4 African American Library Collections and Services at the University of Florida by Stephanie Birch

Abstract: This chapter provides an overview of the University of Florida Libraries’ efforts to collect and maintain materials to support the advancement of research and instruction in African American Studies. It offers insight into the role and function of the library system at the University of Florida, concentrating on the evolving practices of academic librarianship and long-term support for African American Studies. The Libraries’ collection development efforts began in the 1970s, with a more robust collection program beginning in the early 2000s. Today, the Libraries manage substantial holdings in African American Studies in the special, circulating, and online collections, which are enriched by cross-campus and community-oriented collaboration.

The African American Studies Program at the University of Florida is supported by the University of Florida Libraries’ robust collection development and management programs, through which Library personnel strive to the meet the information needs of a campus-wide network of interdisciplinary students, faculty, and staff researching Black experiences, histories, and cultures. Like other modern academic libraries, the University of Florida library system sits at the epicenter of academic life, delivering far more than books on shelves. This chapter explores the many ways in which the UF Libraries have and continue to support the advancement of African American Studies, through collection management, research support services, instruction, grantsmanship, public programming, and community engagement.

Overview of the University of Florida Libraries

The University of Florida’s library system is a consortium of disciplinary-focused and multi-disciplinary library branches, providing continuous access to primary, secondary, and tertiary sources to support curricular and research needs across the institution. The library system maintains seven on-campus libraries and two off-site storage and office facilities. The de-centralized organization of the UF Libraries’ on-campus branches expands the spatial reach of the library personnel and collections. The branches of the UF Libraries are Architecture and Fine Arts, Education, Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, Science and Engineering, and Special and Area Studies. The UF Libraries employ over 80 faculty librarians, each leveraging subject and/or functional expertise to enhance research and learning at the University of Florida.

The UF Libraries off-site facilities provide temporary and permanent storage for collection materials, as well as space for behind-the-scenes library units, including Preservation and Digital Support Services. The Libraries’ off-site facilities also house the Florida Educational Repository Collection (FLARE), a “statewide shared collection of low use print materials from academic libraries in Florida (“Florida Academic Repository,” n.d.). In addition to physical collections and spaces, the UF Libraries maintain the UF Digital Collections (UFDC) platform, hosting “more than 300 digital collections, containing over 14 million pages (“University of Florida Digital Collections,” n.d.). UFDC hosts major digital collections like the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Archive and the UF Institutional Repository. It also provides permanent, shared access to digital content at other institutions, such as the Digital Library of the Caribbean (DLoC).

Library Operations

The University library system is comprised of complex ecosystem of front-end and back-end operations. Front-end services focus on patron services, such as circulation, reference and research assistance, instruction, course and electronic reserves, exhibits, and outreach. Throughout the years, the library system has continuously evolved and expanded to support established and emerging scholarly disciplines, while also integrating and adapting to advancements in library practices and technologies.

History of the Libraries

The University Library system dates to 1905. At that time, there were two library collections maintained in Thomas Hall: the main collection and an agricultural collection. Within a few years, the University Library expanded to include disciplinary collections in education, law, botany, zoology, physics, and engineering (Kisling, n.d.-c). In 1925, the University’s first library building was erected (Kisling, n.d.-b). Today, the original building is known as Smathers Library, which houses the Special Collections and Area Studies Department.

In the post-war era, the scope of the Libraries’ collections rapidly broadened in tandem with the expansion of the University’s curricular offerings. At this time, the Libraries developed new collections for rare book, archival, and Latin American and Caribbean materials (Kisling, n.d.-c). In 1967, the Graduate Research Library opened and was renamed as Library West in 1970. Today, Library West houses the Humanities and Social Sciences collections, as well as several administrative departments. Later, in 1987, several departmental library branches were combined into one Central Science Library, now called the Marston Science Library (Kisling, n.d.-a). The University Libraries continued to expand in the 1980s through the development of the African Studies and Judaica Libraries. The University’s first digital library collection launched in 2000, laying the foundation for the UF Digital Collections (UFDC) that exist today.

African American Collections History

The collection of African American library materials did not begin until the 1970s. According to a survey of library holdings from 1974, the UF Libraries’ African American Collection consisted of then-current “monographs and scholarly publications on Black music, theatre, and literatures” with an emphasis on Black popular culture and—specifically—reflections on the Harlem Renaissance (Renz, 1974, p. 28). The early collection prioritized Humanities research but did include some major Social Science materials. Some of the major microfilm acquisitions at the time were from the Schomburg Collections and long-standing Black newspapers from Detroit and Baltimore, as well as several “radical” Black newspapers.

According to University Historian Carl Van Ness, during the 1970s library workers transferred African American Studies materials from the circulating collection to rare books (Van Ness, personal communication, 2020, February 6). The apparent reason for the transfer was to protect these materials from being stolen, defaced, or destroyed. Some of these titles remain in the Rare Books Collection today and are now considered to be rare or uncommon books. In the early 2000s, the Libraries gained significant momentum to further develop its African American Special Collection holdings.

Influential Librarians, Archivists, and Curators: Past & Present

Since the early 2000s, the Libraries have allocated resources to develop collections in the field of African American Studies. These resources include the appointment of dedicated subject experts. Over the two decades, expert librarians, archivists, and curators have shaped the Libraries’ collections, as well as programs centered around instruction and outreach. In turn, these individuals have (and continue) to influence and bolster African American Studies research and instruction at UF.

Joel Buchanan (2004 – 2010)

Joel Buchanan worked for the UF Libraries in the Special Collections and Area Studies Library. He was instrumental in cultivating relationships with local community members and organizations to ensure the preservation of Gainesville’s African American histories and archival materials. In addition to his leadership in the collections development, Joel also supported African American Studies faculty and students through research assistance, lectures, and public programs.

Today, the Libraries host a digital archive of African American Oral History named in Joel’s honor. The Joel Buchanan Archive is comprised of recordings and transcripts from the Samuel Proctor Oral History program. His work with the Program in the 1980s to record interviews with local African American residents laid the foundation for the vast collection that exists today, which to date contains over 1,000 interviews.

Jana Ronan (2010 – 2016)

After 2010, Jana Ronan served as the Libraries’ liaison to the African American Studies Program until 2016. Her work contributed to the development of a robust interdisciplinary circulating collection, which was largely concentrated in Library West (Humanities and Social Sciences). Ronan was later appointed Chair of Library West. Today, she serves as the History Librarian and liaison to the University Honors Program.

Stephanie Birch (2016 – present)

Following the establishment of the African American Studies Bachelor’s degree program in 2013, I became the University of Florida’s first African American Studies Librarian. The creation of this position signaled a change in the Libraries’ priorities towards the advancement of African American Studies as a field and commitment to increasing representation of African American experiences, histories, and cultures across the collections.

I employ a collaborative approach to supporting African American Studies and interdisciplinary scholarship at UF by partnering with my library colleagues within and beyond the institution. My professional responsibilities include collection development and management, research instruction, reference, and research consultation services, as well as community outreach and engagement to promote the Libraries’ African American collections, resources, and programs.

Florence Turcotte (2017 – present)

Since 2005, Florence Turcotte has served as the UF Libraries’ Literary Collections Archivist in the Special Collections and Area Studies Department. During this time, Turcotte’s role has expanded to include LGBTQ and Women’s Studies Special Collections, and, in 2017, African American Special Collections. During her tenure, Florence has contributed to several major African American acquisition projects, including the Bo Diddley and James Haskins Collections and the Zora Neale Hurston Papers. Under her careful stewardship, the African American Special Collections safeguard over 300 linear feet of archival materials and objects, organized into over 650 boxes. Included within these collections are numerous vulnerable and unique materials documenting African American communities and experiences across Florida.

Library Partners

While I serve as the African American Studies subject specialist and program liaison, I also actively collaborate with other library employees and departments to develop and manage the Libraries’ African American collection holdings. Within the UF Libraries, there are more than 80 subject specialists, many of whom contribute their skills, expertise, and time to enhancing the Libraries’ interdisciplinary collections. Access to collection materials is supported by library staff in a myriad of behind-the-scenes departments, which perform such essential duties as acquisitions, cataloguing, preservation, course reserves, user services, digital production services, and e-resources.

Collections Overview

The UF Libraries collections house a broad range of materials relating to African American experiences, including African American cultural materials and ephemera and African American Studies scholarship. African American experiences are presented in different formats, including print, digital, and microfilm/microfiche. The Libraries’ collection holdings are dispersed across the Libraries’ many branches and facilities. However, most information about African Americans is shelved in Library West (Humanities and Social Sciences) and Smathers Library (Special and Area Studies Collections). For the purposes of this chapter, I will be categorizing materials into collection type: general, special, and digital. Here, general collections refer to circulating and reserved materials, while special collections refer to distinguished circulating and non-circulating collections, many containing rare, archival, and/or manuscript materials.

General Collections

The general collection utilizes the Library of Congress Classification (LC and Library of Congress Subject Heading [LSCH]) systems. While systems support the discoverability of library materials, it also presents increasingly complex challenges for interdisciplinary scholars. The LC system was developing circa 1900 and is used widely by academic libraries (Howard and Knowlton, 2019, p. 74). This shared system allows institutions to link collections together to facilitate shared access and cross-institutional borrowing.

However, the LC system was not designed to support disciplines like African American Studies. The system is organized into 21 basic classes is based on an early 20^th century understanding of the information universe. As such, the classes are organized around the fundamental disciplines of the time (for example, History, Philosophy, etc.). To put it simply, there is no class for African American Studies. Instead, information about and pertaining to African Americans and Black peoples are disbursed across the classes, though information is often concentrated within subclasses of Class E: History of the Americas (Department of Cataloging and Acquisitions, n.d.). Specifically, there are three call ranges where African American Studies materials are frequently catalogued:

• E184.5-185.98 Afro-Americans
• E185.2-185.89 Status and development since emancipation
• E185.96-185.98 Biography. Genealogy

While the concentration of these materials makes it easier for patrons to browse the shelves, information about African Americans that falls beyond the scope of the E Class and the Afro-American History subclass can be difficult to locate. This is where the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) come into play. Each catalogue record is assigned a unique call number, as well as list of subject headings. This creates what is called “linked data,” which connects virtual threads across the catalogue and help users find related sources in different classes. The LCSH system uses a “controlled vocabulary” or a shared, authorized system of language. This creates consistency in phrasing and spelling.

To demonstrate the breadth and disbursal of the general collection holdings of African American Studies-related materials, I conducted a sample catalog search. I search the phrase “African American” (in quotation marks), using the subject heading search field in the UF Library catalogue. The search generated over 30,000 results, with over 28,000 titles available in UF library locations or online. (Note: Discrepancies in the visible search results versus actual print and eBook holdings is likely due to catalog records automatically populated through the Libraries patron-driven and demand-driven acquisitions systems, whereby eBook titles appear that are not yet owned by Library. The PDA and DDA systems trigger the purchase of titles once a patron(s) has viewed that record three times.) The sample search (see Table 4.1) provides a baseline understanding of the size of the Libraries’ African American collection holdings and the different shelving locations.

Table 4.1: “African American” Subject Heading Sample Search Results.  

Shelving Location	# of Records
Library West	12,610
eBook	7,628
Smathers Library	2,747
Education Library	1,201
Legal Information Center	1,044
Off-Site Storage	995
UF Lab School Library	861
Architecture & Fine Arts Library	740
Health Science Center Libraries	130
UFDC & Online Dissertations	128
Affiliate Libraries	43
Marston Science Library	14
Total	28,141

The records returned via the sample search each contain at least one subject heading with the phrase “African Americans.” It is important to note that there are dozens of LC Subject Headings pertaining to information about African American histories, cultures, and experiences. Therefore, it is likely that not all pertinent catalog records appeared in the search results. The sample search excludes many of the archival and manuscript materials located in the Special Collections and Area Studies Department. The number of titles available and the number of records per shelving location will change as the collection grows and new titles are added. Each year, the general collection grows larger.

Major African American Special Collections

Separate from the general collection are special collection materials, which reside in Smathers Library. In total, there are 28 special collections within the “African American, Civil Rights, and Slavery” subject category. These collections vary greatly in size and scope. To access materials in these collections, patrons must browse the finding aid and contact the Special Collections and Area Studies Department (SASC) to plan a visit to the Smathers Library Grand Reading Room. Some of these collections have been partially or fully digitized and are available for free and open access via UFDC. The list of special collection finding aids is available on the SASC website.

The A. Quinn Jones Collection is named after a prominent African American educator who lived and worked in Gainesville, Florida from 1921 until his passing in 1997. It documents his work and life, “concentrating on Lincoln High School and the Great Bethel AME Church” (Douglas, 2017). The collection also contains papers relating to the Florida State Teachers Association and the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools, among others. The collection documents Black life in Gainesville and Florida from 1901 to 2007, as recorded in newspaper clippings, correspondence, family papers, photographs, memorabilia, and more.

The Papers of the Black Student Union (BSU) Collection documents the organizational history of the BSU. Established in 1968, the BSU was “founded as a support system and social organization” for Black students at the University of Florida (Coates, 2019). In 1971, BSU students took historic action at the University to demand, among other things, increases in Black student enrollment, support for Black Studies education, and the recruitment of Black faculty, staff, and administrators. On April 15, 1971, BSU students organized protests and sit-ins that led to the arrest and suspension of 60 students. These events are now remembered as the Black Thursday protests. The BSU Collection is comprised of organizational records from 1974-2010. It includes documents pertaining to organizational business, such as financial records and budgets, meeting minutes and agendas, and sponsored events.

The James S. Haskins Collection contains the personal and professional papers of the prolific African American author for whom it is named. In addition to his rich literary career, Haskins worked as a professor in the UF Department of English from 1977-2005. The collection contains copies of his published works and original manuscripts, unpublished manuscripts, essays and speeches, and correspondences, as well as his personal library collection (Duckworth, 2015). Some of Haskins’ most noteworthy works are Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher (1969), Cotton Club (1977), and his many biographies on African American public figures.

The Papers of Zora Neale Hurston Collection contains a wealth of documentation pertaining to Hurston’s life and work. Today, Hurston is heralded as a renowned author, folklorist, and anthropologist. However, her final days were marred by hardship and poverty. Tossed into a fire, Hurston’s papers were badly singed and nearly lost altogether. Most of the collection is in fragile condition from the fire damage and has been encapsulated in velum to prevent further deterioration (Special and Area Studies Collection, 2008). The collection includes correspondences, manuscripts, fieldnotes, and biographical materials. The UF Libraries does not maintain the only Zora Neale Hurston archival and manuscript collection. Other collections of varying sizes and scopes are maintained by the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and Yale University Libraries.

Special Collections with Significant African American Holdings

In addition to the 28 African American Special Collections, there are many other special and area studies collection with materials pertaining to African Americans. While these collections are not directly focused on acquiring information about or by African Americans, they do include relevant subcollections or significant holdings.

The Baldwin Library of Historic Children’s Literature is a world-class collection of historic and contemporary children’s books, including a robust selection of works by Black authors and illustrators writing for children and young adult audiences. It also includes historic books from the 18^th and 19^th centuries which depict racist representations of African and African-descended peoples. The collection of these controversial materials is important to research in the development and perpetuation of racial stereotypes through popular literature. Materials in this collection are non-circulating, but many titles exist in the public domain and are digitized in UFDC.

The Latin American & Caribbean Studies Collection (LACC) maintains both circulating general collection materials and a few special collections pertaining to African Americans and the African Diaspora. The general collection supports interdisciplinary and transnational Black Studies scholarship. African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latinx materials are integrated into the LACC circulating collection, thus bolstering the visibility of Black histories, experiences, cultures, and identities within Latin American and Caribbean Studies scholarship. LACC also contains four separate colonial archival collections pertaining to slavery in the Caribbean, with papers from Saint Dominique, Haiti, and France (“Latin American and Caribbean Collection,” n.d.).

The Popular Culture Collections contains two subcollections significant to African American Studies. Firstly, the Jim Liversidge Collection focuses on American pop culture history from 1900-2013. It contains documents, audiovisual materials, and memorabilia from many African American films, television shows, and theatrical productions (“Jim Liversidge Collection,” n.d.). Secondly, the Belknap Collection for Performing Arts is an archival collection of 19^th and 20^th century music and theater (“Belknap Collection,” n.d.). The collection includes creative works by African Americans such as playbills, sheet music, recordings, and more.

The Rare Books Collection is an eclectic mix of unique and hard-to-find materials. This collection contains the early African American Studies Collection, which was relocated and removed from circulation in the 1970s for the protection of these materials. Today, the Rare Books Collection selection of African American materials “traces Black experiences in literature, culture, and politics from the eve of the American Revolution to the present day” (Weijer, n.d.). The selections are categories into two broad themes: early African American literature and African American political culture.

Online Resources

With advancements in library technologies, much of the African American Studies research conducted at the University of Florida is supported by digital resources. These resources include digitized and born-digital content.

Digital Collections

The UF Digital Collections (UFDC) are comprised of over 300 digital collections. Within UFDC, there are several subcollections pertaining to African American Studies including digitized Special and Area Studies Collection content. UFDC hosts several collections relevant to African American Studies research and curriculum. Among these collections is the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Collection, which contains the Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History. The Buchanan Archive is an ever-growing collection of near 1,000 interview recordings and transcripts on African Americans experiences in the Gulf South. Another substantial collection is the Digital Library of the Caribbean (DLoC), a cooperative digital library of Caribbean resources supported by 82 partnering institutions. DLoC provides digital access to a wide range of subcollections, including the Vodou Archive and the U.S. Virgin Islands History and Culture Project. UFDC also hosts the Florida Digital Newspaper Library, which contains historic African American newspapers from Jacksonville and Tampa.

Databases & Journals

Among the most in-demand library resources are online databases and journals. Access to these resources is available to University affiliates (including students, faculty, and staff) through subscriptions and access fees paid by the Libraries. Numerous African American Studies journals (for example, The Black Scholar and the Journal of Black Studies) are available through large multidisciplinary databases, like EBSCO, Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, and ProQuest. Additionally, the Libraries subscribe to specialty databases focused on African American experiences, such as the African American Biographical Database, 19^th Century African American Newspapers, and the Black Studies Center.

Research Support Services and Instruction

Since 2016, with the creation of the African American Studies Librarian position, library patrons have been able to consult a subject specialist for assistance in locating resources and information in this area. In my four years at UF, I have supported African American Studies research by faculty, students, and staff through in-depth research consultations, library instruction sessions, and the development of a comprehensive library research guide.

For underrepresented and marginalized users, academic libraries at predominantly white institutions can be uninviting places where oppressive systems are replicated. My role as the African American Studies Librarian compels me to consistently combat user’s library anxiety through strategic and purposeful librarianship practices. Users experience library anxiety for many reasons, one source being the professional standards of organizing and classifying information.

The disbursal of materials across the LC classes often leads to confusion and makes the search process time consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, when employing search techniques, users often encounter (and are compelled to use) racially and culturally insensitive subject heading terms and phrases. The centralization of whiteness within the LC systems contributes to the library anxiety that users, especially African American and underrepresented students, frequently experience when doing research (Howard and Knowlton, 2019, p. 78). As a result, my approach to instruction, consultation, and resource development is always shifting to adapt to users’ unique and evolving needs.

Each semester, I facilitate library research instruction sessions and workshops with African American Studies and cross-listed courses. Using student-centered pedagogies, my instruction sessions aim to foster students’ confidence in their abilities to navigate the research process and produce high-quality, independent scholarship (Campbell & Birch, 2018). My instruction sessions are informed by the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015), as well as student-centered and democratic teaching practices. Within these sessions (Table 4.2), students gain a fundamental understanding of the library system, what resources and information are available to users, and how to access that information for their projects. Students also learn about the social science research process, as well as strategies to manage their projects and avoid information fatigue. Each session is tailored to address course themes and assignments.

Table 4.2. African American Studies & Interdisciplinary Library Instruction Statistics, 2016-2020.

Academic Year	Sessions Taught
2016-2017	6
2017-2018	7
2018-2019	10
2019-2020	5
Total	28

Library instruction sessions are a powerful tool for building a rapport with African American Studies students. As a result, these sessions often lead to one-on-one research consultations after the fact, in which students receive direct support. Students are also often referred directly to me from their instructor. Alternatively, I work directly with course instructors to coordinate an embedded librarianship experience whereby I engage with students at multiple points during the semester and/or students are required to seek consultation as part of their grade.

Through research consultations (Table 4.3), students can workshop their ideas and receive individualized assistance in crafting and executing their research assignments. The research consultation is my opportunity, as a librarian, to teach library-searching skills and build students’ confidence and comfortability as library users. This process is collaborative, whereby students are treated as experts in their own learning. Their expertise is complemented by my own subject and professional expertise. This approach to consultations shifts the power dynamic away from me as the librarian and establishes an even playing field for discussing and exploring research ideas, thus helping the students to understand that research is a conversation and to find their scholarly voice (Ford, 2019, p. 605).

Table 4.3: Research Consultation Statistics, 2016-2020.

Academic Year	Consultation Conducted
2016-2017	40
2017-2018	81
2018-2019	29
2019-2020	45
Total	195

My instructional and consultation pedagogies greatly inform my approach to developing online African American library resources. Libraries often utilize LibGuides (also called library or research guides) to compile themed content to help users quickly locate library information and resources. Over the years, I have created multiple LibGuides on various topics, including mass incarceration, oral history, and open resources for K-12 teachers on African and African American experiences. However, my primary LibGuide is the African American Library Resource Guide, which is a one-stop shop for accessing African American library collections and materials, as well as core African American Studies databases and journals.

The LibGuide also replicates some information introduced to students through instruction or research consultation sessions. It includes a page on the research process and resources for project, time, and citation management. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to remote learning, usages statistics for the African American Library Resources Guide has dramatically increased from the previous year (Table 4.4).

Table 4.4: African American Library Resource LibGuide Usage Statistics, 2016-2020.  

Academic Year	LibGuide Views
2016-2017	1,212
2017-2018	1,417
2018-2019	1,560
2019-2020	3,727
Total	7,916

The guide also features project exploration resources for students struggling to identify a topic of interest to them. One particularly unique feature of this LibGuide is the “Community Resources” page, which connects students to campus and local services (for example, mental health resources, crisis centers, reproductive health clinics, and food pantries) to support their overall wellbeing. The LibGuide is intended to teach students who have not participated in an African American Studies library instruction or research consultation session.

Grantsmanship

In addition to collections management, research support services, and instruction, the UF Libraries are actively engaged in grant-seeking to facilitate the exploration of innovative research and collaborative opportunities. Under the leadership of the Libraries’ Grants Manager, Bess de Farber, library faculty and staff have won numerous awards to advance the African American library collection’s development, research, and outreach. Librarians also frequently serve as principal investigators and project team members for internal and external grant projects. Leveraging their subject expertise, practical skillsets, and a wide-casting net of professional relationships, librarians are key partners in the development and implementation of successful grant projects.

Enhancing the Legacy Digital Collections of the SPOHP for Improved User Access

This 2019-2020 project was funded by the Libraries’ Strategic Opportunities Grant to comprehensively optimize the content discoverability of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Programs’ collection in UFDC (Birch, 2019). The project team developed and implemented a new collection structure and metadata scheme to support the rapidly growing collection, which contains a substantial number of digitized and born-digital African American oral histories. As a result of this project, the project team developed a model for re-structuring ineffective digital collections while also laying the groundwork for major external grant-seeking efforts.

Digital Publishing on Black Life and History Collaborative Meeting

This 2019-2020 pilot project leveraged the positionality of the UF Libraries to connect people with Black heritage information and digital humanities resources. The focus of the project was to facilitate collaborative encounters in a workshop environment between scholars, cultural heritage professionals, and community members towards the development of a sustainable and community-centered Black digital humanities pedagogy (Birch, 2020). Funded by a Libraries’ Strategic Opportunities Grant, the project was a partnered effort between the UF Libraries, the AFRO Publishing Without Walls initiative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network.

Film on a Boat: Digitizing Historical Newspapers of the Caribbean

This ongoing project is funded by the Council on Library Information Resources’ Digitizing Hidden Collections grant program, which has awarded approximately $20 million in aid since 2015 (“Digitizing Hidden Collections”, n.d.). In partnership with the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, the UF Libraries is engaged in a three-year project to digitize Caribbean newspaper content published in Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico (Durant et al., 2018). Digitized content will be hosted in UFDC with free open access and will support transnational Black Studies scholarship.

Intersections: Research-into-Teaching Grants

In 2018, the UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere and the UF Libraries awarded in $120,000 in re-granted funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In total, four projects were awarded, each including librarians as key leaders or partners (Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, n.d.). Two of the awarded projects relate to African American Studies research and curriculum at UF: Intersections on Black & Latinx Global Identities and Intersections on Mass Incarceration.

Exhibitions

The UF Libraries’ exhibitions program provides an opportunity for members of the local and campus communities to engage with library resources and materials in new ways. The purpose of the Libraries’ exhibition program is to “promote interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching and stimulate intellectual curiosity (“Exhibits,” n.d.). Led by Exhibits Director, Lourdes Santamaria-Wheeler, the UF Libraries offer a robust annual program of physical and online exhibits. Since 2018, there have been several exhibitions focused on African American histories.

Racism, Representation, and Resistance in Children’s Literature, 1800–2015 (Alteri et al., 2018) examines the perpetuation of racial stereotypes as presented in historical children’s literature through derogatory modes of illustrations, characterization, and dialect. It also explores the impact of Black authors who challenged and subverted prevailing racist representations and ideologies in the early 20^th century. Initially displayed in the Smathers Library gallery from August 13 to October 5, 2018, this exhibition continues to be available in an online format. It features materials from the UF Baldwin Library of Historic Children’s Literature.

The Black Florida Educators: Secret Social Justice Advocates, 1920–1960 (Houchen et al., 2018) exhibition (see Figures 4.1 and 4.2) was a curatorial collaboration between the UF Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations (CSRRR), the City of Gainesville’s A. Quinn Jones Museum and Cultural Center, and the UF Libraries. The exhibition was on display in the Smathers Library gallery from October 22 to December 18, 2018 and is accessible as an online exhibition. It commemorates the 60^th anniversary of desegregation at the University of Florida and celebrates the hidden histories of Black educators under de jure segregation.

 

 

Black Thursday: UF’s Black Campus Movement (Birch et al., 2020) is an online-only exhibition that was launched in June 2020. It details an organized sit-in by the UF Black Student Union in 1971, as documented in the UF student newspaper, The Alligator. The UF Libraries maintains a full run of The Alligator (now The Independent Florida Alligator) from 1912 to the present in print, microfilm, and/or digitized formats.

The Libraries’ exhibition program aims to support course curricula and student learning. African American Studies classes have toured library exhibitions to engage with primary archival resources and enhance classroom discussions of course topics and themes. While most of the Libraries’ exhibitions are curated by library and teaching faculty and showcase library resources and materials, the Libraries also partner with outside organizations to bring traveling exhibitions to the University.

Looking Forward

In the next 50 years, the Libraries will remain a key partner in the advancement of African American Studies research and instruction at the University of Florida. Through collections, resources, services, and collaborative research, the UF Libraries ensure continued support for African American Studies Program faculty, students, and staff, as well as the broader campus and local communities. Ongoing and increased collaboration between library specialists and African American Studies personnel will be an essential component in the Program’s transition to a departmental structure. As African American Studies continues to grow and flourish at UF, the Libraries’ collections must grow in tandem to support emerging research, the expansion of undergraduate course offerings, and the eventual establishment of graduate degree programs.

Through transformative collaboration with instructional faculty and the community-at-large, the Libraries will continue to pursue several ongoing initiatives and objects. Through the annual acquisitions program, I seek to increase the representation of Black voices within the Libraries’ collections. The Libraries will also continue to enhance the visibility of its African American collections and resources through the curation of physical and online exhibitions, the coordination and facilitation of dynamic public programs, and the pursuit of digital library and scholarship initiatives.

 

References

Alteri, S., Birch, S., Huet, H., & Santamaria-Wheeler, L. (2018). Racism, Representation, and Resistance in Children’s Literature, 1800-2015. University of Florida Libraries. http://exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu/RacismRepresentation/

Baldwin Library of Historic Children’s Literature (n.d.). University of Florida Libraries. https://library-baldwin.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/

Belknap Collection for the Performing Arts (n.d.). University of Florida Libraries. https://library-popular.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/performing-arts-collection/

Birch, S. (2019). Fixer-Uppers: Restructuring an Inefficient Digital Collection [Conference presentation]. Digital Library Federation Forum, Tampa, FL, United States.

Birch, S. (2020). Digital Collaborations Workshop on Black History in Florida: Final Report. University of Florida Libraries. https://ufdc.ufl.edu/IR00011157/00001

Birch, S. (n.d.). African American Studies Library Resource Guide. University of Florida Libraries. https://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/aas

Birch, S., Ronan, J., & Santamaria-Wheeler, L. (2020). Black Thursday: UF’s Black Campus Movement. University of Florida Libraries. http://exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu/BlackThursdayUF

Campbell, L. & Birch, S. (2018). Meeting Students’ Goals: Practicing Learning-Centered Library Instruction [Conference presentation]. Florida Association of College & Research Libraries Conference, Ft. Myers, FL, United States.

Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (n.d.) UF Intersections. University of Florida. https://intersections.humanities.ufl.edu/

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