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Regina Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian

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1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, Andrews fought for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism and battled institutional restrictions confining African American librarians to only a few neighborhoods within New York City.

Andrews also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library. After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and playwright helped establish the Harlem Experimental Theater, where she wrote plays about lynching, passing, and the Underground Railroad.

Ethelene Whitmire's new biography offers the first full-length study of Andrews's activism and pioneering work with the NYPL. Whitmire's portrait of her sustained efforts to break down barriers reveals Andrews's legacy and places her within the NYPL's larger history.

| Cover Title Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Chicago: The Beginning 2. Normal, Illinois; Chicago; Wilberforce, and Chicago Public Library 3. Harmlem Renaissance Women and 580 St. Nicholas Avenue 4. Marriage 5. The Harlem Experimental Theatre 6. The New York Public Library 7. International Flights 8. Mahopac, New York Notes Index | Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation, Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), 2015. Wheatley Book Award for First Nonfiction, Harlem Book Fair and QBR: The Black Book Review, 2015. — Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA)
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation, Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), 2015. Wheatley Book Award for First Nonfiction, Harlem Book Fair and QBR: The Black Book Review, 2015. — Harlem Book Fair and QBR: The Black Book Review
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Ethelene Whitmire is an associate professor of library and information studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2014

      Whitmire (library and information studies, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison) has written the first biography of African American librarian Regina Anderson Andrews (1901-93), who worked during the 1920s at the New York Public Library's (NYPL) 135th Street Branch in Harlem. There, Andrews befriended many writers--Langston Hughes, for example; connected them with the library; and hosted salons with her roommates. The character Mary in Carl Van Vechten's controversial novel Nigger Heaven was largely based on Andrews at this time. She also helped found the Harlem Experimental Theatre, which rehearsed in the basement of the library, and wrote many one-act plays. Although Andrews struggled for years to earn promotions, she eventually held the position of director of the Washington Heights Branch, becoming the first African American to lead a library in the NYPL system. Andrews was a fascinating librarian, and this biography seems too short (perhaps Andrews' collection of papers could not provide a fuller portrait). VERDICT Librarians, library school students, and fans of the Harlem Renaissance will enjoy this book, although they may wish for more context about the significant role of librarians in social and cultural movements.--Kate Stewart, American Folklife Ctr., Washington, DC

      Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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