Case Study
African American History and Culture Collections
Offers access to archival materials related to African American History and Culture.
The African American collections recount the beginnings of people of African descent in North America and extend through the present. This collection was established by the Randall Burkett whose interest in African American culture amassed material across many different areas of research. This is an academic collection which means it is private to the institution, but their community engagement initiative often invites community collaborators inside the space.
Resources
Black Feminist Archival Continuums: A Digital Remix of the Rita Keegan Archive (Project)
This digital archive is the collection of Rita Keegan. As a Black American scholar with Caribbean and Black-Canadian descent based in London, she has gathered alot of material in the area of history, dress and adornment, and photography. She has helped establish the Brixton Art Gallery, co-founded Copy Art, a group for emerging technologies; founder of the Women Artists of Colour Index; and Director of African and Asian Visual Arts Archive. This digital collection acts a reservoir of materials from a diverse range of experiences under Black feminism.
Assigned Role related to diverse population
African American Collections Curator
This position reports to the Assistant Director of Collection Development and is responsible for the development, management, and promotion of the Rose Library’s collection of African American history and Culture. This librarian should be interested in creating new opportunities of engagement while also extending the research interests of the previous archivists. This individual selects materials for acquisitions and managements a budget aligned with the priorities of the Rose Library, Emory Library, and Emory University.
Strategic representations
African American Art and History Collection, Emory Rose Library
The “About Us” page describes the collection and names some of the items in the collection. It does not list individuals working in this department, nor does it show how big the team is. The diversity statement is found on the library homepage. As a patron you are unable to see how diverse this department is.
Internal department/unit
The staffing of the Archives department is listed on a linked page of the main library. As a patron you are unable to immediately find who works in this department. The Rose Library Staff Directory lists departmental professionals in alphabetical order. It is difficult to locate a staff member who would be specialized to the area of African American History and Culture
News and Events
African American Art and History Collection, Emory Rose Library
I am unable to gain access to this area.
African American Art and History Collection, Emory Rose Library
The News and Events information is linked to the scholar blog page. Each event is listed by most recent or upcoming date with more linked information available. It is easy to navigate and legible. While it is more difficult to find on a mobile device, it is readily available under the about section on the home page.