Jean Blackwell Hutson

From 1992 – 2007, the Jean Blackwell Hutson Library Residency Program was a nationally recognized initiative which responded to the lack of diversity in academic libraries.  The program, an early model for the profession, recruited historically underrepresented individuals (African American, Hispanic American and Native American) to the field of academic librarianship.  Participants were offered the opportunity to pursue a Master of Library Science degree, proactive mentoring and professional development opportunities which supported successful entrée to the profession.

The two years of professional experience gained through the program allowed librarians to compete competitively for permanent positions in libraries of their choice.  Graduates of the program are currently employed as faculty at outstanding institutions such as Columbia University, Cornell University, Tulane University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and University of California at Los Angeles.

Recent legal challenges to race-based, Affirmative Action programs have caused the University Libraries to suspend recruitment to the program. For a listing of other residency programs, please visit the Association of Research Libraries Research Library Residency and Internship Programs website.

About Jean Blackwell Hutson

For thirty-two years Jean Blackwell Hutson guided the development of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the world's most comprehensive collection of materials documenting the history and culture of people of African descent. From curator in 1948 to chief until 1980, she worked to acquire, catalogue, and exhibit materials under the auspices of the New York Public Library. She lectured on history at the City College of New York for over a decade and retired in 1984.