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An institutional need…
January 19, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
One of our fellow collectors recently made the following inquiry seeking missing issues of an African-American newspaper from North Carolina. Not having any magical answers for him, I offer his request to all our customers in hopes someone might have a lead or suggestion. Feel free to respond through this blog. African-American Newspaper--Durham, North Carolina I've been casually interested in old newspapers and magazines for a number of years, and have regularly used them in my university classes (I recently retired as a professor of environmental policy at Duke, and often used them to document early conservation struggles.) A few weeks ago, I got involved in a volunteer project at the historical collection of the Durham, NC county library, indexing microfilmed copies of a weekly African-American newspaper called the Carolina Times, published between 1927 and the present. The content, especially in the 1930s and 1940s, is amazing. I had known a fair amount of Durham history, but was taken aback by the many specific injustices documented even here (supposedly one of the South's most progressive cities) in the Jim Crow era. There is much original research still to be done, and the newspaper provides a vivid counterpoint to the local white media, which are also available. Unfortunately, our microfilm lacks all issues between 1927 to 1937 and 1944-48. Also missing is the early version of the paper, the Durham Standard Advertiser, 1919-1927. Extensive searching reveals that no other library in the country has these issues, in any format (everyone has the same, incomplete, microfilm). I've used all my research skills to try to track them down, without success. It would be a real contribution to both Durham history and African-American history to make this missing material available to scholars and others. Might you have any ideas? Private collectors? Archives that would not show up in the usual searches of libraries or internet troves. Peak circulation was 20,000 (in the 1940s) so it is not a completely obscure title. The paper's offices burned in 1975, so the original archive was lost. I can really recommend this kind of material to anyone interested in modern history. Any help with my own quest would be appreciated.Obama Wins… What newspapers provide…
November 5, 2008 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
Regardless of your view on the recent U.S. election, one thing is for certain: Barack Obama's victory was a very significant and historic event! If you collect historic newspapers you've been able to follow the
progression of African Americans - from slavery, through the early rumblings of the abolitionist/anti-slavery movement, into the struggle for emancipation (both officially and pragmatically), to achieve the right to vote, followed by the struggle of the civil rights movement, and finally, to the top and most honored position of all - The President of the United States. It has been a long and hard-fought struggle, but thanks to all that has made our country great, it was a struggle with hope. The realization of this hope has set the stage for a new era in this great experiment in self-government. The melting pot is working, evolving the United States into a country where there are no African-American, Latino-American, Anglo-American, Mexican-American, etc. citizenry, but rather, one united citizenry poised to return to the great American Dream founded on the principles wisely set forth by our forefathers and supported by the many men and women who have given their lives in the cause of this great hope... And it has been and will continue to be chronicled passionately in rare and historic newspapers.
Note: To all those who have African American and/or slavery/anti-slavery newspaper collections: Don't forget to obtain a USA Today, Washington Post, or similar newspaper containing the election results. Although it may not have siginificant financial value at the moment, my guess is there are many who have gone before us whom would declare it "PRICELESS". :)