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History of the Colored Branch "Colored Branch Library Work in Louisville"
History of the Colored Branch "Colored Branch Library Work in Louisville" American Liberty League. 400dpi TIFF G4 page images Digital Library Services, University of Kentucky Libraries Lexington, Kentucky LFP_rblue_2_06_02 These pages may freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. History of the Colored Branch "Colored Branch Library Work in Louisville" American Liberty League. Louisville Free Public Library Louisville, Ky unknown Is Part of the Reverend Thomas F. Blue Papers, ca. 1905-1935 housed at the Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, KY. This electronic text file was created by Optical Character Recognition (OCR). No corrections have been made to the OCR-ed text and no editing has been done to the content of the original document. Encoding has been done through an automated process using the recommendations for Level 1 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines. Digital page images are linked to the text file. ■Mr. T-ioraas P. Blue, librarian of the Colored Branches of the Louisville Free Public Library was born at Farraville, Va. He was educated at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute and the Richmond Theological Seminary, graduating from the latter in the class of !98 with the degree of Bachelor of Divinity. During the Spanish-American war,Mr. Blue served as Association Array Secretary of the Sixth Virginia Regiment, Vols. He was secretary of the Louisville Y.M.C.A., 1899 - 1905. For the past nine years he has been a member of the Committee of Management and treasurer of the Colored Branch of the Louisville Y.M.C.A. In September 1905 when the Western Colored Bffanbh of the Louisville Free Public Library was established, Mr. Blue was appointed librarian. As a recognition of efficiency and faithful service he has been appointed librarian of the new Eastern Colored Branch in addition to his former duties. He is courteous, obliging and untiring in his efforts to render every service for the pleasure and convenience of the many patrons of the library. He is held in the highest esteem by both white and colored people in the city of Louisville and is popular with all classes. He is identified with all the religious, social and moral movements for the improvement of the race. A very deserving compliment was paid to Mr. Blue by Mr. Geo. T. Settle, chief librarian of the Louisville Froe Public Library, wh* said," Mr. Blue is especially fitted for the position which he so admirably fills as the librarian of the colored branch libraries T. ?. B. and is as much admired by white peoi-le as he is by members of his Mr. Blue has the distinction of being the first colored man to bi appointed librarian of a public library for negroes in the United States. The first colored branch of the Louisville Free Public Library was opened in iem J ry quarters Sept, 23rd., 1905 and the new building completed and opened on Oct. 28th., 1908. first institution of the kind in existence. It was the The library contains 10,046 volumes and receives 91 current periodicals. four home use. In eight years 404,122 volumes have been borrowed The library serves as a reference library for the High School, Ward Schools and other educational institutions in the city. Information is looked up on all kinds of topics and all sorts of practical questions. Since the opening of the library information on 12,034 subjects has been looked u_: and 20,571 persons have been assisted in reference work by the library. The library also serves as an educational and social center. Aside from furnishing facts and circulating books, the library er-coura^es and assists all efforts to an educational end and the advancement of our people in the city. The following clubs meat regularly in the building: Banneker. Reading Club, Normal Alumni, Dunbar Literary, Pisk Olub, Sunday School Training Class, Girls1 Reading Olub, Wilberforce Club, Douglass Debating Club, Y.W.S.A. and Story hour. The library conducts an apprentice class for those desiring to enter library service. Applicants are required to pass an examination and then put in three months actual work in the library in all departments. This course has been taken by nine persons \ The work at the western Colored Branch has been so successful that the Library Trustees have established a second colored branch in the eastern part of the city, which was opened Jan. 28th. Louisville long enjoyed the distinction of having the only colored branch in the country: it now has the distinction of being the only city having two colored branches. The library buildings are among the best in the country and adapted for social as well as library uses. The cost of the two libraries including sites and equipments t was $£8,495. The library staff consists of five persons with three trained substitutes.