August Baker Research Paper

Augusta Baker is a well-known librarian and widely considered to be “America’s First Lady of traditional storytelling” (Device A., 2012). Augusta was born in 1911 as an only child and received her degree of library science at Albany State Teacher’s College. After college, she worked at the New York Public Library for thirty-seven years. During her time at the New York Public Library, Augusta established her voice as an influential librarian and a gifted storyteller. She helped found the James Weldon Memorial Collection of books for children while working at the Harlem branch. This collection helped to portray African-American children accurately (no small feat given that she was working during the Civil Rights Era). She was also appointed as the storytelling specialist for the New York Public Library and later became the coordinator for children’s services of the New York Public Library (University library rare books and collections, n.d.). …show more content…
This was the first time any such position had existed at a university. She continued in this position from 1980 until 1994 (University library rare books and collections, n.d.). August Baker died in 1998. The Richland Public Library along with the University of South Carolina host an annual festival, the Augusta Baker Dozen: a celebration of stories, in honor of Augusta Baker (Device A., 2012). In addition to the festival honoring the storytelling skills of Augusta Baker, there is special collection of books at the University of South Carolina highlighting Augusta Baker’s important role in children’s literature and