'The Sage of Negro Bibliography': Daniel A. P. Murray, the Librarian as Public Intellectual

摘要

Employed at the Library of Congress for more than a half century (1871-1923), Daniel Alexander Payne Murray (1852-1925) was the institution's first African American professional. His life and work engage four themes in African American history. First, Murray and his network of public intellectuals debated the most pressing social, political, and cultural issues of the time. Murray scrutinized African American literacy, history, and bibliography, on racial science, and on industrial work. He also embarked upon an African American encyclopedia. Second, Murray's life and work showed the combustible intersection of class and race that often cleaved the black community as they debated the best strategies to achieve full citizenship in Jim Crow America. Third, as a professional librarian, Murray engaged the public sphere, marshaling his intellectual authority in service of racial uplift. Finally, Murray adds to our understanding of African American social, cultural, professional, and political life in Washington, DC.