An atmosphere of service and freedom: Black libraries in the segregated South, 1905-1952

This study examines the complex relationships between Northern philanthropies, Southern progressives, and Black librarians in the early twentieth century through the study of four Black public libraries. The libraries in Louisville, Kentucky; Atlanta, Georgia; Webster Parish, Louisiana; and Charleston, South Carolina, were established via the support and funding of Southern White allies and Northern philanthropies, but the libraries’ success were due to the creative ways Black librarians used that money and support. Drawing on archival evidence including correspondence and administrative reports from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the General Education Board, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund, this study explores how these philanthropic organizations both collaborated and conflicted with local progressives and Black communities in the segregated South. By situating these libraries within the intersecting histories of philanthropy, race relations, and public institutions, the dissertation uncovers how philanthropic ideals of uplift and efficiency were negotiated on the ground through the efforts of Black librarians who sought equitable access to library resources. The case study of each library incorporates sources such as local newspapers, municipal and library records, documentation from the American Library Association, and personal accounts from the librarians who directed these institutions. These materials reveal both the constraints of segregation and the creative strategies employed by Black librarians to build institutions that pushed back against unequal access and created spaces for education and civic engagement. The dissertation argues that these libraries were not simply gifts of Northern benevolence but products of contested collaboration, where the goals of racial progress, library development, and Southern progressivism converged. Ultimately, this research contributes to broader understandings of how philanthropy, race, and regional politics shaped a distinct space in the social infrastructure of the New South and highlights the role of Black librarians in the broader narrative of racial uplift and community institution building during the first half of the twentieth century.