Augusta Baker

Part of a Children, Libraries and Literacy Initiative of USC’s School of Library and Information Science, the chair honors Augusta Braxton Baker, a beloved children’s librarian and storyteller who made South Carolina her home after a 37-year career at the New York Public Library. The first African American Coordinator of Children’s Services within the NY Public Library system, she worked tirelessly throughout her career to diversify the genre of children’s literature and to make books for children and young adults more reflective of the young people who read them. Dr. Baker served as USC’s storyteller-in-residence for 14 years from 1980 to 1994.

As part of expanding Mrs. Baker's legacy, the current Augusta Baker Endowed Chair Dr. Nicole Cooke teaches several SLIS courses, including Diversity in Libraries, Critical Cultural Information Studies, and Storytelling for Social Justice and Advocacy, and she hosts many webinars that feature a stellar lineup of librarians, archivists, and information professionals who work with diverse and otherwise marginalized populations.

The Spring Diversity Lecture Series, AB Kids, #Critical Conversations in LIS, and other webinars take place live online and recordings can be accessed from the corresponding pages of this website. And the annual Augusta Baker Lecture occurs every April.

For more information about Augusta Braxton Baker, please visit the following webpages:

• Augusta Braxton Baker Oral Histories from the University of South Carolina Libraries 

• Black Past: Augusta Braxton Baker