Sal McCloskey read “One Morning in Maine,” young audience members crept closer and closer. Some followed along in their own copies of the book. Credit...Gin Majka for The New York Times.

Pre K - 2 3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Library Children's Literature