The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History (AARL), a special library of the Fulton County Library System has partnered with more than 30 organizations around the country - including libraries, museums, colleges, universities, and archives – for “Collections of Culture: 50 Years of Hip Hop Inside Libraries, Museums and Archives.”
As part of the yearlong celebration, funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to the Queens Public Library (QPL) in New York City, participating institutions including the Fulton County Library System will host in-person and virtual programs – including panel discussions, author talks, educational forums, and workshops – examining the genre’s history and influence on American culture and the contributions of its musicians, DJs, dancers, MCs, graffiti artists, stylists, directors, photographers, entrepreneurs, and educators.
The core group of 15 participating institutions includes New York City’s three public library systems (Queens, Brooklyn, and New York Public Libraries), the Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, NY, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District in Las Vegas, Nevada, LA County Library in Los Angeles, California, the Free Library of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, IL, Great Plains Black History Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, Trap Music Museum in Atlanta, GA, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History in Atlanta, GA, Museum of Graffiti in Miami, FL, Black Beauty Archives in New York City, and Black Women Writers Project, online.
Sixteen additional partners will also offer programming as part of the initiative: Archive Alive (online), Black Bottom Archives in Detroit, MI, Black Fashion Archive (online), Georgia State University Library in Atlanta, GA, HTX Hip-Hop Museum in Houston, TX, Mixtape Museum (online), Mount Vernon Public Library in Mt. Vernon, NY, Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, WA, Paul Robeson House & Museum in Philadelphia, PA, Roosevelt Public Library in Roosevelt, NY, SCREWED UP HQ in Houston, TX, VTDITC: Hip Hop Studies at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, William & Mary Hip Hop Collection in Williamsburg, VA, Wyandanch Public Library in Wyandanch, NY, and National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, TN.
The partnerships between libraries, museums, and archives will create broader networks of support, increase inclusivity, and expand access to each institution’s collections, outreach, and expertise in cultural and information sharing.
The initiative will culminate in a two-day summit from August 3-4, in Queens, New York, which aims to further explore the history of hip hop and its expansion into different sectors of society, including higher education, marketing/advertising, other genres of music, social justice, civil rights, economics, etc.
For the multi-organizational 50th anniversary celebration of hip hop, QPL, with the assistance and support of The Gates Preserve, a multimedia hip hop archiving and preservation firm, will support each institution with creating programming and curating a digital archive of each institution’s programs, which in the future will serve as learning tools for educators about hip hop and beyond. The recordings will be cataloged in QPL’s Digital Hip Hop Archive.
The Auburn Avenue Research Library has helped create a #Hip-Hop50 ATL Consortium of some of Atlanta’s most influential figures fighting to continue Hip-Hop’s dominance for another 50 years.
The Consortium includes:
- Alex Acosta - Founder and Director of Soul Food Cypher
- Melissa "Phyllis Iller" Alexander - Curator for Elevate, Photographer, & Filmmaker
- Dr. Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey - Professor at Georgia State University, Specializing in Hip-Hop and Politics, Author of Hip-Hop related books, & Co-host of The Intersection: Where Black Popular Culture Meets Social Justice podcast
- C-Flux Sing - Visual Artist, MC, Muralist, Graphic Design and Illustrations for Hip-Hop Artists’, Host of The Rhyme Animals podcast
- Booker Edwards - Professor at Georgia State University, Record Label Owner, Sound Engineer, & Producer, Co-host of The Intersection: Where Black Popular Culture Meets Social Justice podcast
- Eric Hall & DJ Princess Cut - Co-founders of Scratch Out Loud: DJ Experience
- Konata "DJ Knotts" Nicholson - Co-founder of Hip-Hop Gives Back
- Lamar Stewart - Project Manager for the City of Atlanta's Mayor's Office
- Victor Simmons Jr. - Library Administrator of the Auburn Avenue Research Library
- Dr. Casey Wong - Professor at Georgia State University - Author of books on Hip-Hop, Editor of Hip-Hop Book Series
- Mario “Papi Picasso” Reyes - Spoken Word Poet and Author of A Son With No Father A Book With No Author
- Dr. Maurice Hobson - Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Historian at Georgia State University and Author of The Legend of the Black Mecca: Politics and Class in the Making of Modern Atlanta
- Dr. Regina N. Bradley - Associate English Professor at Kennesaw State University and Author of Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South
- Adlia Halim - Art Curator at the Trap Music Museum
- Andaiye Reeves - Library Manager of the Kirkwood Library of the Fulton County Library System
- Kris Pilcher - Creative Tech Artist & Curator
- Brittany Newberry - Music & Popular Culture Archivist Georgia State University Library
- And more
A calendar of events is available on a platform (https://hiphop50.queenslibrary.org/) designed by Virtual Experience Design Agency (VEDA). Those who register will have access to a built-in custom news feed about the various programs, notifying users about newly added events and updates. Users can also bookmark the events they want to attend. Additional programs will be added to the schedule throughout the duration of the initiative. Programming at all organizations will run through August 2023.
About Auburn Avenue Research Library
Anchoring the west end of the Sweet Auburn historic district, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History (AARL) opened in May 1994 in Atlanta. A special library of the Fulton County Library System, it is the first public library in the Southeast to offer specialized reference and archival collections dedicated to the study and research of African American culture and history and of other peoples of African descent. The mission of The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History is to promote specialized library service, archival resources, and culturally/educationally related activities essential for study and use by the general public, students, and scholars of the culture and history of peoples of African descent. Learn more at www.fulcolibrary.org/auburn-avenue-research-library.
About Fulton County Library System
The Fulton County Library System serves the citizens of Fulton County and the City of Atlanta (including the portion of the city in DeKalb County). It is the largest in the state, with 34 libraries offering innovative programs, services, and virtual resources tailored to meet the needs of the community. Children, teens, and adults may choose from a variety of classes, visit exhibitions, listen to authors discuss their work, check out videos, DVDs, and CDs, attend book club discussions, get homework help, hear music, and see live performances. The Fulton County Library System’s mission is to serve as a cultural and intellectual center that enriches the community and empowers all residents with essential tools for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.fulcolibrary.org.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library (QPL) transforms lives by cultivating personal and intellectual growth and by building strong communities. It is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country.
An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5.4 million books and other materials in 200 languages, technology, and digital resources. For more information, visit www.queenslibrary.org.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.
About The Gates Preserve
The Gates Preserve (TGP) is a multimedia company committed to archiving, preserving, and repurposing Hip-Hop such that it lasts forever. To learn more, visit www.thegatespreserve.com.
