The Library Division houses the Center's secondary sources and is responsible for collecting and preserving published and printed materials. These include the Center's books, newspapers, serials, theses, and dissertations. The Division is comprised of the Reference and Reader Services Department, which manages public service operations, and the Technical Services and Automation Department, which manages acquisitions and cataloging. The Library Division also sponsors regular public programs, produces reference materials such as resource guides and subject bibliographies, prepares exhibitions and displays to highlight holdings and support Center programs, and provides tours by appointment to interested individuals or groups.
The Library Division is rich in the works of African American and African scholars, statesmen, poets, novelists, entertainers, educators and historians. The major collections are the Jesse E. Moorland Collection, the Arthur B. Spingarn Collection, and the African Collection. Among the Division's holdings are many rare works, dating from the 16th century, by such notables as Juan Latino, Jacobus Capitein, Gustavus Vassa, Phillis Wheatley, Jupiter Hammon, David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Delaney. The collections are particularly strong in first editions and first works by early 20th century contemporary writers, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Richard Wright, Alice Walker, Nicolas Guillen, Wole Soyinka, James Baldwin, Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrison, and Amiri Baraka. Special resources within the Division's collections include the newspaper collection, the periodical collection, the vertical file collection, the extensive collection of theses and dissertations, the Howardiana Collection and an exceptional collection of rare books.
The Reference and Reader Services Department houses all books, serials and other printed and published materials at the Center and manages public service operations in the Library Division. This department houses and services: the Moorland, the Spingarn, and the African book collections; the newspaper collection on microfilm and in hard copy; the current and retrospective periodicals; an extensive collection of theses and dissertations; the vertical file collection; a unique collection of Howardiana; and the rare books. Because materials do not leave the Reading Room, researchers make the best use of the Center by working in the building. Telephone and mail inquiries are serviced by an experienced staff, and electronic reference inquiries are handled through regular mail. No original materials are provided through Interlibrary Loan.
Several guides and lists are available in the Reading Room to assist researchers in using the collection, including regulations for using the Library Division, information about how to request materials, a list of fees for services, and Center histories in abbreviated and full-length versions. (These materials are also available by mail upon request with a self-addressed, stamped envelope).
The Technical Services and Acquisitions Department is responsible for securing acquisitions, handling cataloging and managing automation projects. The objective for this non-public service department is to provide and process the materials for research use and to maintain control of collections.
Acquisitions are secured through purchases from the Center's budget and through gifts to the Center from generous donors. The technical processes of cataloging and classifying materials and physically preparing books and other items for the shelves are also handled in this department.
Automation projects which maintain control over various collections in the Library Division are produced and managed by Technical Service and Automation staff. In addition to the databases, checklists and card files are also maintained by the department.
The FOCUS Series features people and issues of importance to the Black experience and highlights the resources at the Center which document these people and issues. The series was inaugurated during African American History Month 1993. FOCUS provides a casual setting for the periodic presentation of informal lectures, presentations, and discussions of interest to the University community. Admission is free, but seating may be limited.
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The Dorothy Porter Wesley Forum and Lecture are presented in honor of National Library Week during April of each year. Both programs are usually held on Friday of the designated week. The Forum is held in the morning and features professionals in a discussion of library issues or library education-related topics. The formal Lecture takes place in the afternoon, and the speaker is usually a librarian in the position to impart a significant message of interest to people in the library profession and to the general public. The Lecture was initiated in 1989 and the Forum in 1990. Dorothy Porter Wesley (1905-1995) was appointed the librarian of the Moorland Foundation in 1930 and served as curator of the collections until 1973.