Hampton University holds a unique place in library science history through its historical library school. The Hampton Library School was founded in September 1925 by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The first and only library school for Negroes to issue a bachelor's degree in library science was accredited by the Board of Education for Librarianship of the American Library Association and therefore, became a member of the Association of American Library Schools. The library school program lasted until 1939 when it was sadly cut due to lack of funding.
The First Negro Library Conference was organized by Thomas Fountain Blue, a graduate of Hampton Institute and the head of the Louisville Free Libraries Colored Branches. The conference was held in the Museum of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) on March 15-18, 1927. The Carnegie Corporation funded the conference, which was attended by 40 librarians from the South.
Library Conference, Hampton Institute - 1927
In 2018, Hampton University will celebrate 150 years of excellence and this forum will allow the university the opportunity to once again play a unique role in creating opportunities to examine strategies to advance minorities in the LIS field.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant RE-98-17-0099-17.
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