Memories of Public Libraries in Oral Histories of Accomplished Black Professionals: Methods of Finding the Library in the Life of the User.

I mined 503 oral histories of prominent Black Americans for their memories of public libraries in the twentieth-century United States. I then analyzed testimonies to produce a "prosopography of sentiment": aggregated data demonstrating how members of this demographic group in general felt about libr...

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Publicado en:Information & Culture Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 109 - 145
Autor principal: Knowlton, Steven A.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: University of Texas Press 2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Memories of Public Libraries in Oral Histories of Accomplished Black Professionals: Methods of Finding the Library in the Life of the User.
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        au: Knowlton, Steven A.
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        Public libraries
        Black people
        Oral history
        Reading
        Maturation (Psychology)
        20th century United States history
        Segregation
        Black history
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          Public libraries
          Black people
          Oral history
          Reading
          Maturation (Psychology)
          20th century United States history
          Segregation
          Black history
      ab: I mined 503 oral histories of prominent Black Americans for their memories of public libraries in the twentieth-century United States. I then analyzed testimonies to produce a "prosopography of sentiment": aggregated data demonstrating how members of this demographic group in general felt about libraries. The most common themes were "reading as a pleasurable activity," "library as a source to explore Black culture or develop Black pride," and "library as a site for personal growth or maturation." The most common theme with unpleasant emotional valence was "stories related to segregation or discrimination." Most memories occurred during reporters' childhoods or adolescences. The percentage of stories with unpleasant emotional valence declines significantly from the 1920s to the 1970s and as the population of the city increases. Within this demographic group, memories of the library often confirm the stereotypes that library advocates tend to promote.
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