Digital Research Resources: Arturo Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

A former BookMatch Teen Intern at BPL, Elani is currently interning at Central Library's Youth Wing during her college’s field work term. 

I was fortunate to have manifested an interest in archives and history during the pandemic and less so due to the fact that many museums, archives, and historical centers had decided to close or limit their patrons. Even though some are still open to the public, as an out of state college student I don’t have the luxury to go out and visit them regularly. Digital archives are useful especially when you’re a student and/or aren’t currently located near specialized archives. 

An officially declared National Historic Landmark, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. It was named in honor of Arturo Alphonso Schomburg, an Afro-Puerto Rican historian who during his lifetime collected materials and documented the attainments of people of the African diaspora. Arturo Schomburg had an interest in Black history since before the 5th grade, when he had asked one of his teachers about Black history and was told that “there was none, that there were no notable people of African descent, and that Black history held no achievements. Rather than being deflated by this rude and demoralizing response, he turned it into his lifelong passion, and we benefit from his passion and commitment.” Schomburg’s interest in collection centered on the global Black experience was preceded by his allegiance to Puerto Rican and Cuban independence groups. But once the Spanish American War ended and the Cuban Revolution Party was dissolved, Schomburg recentered his efforts on supporting Black identity and preserving its culture in New York City. After amassing a collection of more than 10,000 items related to Black history, many collectors had reached out to him wanting to buy pieces off him from his own personal collection. I find it respectable that he had declined and sold them to the New York Public Library so that they could remain available for the public’s viewing. 

As someone with an interest in learning about Afro-Latine culture, I’m interested in studying both the African and Latin American diaspora. As an Afro-Dominican woman, I’ve been working towards educating myself on my background as well as the complex histories of Latin America. I’ve always been aware of resources to aid in furthering my education about it. Even at college, I learn closely with professors of Latin American history and literature. It was only until recently when I began to take the initiative to educate myself on Black Studies. I’ve been connecting with the Afro-Latine side of my family and that's where this interest originated. Being able to understand the world from an African perspective, connecting and critiquing the forms of inequality, and gaining a nuanced understanding of African Americans' historical, political, and cultural impact are also reasons pushing me towards my education . The studying of Afro-Latin American History is a nascent field, and I feel that gaining an understanding of both histories separately will help me when connecting them.

The NYPL webpage provides free public access to the Digital Schomburg; a compilation of articles, digital exhibitions, photographs, audio and video streams, historical projects, and external links for research in the history and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora curated by Schomburg staff and librarians. I want to specifically bring attention to the Schomburg Syllabus and Digital Collections which have been the guiding tools in my personal self-directed learning. Housing staff-curated readings and over 1,000 collections online and more than 17,000 digitized items in The New York Public Library's digital collections, it's the perfect space to completely engross yourself in your learning. Recently, I’ve been scouring the Library and Information Science Syllabus’ Black Excellence in LIS Science and Critical Race & Digital Studies sections. Every linked syllabus redirects you to a spreadsheet for easy access to the linked articles. A few podcasts are also included for listening on the go. I’m grateful for all that the Center and its digital archives have aided me with. Whether or not you have an active interest in archives or Black History, I highly recommend taking some time to look at these resources and appreciate them.