159:, Rachel Jewell Davis was the daughter of Susan Davis (later Susan Johnson) and Jerry Davis. She was a graduate of Central High School in 1885. In Louisville, the illiteracy rate for blacks was very high in comparison to whites: 18.7% for blacks, 1.7% for whites. With a high school degree, Harris became a member of the upper echelon of the black Louisville community. Upon graduating, she began her career as a teacher from 1885 to 1903. During this time, Davis married the Rev. Everett G. Harris, pastor of the black Plymouth Congregational Church, and they had one son.
183:, Harris was hired as assistant librarian of the branch in 1905. Blue's passion for providing library services to the local black community influenced Harris to also push for more outreach, as well. The two librarians were Louisville's first black public librarians, acting as pioneers in creating a new municipal service for the black community in Louisville. Both were avid leaders in southern librarianship, actively writing and publishing articles locally and nationally.
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an apprenticeship training program for individuals interested in working in libraries around the state. Many of the apprentices went on to work at the
Western and Eastern Colored Branches. By 1924, 37 local black women had participated and received training from Harris and Blue. The program's success continued to reaffirm Harris' status in the Louisville African American and library communities.
222:. The building was named after Harris in recognition of her outreach efforts to Louisville's African American youth. Despite her retirement in 1942, Harris continued to be an avid supporter of library services in the black community in Louisville. Her knowledge encouraged many young black female librarians to be just as passionate regarding social issues and activism for local communities.
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develop classroom book collections that supported the curriculum being taught, culling on her years working as a teacher. Her early years taught her the importance of the availability of having access to reading material outside the classroom that was both entertaining and educational along with the need for classroom collections of books.
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Harris had a lasting impact on children's librarianship in
Louisville and across the South. Her encouragement in the Western Branch to increase youth services marked her as one of the so-called "matriarchal profession" of librarians that introduced youths to folklore, fairy tales, and stories. Harris
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Harris' prominence in the
African American community continued to rise throughout her years working at the Colored Branch. In September 1913, she was named senior assistant in charge of the newly opened Eastern Colored Branch, constructed with Carnegie funds. Alongside Blue, Harris began conducting
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Working at the
Colored Branch in Louisville, Harris gravitated toward working with youths in outreach programs. She established story times on a weekly basis, boys' and girls' clubs, and school visits to promote the library to school children. Harris also worked with school faculty in Louisville to
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When we look back now at the time of our beginning we see that our fears were unfounded. Our people only needed an opportunity and encouragement. The success of the branch has exceeded the hope of the most sanguine of those interested in its organization, and we feel justly proud of those results
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also followed in the pattern of the librarian as an educated, middle-class woman that served her community via encouraging development by focusing on the needs of children and their education. In this way, Harris assisted in the
211:. Harris continued to work with schools to expand collections and services in Louisville and Jefferson County. By 1923, 58 classroom collections had been established in 30 school buildings with Harris' influence.
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In five years, Harris' outreach project was deemed a success. Harris' efforts had increased book circulations from 18,000 to 55,000 in her five-year tenure, allowing her to conclude:
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Blue died in 1935, allowing Harris to take his seat as head librarian of the
Colored Branch. As head of the division, she worked with members of a Louisville community named
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to establish a sub-branch situated in a rented space of a private residence. In 1954, this library was replaced by a full branch in the new
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Malone, Cheryl (April 2000). "Books for Black
Children: Public Library Collections in Louisville and Nashville, 1915–1925".
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143:. She promoted library outreach to youths and equitable access to library services in the black community during the
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127:(January 10, 1869 – September 22, 1969) was an American librarian and activist. She was an influential female
399:"Rachel Davis Harris and the Colored Branches of the Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, Kentucky"
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Harris, Rachel (September 24, 1969). "Mrs. Harris, Ex-Librarian, Is Dead at 100".
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426:"Work with Children at the Colored Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library"
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484:. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois-Champaign. pp. 141–50.
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African
American Archives, Western Branch, Louisville Free Public Library
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460:"Midwife, Witch, and Woman-Child: Metaphor for a Matriarchal Profession"
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368:"Quiet Pioneers: Black Women Public Librarians in the Segregated South"
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Her fame allowed her to open new branches for
African Americans in
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Untold
Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship
253:"Number: 095-42-6739; Issue State: New York; Issue Date: 1964"
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Library Work with
Children: Reprints of Papers and Addresses
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Pierce, Lizzie. "A Tribute to Mrs. Rachel D. Harris".
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Louisville Free Public Library, Western Colored Branch
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312:. No. September 24, 1969 (page 12 of 45).
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259:. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
287:. University Press of Kentucky. p. 370.
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85:Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky)
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131:director and children's librarian of the
537:American librarianship and human rights
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557:American women civil rights activists
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562:20th-century African-American people
567:20th-century African-American women
467:Story: From Fireplace to Cyberspace
403:Little Known Black Librarian Facts
397:Michelle, Fenton (28 April 2014).
281:John E. Kleber (5 February 2015).
175:as a result of investment made by
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517:People from Louisville, Kentucky
542:American civil rights activists
405:. Little Known Black Facts, Inc
235:that spread across the nation.
366:Malone, Cheryl (Spring 2000).
284:The Encyclopedia of Louisville
169:Louisville Free Public Library
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522:African-American librarians
110:John Everett Harris (son)
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532:American women librarians
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179:. Alongside her mentor,
424:Harris, Rachel (1917).
139:libraries built in the
102:Rev. E.G. Harris (1893)
480:Smith, Jessie (1998).
458:Hearne, Betsy (1998).
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173:Western Colored Branch
141:southern United States
333:The Library Quarterly
233:Civil Rights Movement
220:Cotter Homes Project
209:Georgetown, Kentucky
181:Thomas Fountain Blue
157:Louisville, Kentucky
53:Louisville, Kentucky
527:American librarians
498:Rachel Davis Harris
310:The Courier Journal
135:, one of the first
125:Rachel Davis Harris
112:William Henry Davis
94:librarian, activist
39:Rachel Jewell Davis
20:Rachel Davis Harris
372:Vitae Scholasticae
64:September 22, 1969
294:978-0-8131-4974-5
205:Roanoke, Virginia
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66:(1969-09-22)
552:1969 deaths
547:1869 births
409:27 November
171:opened the
151:Early years
73:Nationality
511:Categories
339:(2): 182.
318:1867396118
239:References
195:attained.
137:segregated
114:(brother)
45:1869-01-10
378:(1): 64.
353:144856969
263:28 August
107:Relatives
81:Education
469:: 37–51.
314:ProQuest
216:Parkland
155:Born in
145:Jim Crow
76:American
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226:Legacy
163:Career
118:nephew
99:Spouse
55:, U.S.
463:(PDF)
349:S2CID
147:era.
411:2015
289:ISBN
265:2019
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61:Died
35:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
