Entrance of Carter G. Woodson Regional LibrarySource: Beth Loch, CPL
Dr. Carter G. WoodsonDr. Carter G. Woodson. Chicago Public Library, George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives.
Woodson portrait unveiling ceremony on the 112th birthday of Dr. Woodson, December 19, 1987Chicago Public Library, Hall Branch Archives
Harsh Archives addition/renovation groundbreaking, June 27, 1996Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library Archives
Vivian Gordon Harsh, the first Chicago Public Library African American library headChicago Public Library, Hall Branch Archives
Main entrance to George Cleveland Hall Branch libraryChicago Public Library, Hall Branch Archives
Negro History Week flyer, February 10, 1935Chicago Public Library, Hall Branch Archives, box 5
Exterior of Harsh Research Collection at Woodson RegionalSource: Beth Loch, CPL
This month Carter G. Woodson Regional Library celebrates two important birthdays on December 19; let's honor them for this Throwback Thursday. The library marks its 40th year of service to the city, and it's the 140th birth anniversary of the building's namesake, Carter Godwin Woodson.
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library opened December 19, 1975, in a two-story building that also houses the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, the largest collection of its kind in the Midwest. The archive originated at George Cleveland Hall Branch, where branch head Vivian Harsh started her "Special Negro Collection" in the 1930s. In 1998, an 11,000-square-foot wing was added to expand the Harsh Research Collection at Woodson; the expanded collection opened January 25, 1999.
Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was a prolific writer known as the father of African American historiography. In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro History and Life, since renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The organization celebrated its centennial this year.
Woodson made numerous contributions to the study of African American history and culture. In 1926, he proposed and established an annual observance, Negro History Week. This event grew into the nationally celebrated African American History Month held each February. His legacy is reflected in the library's African American Heritage Collection and the Harsh Research Collection
Additional Resources
This Carter G. Woodson biography discusses how Woodson founded the Journal of Negro History, wrote and edited numerous books and publications, and through his research and writing established black history as a legitimate field of inquiry.
Browse the online resource African-American History Online, which covers more than 500 years of the African American experience, featuring biographies, events and topics, images, videos and primary sources.
Pero Gaglo Dagbovie's The Early Black History Movement, Carter G. Woodson, and Lorenzo Johnston Greene examines the lives, work and contributions of two of the most important figures of the early black history movement.
View the Chicago Public Library Archives, George Cleveland Hall Branch Library Archives for a history of the library and the origins of the Harsh Research Collection, which moved to Woodson Regional Library in 1975.
And finally…visit Woodson Regional Library to experience our artwork, events and archive, and talk with our helpful staff. Check out upcoming events at Woodson for upcoming events. Stay tuned for information about a lecture in January and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Harsh Collection on March 26.
Add a comment to: #TBT: It’s a Double Woodson Birthday Celebration!