Atlanta University School of Library Service

The Atlanta University School of Library Service received a grant of $150,000 from Carnegie Corporation in 1940; at the time, it was the only library school established for African Americans who sought to be trained in the library sciences. The story of Atlanta University from 1930 through 1950 includes several noteworthy developments. Dr. Virginia Lacy Jones in her essay, "A Dean's Career," in E. J. Josey's book, The Black Librarian in America, said "the Atlanta University School of Library Service began in the fall of 1941 with 25 carefully selected students." In the over 60 years that the school continued to train librarians, Dr. Jones continues,  this institution of higher education “contributed significantly to the development and improvement of African American school libraries in the South.”  In 1988, Atlanta University merged with Clark College to become Clark Atlanta University, a member of the United Negro College Fund.