bibliophiles

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What is the role of Archivists?

The Purpose of Archivists

Archivists play one of, if not the most important parts when it comes to preserving history. The archives are where historians run to in order to find material for their books, studies, etc. Archives are defined as , “… the official or organized records of governments, public and private institutions and organizations, groups of people and individuals, whatever their date, form and material appearance, which are no longer needed to conduct current business, but are preserved, either as evidence of origins, structures, functions, and activities or because of the value of the information they contain, whether or not they have been transferred to an archival institution.”[1].  I chose this long definition because I believe it encapsulates all that archives are, especially the later half. These archives may not be relevant to modern doings of a given institution, but the ability to reach back into the history of one is important. Reaching into the past in order to build upon the present is an important practice that everyday people should employ, but so should our institutions that control us.

With the importance of archives being stated, what is or is not inside of the archives is just as important. Our society is based on white supremacy and that seeps into every institution just as much as it seeps into our day-to-day social interactions. This is because these institutions are run by a mostly white population that historically are not penalized if they don’t check their biases and assumptions. Leading to only white stories being told from their perspectives. And on the other end, we have an underwhelming amount of BIPOC and Queer records that tell their story from their perspectives. This was not done by accident.

The erasure of American history was not done by accident. Americas foundation was based upon exploitation and oppression. A depressing foundation that if taught and shown, would change people’s perception of society radically. In this source about Black bibliophiles it says, “Another reason the bibliophiles collected books was to correct the record of American history, to rescue… ‘the missing pages of history’…”[2]. There is a whole history of Black people having to archive their own history because the dominant institutions didn’t consider it worthwhile. They would throw it away because it didn’t fit narratives of a great white race or that negroes were dumb.

And that is the power of archives. It needs to represent the total population, so that when we reach back to build upon the present, we get the whole story.

 

[1] Greene, Mark A. “The Power of Meaning: The Archival Mission in the Postmodern Age.” The American Archivist 65, no. 1 (2002): 42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40294188.
ENDNOTE IN TURABIAN – Mark A. Greene, “The Power of Meaning: The Archival Mission in the Postmodern Age,” The American Archivist 65:1 (2002): 42.
[2] Tony Martin, “Bibliophiles, Activists, and Race Men” in Black Bibliophiles and Collectors: Preservers of Black History. Elinor Des Verney Sinnette and W, Paul Coates and Thomas C. Battle (Howard University Press, 1990), 23-34.

Dorothy looking off to the side while getting her picture taken.
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Turning Pages, Keeping Roots

Who is Arturo Alfonso Schomburg?

Arturo was a writer, activist, and a pivotal figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1874 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to a black mother and a white father, Schomburg unfortunately still had to deal with racism and judgment. One of the moments in his life that inspired him to become a bibliophile was when his 5th-grade teacher told him that black people have “no history, no heroes, and no great moments,” this fueled him to be the person he was to inspire others. 

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg sitting for a portrait taken by an unknown photographer at an unknown date.

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg sitting for a portrait taken by an unknown photographer. Circa 1920s-30s. 

James Baldwin, 1964. Photo by Jean-Regis Rouston/Roger Viollet/Getty Images.
James Baldwin, 1964. Photo by Jean-Regis Rouston/Roger Viollet/Getty Images.

What is a Bibliophile?

In simple terms, a bibliophile is someone who collects books just for the love of them or for a certain reason. In this context, the reason would be to preserve history. Besides Mr. Schomburg, a lot of prolific black historical figures were bibliophiles. This could be due to them being the offspring of former enslaved people. James Baldwin is known for being a bibliophile who expresses himself and helps with his own writings. Today, we can see that his love of books, in a way, helped pass down the oral history of Black America in the Roaring ’20s.

Dorothy Porter Wesley

To illustrate the other side of bibliophiles, Dorothy Porter Wesley is a huge example of a “hidden figure” especially for HBCUs. Graduating from Howard University in 1928, and becoming the first black woman to graduate from Columbia University’s School of Library Science (“CONTENTdm” 2025), she made a huge impact on the Black Studies program specifically at Howard University. Wesley managed to turn the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center from a one-room office to an entire library for students and those who want to educate themselves.

Dorothy B. Porter photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1951 ©Van Vechten Trust/Carl Van Vechten Papers Relating to African American Arts and Letters, James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Dorothy B. Porter photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1951 ©Van Vechten Trust/Carl Van Vechten Papers Relating to African American Arts and Letters, James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

How can Bibliophiles help preserve history?

Bibliophiles arguably have one of the most important jobs, especially when it comes to black history. History can come in so many different variations when it comes to literature. Whether it is a book filled with notes and letters from enslaved people or classic books that we see getting banned today, like Beloved by Toni Morrison, it is still history. Bibliophiles take these books and make them more accessible to the public but also keep them safe from getting into the wrong hands and possibly being destroyed. The 3 examples given have performed history as well as produced history. Focusing on Wesley and Schomburg, they has influenced generations of library scientists and archivists by influencing their research and making sure that marginalized voices were included in historical discourse. 

Researchers using the Schomburg Collection, when it was the 135th Street Branch Library Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints, in 1938. Photographs & Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, NYPL.
Researchers using the Schomburg Collection, when it was the 135th Street Branch Library Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints, in 1938. Photographs & Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, NYPL.

Bledsoe, Kara. 2018. “What Dorothy Porter’s Life Meant for Black Studies – JSTOR Daily.” JSTOR Daily. August 22, 2018. https://daily.jstor.org/what-dorothy-porters-life-meant-for-black-studies.

“CONTENTdm.” 2025. Broward.org. 2025. https://digitalarchives.broward.org/digital/collection/p16146coll37.

https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom. 2020. “How Did Arturo Schomburg Preserve African-American History?” ThoughtCo. 2020. https://thoughtco.com/arturo-alfonso-schomburg-biography-45207.

“Schomburg Collection, New York Public Library.” 1968. Rockefeller Brothers Fund. January 3, 1968. https://www.rbf.org/about/our-history/timeline/schomburg-collection-new-york-public-library.