The purpose of this study was to survey Black academic libraries in small towns of the South and to develop an historical analysis of their library service practices to the Black community. The period, 1940-1970, was used in order to show the patterns and trends of these library practices. / The criteria for selection of Black academic libraries were based on population densities of the towns in which each Black institution was located. The 1940 census data were used to identify towns of 35,000 or less. Twenty-five Black private and public academic libraries met the criteria. Data were collected from a mail survey from Black academic library directors. The information obtained was analyzed in three categories: historical, user population and services provided, and the present status of the library program. An hypothesis was used as a guide for one aspect of this study. It was hypothesized that both Black private and public academic libraries provided the same library services to the Black community. / The data revealed that Black public academic libraries had significantly fewer community based library programs than Black private academic libraries. The latter played an advocacy role among children and young adults, while the Black public academic libraries tended to serve and sustain the reading interests of persons thirty-five years old and older. Moreover, the main reason for establishing a library service program was to expose the Black community to educational and cultural opportunities denied them from the public library. Exposure to library materials was through reference assistance and various Black history programs rather than through the circulation of books or the use of audiovisual materials. The user population was mainly public school teachers, their students, and former students of the Black institution. / During the latter part of the 1960s, Black academic libraries began to experience a decline in use from the Black community due to the removal of racial barriers from public libraries. This phenomenon could be seen from the description given of the Talladega College library program which remained in operation for twenty-eight years. Yet forty-four percent of Black academic library directors agreed that long established social practices, location of the Black academic libraries, and the public library's inability to meet the needs of the Black community were factors contributing to the continued use of their libraries. In addition, public libraries in the Deep South were cited as having fewer outreach programs to bring Blacks into the mainstream of public library use. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4203. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74322 |
| Contributors | TAYLOR, CAROLE RHUNETTE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 199 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0054 seconds