In Silence or Indifference

Wayne A. Wiegand is F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies Emeritus at Florida State University. Often referred to as ""the Dean of American library historians,"" he is author of many scholarly articles and books, including Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey; Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library; and American Public School Librarianship: A History.

Wayne Wiegand has taken our blinders. Whether silent or indifferent, our professional association--and the library field at large--ignored the effects of segregation on school libraries and librarians. Many thanks to Dr. Wiegand for this important and revealing work.--Patricia Glass Schuman, past president of the American Library Association An important and gravely thought-provoking look at when, where, and how the library profession failed a disenfranchised people.--Candace Lewis, founding librarian, UCLA Rae Lee Siporin LGBTQ+ Library Dr. Wiegand has done a masterful job documenting the racist practices found in public school libraries and perpetrated by White librarians on Black school children and Black school librarians in the Jim Crow South. It is very disturbing that the national professional library community provided little support for Black school librarians and students when, in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education found that separate education was not equal education. Although the implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 motivated some integration of public school libraries, the lack of significant progress demonstrated the profession's resistance to this movement. It is important that the profession acknowledge this history and ensure that, in moving forward, we dedicate ourselves to providing collections and services that reflect the life experiences of Black students and all other students that we serve.--Susan Hildreth, Institute of Museum and Library Services director, 2011-2015, and California state librarian, 2004-2009