Libraries are one of the few public spaces that are accessible to everyone regardless of income. Families use libraries to socialize with their neighbors and generate a zest for reading in their children; community members can take free classes to advance their personal and professional goals; and students can use the facilities to access computers, archives, and a comfortable space to further their education.
These institutions offer more than books to keep residents educated and engaged. From toolboxes and musical instruments, to bicycles, portable wi-fi hotspots, and even free tickets to local events, libraries can bridge the gap to ensure everyone has access to resources.
The theme of the 2025 celebration of National Library Week is “drawn to the library.” Given the decimation of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, libraries need our support more than ever.
Interested in books for children, (young) adults, parents, or educators with Black protagonists and Black authors? Check out the Books for Black Kids book directory! Over 2,600 listings and counting!
Black Libraries as Liberation: Afro-Centered Spaces of Learning and Legacy
Throughout history, libraries geared toward Black populations have played a key role in empowering communities. Beginning with reading rooms and segregated school libraries, Black libraries furthered scholarship, community, and culture in a time when access to knowledge was scarce. Nowadays, many of these places serve as research centers and community hubs to further the wellbeing of African, Black, and Afro-descendants in the United States and worldwide.
Here is a list of 21 libraries that honor Black history, culture, and community throughout the United States, Africa, and the diaspora:
The Western Library in Louisville, KY, USA
The Western Library, also known as the Western Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, is a key part of Black history. One of the Carnegie libraries, the Western Library is the first public library in the United States created for and entirely staffed by African-Americans. The library opened in 1905 and has been in its current location since 1908. Learn more about the library here.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, NY, USA
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem is one of the world’s premier research institutions dedicated to African-Americans, Africa, and the global Black diaspora. The center stewards over 11 million resources among its five divisions: the Art and Artifacts Division; the Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division; the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division; the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division; and the Photographs and Prints Division. The institute is open to the general public and holds guided tours, exhibitions, readings, discussions, and other events. Read more about the center here.
African Online Digital Library
Created by Michigan State University, the African Online Digital Library is an open access database of African history and culture. The digital library has tens of thousands of pieces and resources, including oral histories, photographs, videos, archives, interviews, and maps. The site’s contributors include dozens of global institutions and over 100 individuals serving as researchers, coders, translators, and more. Learn more about the database here.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture Library in Washington, DC, USA
Located on the 2nd floor of the museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture Library is one of 21 institutions in the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives system. The library provides resources that support research about African-American history and culture, global Black populations, genealogy, and family history. The center is open to public researchers by appointment. Read more about the library here and in this article, Spotlight: National Museum of African American History and Culture Library.
Afrothèque in Dakar, Senegal
Afrothèque is the first library to host books solely from authors in Africa and throughout the diaspora. The library’s 7,000 books represent authors from almost every African country. Read more about the library’s activities and its BBC feature (in French).
The Free Black Women’s Library in New York, NY, USA
Beginning as a mobile library, The Free Black Women’s Library has grown into an empowerment space in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. The center offers over 5,000 books by Black women and non-binary writers as well as resources for the community, such as a free store, backyard garden, period pantry, book clubs and swaps, workshops, film screenings, debate spaces, performances, and several free public programs. Read more about the initiative here.
Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Founded by rapper Fatimah Warner, whose stage name is Noname, the Radical Hood Library is a community space with a focus on “radical” literature and liberation. Its flagstaff initiative is its prison outreach program, in which the library sends books to incarcerated people throughout the country. The library is also the headquarters of the multinational Noname Book Club as well as several events for the community, such as film screenings, “teach ins,” open mic nights, and more. Click here to read about the project and its Teen Vogue feature.
Black Art Library in Detroit, MI, USA
The Black Art Library is a resource for Black artists and Black art aficionados, with over 700 books, brochures, pamphlets, and rare works among its ranks. Starting in 2020 as an online collection, the Black Art Library has evolved over the years to host pop-ups and exhibitions throughout the country. Learn more about the project and the library’s curator and founder, Asmaa Walton and the Black Art Library: Bright Young Librarians.
La Afroteca in Humacao, Puerto Rico
Based in Casa Silvana, La Afroteca is Puerto Rico’s first library to specialize in Afro-Puerto Rican artists and visual arts throughout the diaspora. The library launched in 2023 with over 300 books about Black art from the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Casa Silvana also offers a micro-residency for research, curators, and historians interested in Black art. Click the following links to learn more about the library, Casa Silvana, and the collection (in Spanish).
Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, LA, USA
The Amistad Research Center is the first institution to document the U.S. civil rights era, consequently hosting the largest repository of primary sources about the movement. The center also has one of the best collections of African and African-American paintings and drawings in the country, as well as the largest of its kind in the South. Although it’s an independent repository, it’s currently associated with Tulane University. Learn more about the center here.
The Vancouver Black Library in Vancouver, Canada
The Vancouver Black Library serves as a resource center and workspace for people of color in the community. The community hub promotes Black Canadian culture and facilitates a space in which scholars, artists, and community members can receive emotional, intellectual, and financial support. Read more about the Vancouver Black Library here and in this feature, Vancouver Black Library creates community beyond books.
The Black Library in Monticello, NY, USA
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Located two hours away from New York City, The Black Library is a library and community center that promotes Black history, culture, literature, and art. The Black-authored library is available for general and research purposes, and the community space is designed to be an incubator for local talent and a safe space to promote Black culture and racial justice. Some of the programs available at The Black Library are open mics, educational workshops, art exhibitions, and artist residencies. Learn more about The Black Library here.
Centro Cultural Espacio Afro in Madrid, Spain
The Centro Cultural Espacio Afro is a cultural association that focuses on the African, Black, and Afro-descendent experience in Spain and around the world. One of its many offerings includes the Biblioteca Plantain, an Afro-centric library with books about poetry, antiracism, Pan-African literature, philosophy, film, children’s literature, and more. Learn more about the center here (in Spanish).
Biblioteca Carolina Maria de Jesus at the Museu Afro Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil
Housed in the Museu Afro Brasil, the Biblioteca Carolina Maria de Jesus holds 15,000 resources, including a collection dedicated to slavery, the slave trade, and the abolition of slavery in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. While the library is open to visitors by appointment, about 20 rare works are available in the center’s online catalog. Learn more about this Afro-centric library here.
The Moorland–Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC, USA
The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University is touted as the largest and most comprehensive collection of books, relics, resources, and documents about the global Black experience. One of the university’s major research facilities, the MSRC is located in Founders Library. The library division has over 175,000 books, pamphlets, periodicals, and microforms. The manuscript division is divided into four departments: manuscripts, prints and photographs, oral history, and music. Learn more about the research center here.
African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
The African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) is the third center of its kind in the country. The AARLCC boasts not only an extensive research center and main library, but the center also holds the country’s largest Black-authored children’s library. The library also hosts both virtual and in-person activities for the community, including self-guided tours, virtual 3D models of African artifacts, special exhibitions, and the Africana Arts and Humanities Festival. Learn more about the center here.
Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at the Woodson Regional Library in Chicago, IL, USA
The Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection is the largest archive of African-American history and literature in the Midwest. The resources housed here focus on the Black experience with a strong focus on Chicago’s role in Black history and culture. Visitors must request an appointment to peruse the collection. Read more about the center here.
African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus in Houston, TX, USA
The African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus is located in Houston’s Fourth Ward, the city’s oldest Black community. It is the city’s first library to focus on African-American history and culture, with a particular focus on Houston and Texas. Read more about this Black library here.
Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Denver, CO, USA
The Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library focuses on the history and culture of Black Americans in Colorado and the American West. The center includes a full-service branch library, collection archives, research library, museum, and gallery showcasing local artists. Learn more about the center here.
AWU in Dakar, Senegal
AWU is a library focused on Black feminist thought. The catalog includes English and French-language books written by authors throughout the diaspora. The library also hosts and participates in a range of events, including author discussions and book fairs. Read more about the library here and in this feature (in French).
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History in Atlanta, GA, USA
This is the first library in the Southeastern United States to offer specialized reference and archival collections for the study and research of African-American culture and history. Although the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History opened in 1994, the library’s core collection was created at the Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta in 1921—as Atlanta’s first public library for Black Americans. Learn more about the center here.
Interested in books for children, (young) adults, parents, or educators with Black protagonists and Black authors? Check out the Books for Black Kids book directory! Over 2,600 listings and counting!