Schomburg Public Programs at the Countee Cullen Library collection

1941-1979

The Schomburg Collection, renamed from the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints to commemorate Arthur Schomburg after his death, was first housed in New York Public Library's 135th St. Branch Library, which was renamed the Countee Cullen Library in 1951. The name "Countee Cullen Library" is used throughout this finding aid, although the library has also historically been referred to as the "Countee Cullen Branch" and "Countee Cullen Regional Branch Library."

The following is a chronology of key events in the history of the Schomburg Collection and its home libraries.

Timeline of the Schomburg Collection
• 1905 New York Public Library's (NYPL) 135th Street Branch opens.
• 1920 NYPL librarian Ernestine Rose was assigned to the library to adapt the staff and resources to reflect the burgeoning Black and Puerto Rican communities in the neighborhood. In 1920, she hires NYPL's first Black librarian, Catherine Allen Latimer. NYPL's first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpré, who was also of African descent, is hired in 1922.
• 1924 In December, Ernestine Rose creates a citizens' committee to address underfunding and increasing demand for the collection. The committee elects Arthur Schomburg, James Weldon Johnson, Hubert H. Harrison and John Nail as officers, and the group recommends that the rarest materials be set aside as a reference library. Noted Black collectors such as John E. Bruce, Louise Latimer, Hubert Harrison, George Young, and Dr. Charles D. Martin, in addition to Arthur Schomburg, contribute materials from their private libraries to the new collection, which is named the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints.
• 1925 On May 8, the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints (commonly referred to as "The Negro Division") officially opens in the 135th Street Branch, helmed by reference librarian Catherine Latimer.
• 1926 NYPL, with a Carnegie Corporation grant, acquires Arthur Schomburg's personal collection of more than 5,000 volumes, 3,000 manuscripts, 2,000 art works, and several thousand pamphlets. The acquisition immediately brings international stature to the Negro Division.
• 1932 NYPL hires Arthur Schomburg as curator for the Negro Division, also funded by a Carnegie Corporation grant. Under his direction, and working with Latimer, the division's holdings are expanded and organized, including the start of the first detailed description of its collections.
• 1938 On June 10, Arthur Schomburg dies at 64 in Brooklyn's Madison Park Hospital following dental surgery. In his honor, the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints is renamed the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, History and Prints.
• 1939 Dr. Lawrence D. Reddick, a noted historian and lecturer, is appointed to succeed Schomburg as curator. Under his direction, the library expands into public programming with lecture series, exhibitions, and commemorative events. In 1940, the library also becomes the home of the American Negro Theater.
• 1942 Following a temporary relocation to the Harlem Branch, the Schomburg Collection moves into its new home on the top floor of the new 135th Street Branch building, now on 136th Street.
• 1946 Catherine Latimer retires.
• 1948 Dr. Dorothy Williams (Collings), who had been a cataloger for the Schomburg Collection in 1939 and 1940, becomes the curator for six months before accepting a position with UNESCO. Librarian Jean Blackwell Hutson is subsequently appointed curator.
• 1950 The 25th anniversary of the Schomburg Collection is observed with speakers and an exhibition in NYPL's Central Building on Fifth Avenue in addition to a concert at the 135th Street Branch. Langston Hughes, a friend of Arthur Schomburg, Jean Blackwell Hutson, and the Schomburg Collection, wrote the poem "Prelude to Our Age" for the occasion.
• 1951 The 135th Street Branch becomes the Countee Cullen Library. It is renamed for poet and educator Countee Cullen (1903- 1946), who was a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as a friend and neighbor of the library. The branch occupies the site of a Harlem Renaissance landmark; the townhouse of A'Lelia Walker, which was a gathering place for artists and writers in the 1920s. A'Lelia was the daughter of cosmetics tycoon Madam C. J. Walker.
• 1950s Jean Blackwell Hutson focuses on processing four storerooms of material which had accumulated following Catherine Latimer's retirement, and publicizing the Schomburg Collection to local groups who were previously unaware of its holdings.