In honor of National Library Week, the Earl S. Richardson Library will be hosting the first annual Beulah M. Davis Day.
Beulah Davis was the first professionally trained and the second alumni librarian to serve Morgan College. Davis graduated in 1925 then returned in 1926 while completing her degree in Library Science. She remained at Morgan for nearly 40 years.
“In light of Morgan’s 50th anniversary, contributions by people such as Ms. Davis need to be public, remembered and celebrated,” said Ida Jones, the first and current University Archivist.
Beulah M. Davis Day is sponsored in conjunction with the American Library Association, the creators of National Library Week. National Library Week was created in the 1950s, in the wake of declining book sales as radios and television purchases slowly replaced book purchases, according to Jones.
Along with providing a presentation on the life and legacy of Davis, the event will also have games and prizes for attendees. The games will center around questions on Davis, Morgan’s history and black history.
The event will take place in the Beulah Davis Room, which houses the historical information and material documenting Morgan’s history, according to Jones.
“All the items housed in the Davis Room are valuable, irreplaceable, original materials. For example, the personal papers of Dr. Martin D. Jenkins, Emmett D. Scott, Victorine Q. Adams and Dr. Irene are here and available nowhere else in the world,” said Jones.
The Davis Room is located on the third floor of the Richardson Library. The event will be held on April 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to attend.
