Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ann Allen Shockley: An Activist-­Librarian For Black Special Collections, Shaundra Walker

Library Faculty Scholarship

While Ann Allen Shockley’s literary career has received a wealth of critique, her work as a librarian and her writings about Black Special Collections have not received as much analysis. When viewed through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Shockley emerges as an activist- librarian, one worthy of further study and consideration. Her writing and instruction on Black special collections highlight the liberatory potential of collection building to address the marginalization that traditional cataloging and classification systems impose on materials about the experiences of Black people. When applied to collection building practices, CRT reveals the ways in which Shockley’s …