This image is the cover for the book Dorothy Porter Wesley at Howard University, American Heritage

Dorothy Porter Wesley at Howard University, American Heritage

When Dorothy Burnett joined the library staff at Howard University in 1928, she was given a mandate to administer a library of Negro life and history. The school purchased the Arthur B. Spingarn Collection in 1946, along with other collections, and Burnett, who would later become Dorothy Porter Wesley, helped create a world-class archive known as the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and cemented her place as an immensely important figure in the preservation of African American history. Wesley's zeal for unearthing materials related to African American history earned her the name of "Shopping Bag Lady." Join author, historian and former Howard University librarian Janet Sims-Wood as she charts the award-winning and distinguished career of an iconic archivist.

Janet Sims-Woods, Charlynn Spencer Pyne PhD, Dr. Thomas C. Battle, Mr. Howard Dodson

Dr. Janet Sims-Wood is the former chief librarian of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. She currently serves as an associate librarian at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. She was a founding associate editor of SAGE: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women. Janet currently serves as national vice-president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. She has won numerous awards and grants for her research in African American history. Dr. Thomas C. Battle is the retired director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. He is a librarian and historian and has served as a consultant to several history-based projects including America I Am: The African American Imprint. Dr. Battle is the co-editor of "Black Bibliophiles and Collectors, " published by Howard University Press and "Legacy: Treasures of Black History, " published by National Geographic. Dr. Howard Dodson is the director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and Howard University Library System. He is the former chief of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. He holds honorary degrees from several universities including Villanova University (2007). An author and lecturer, Dr. Dodson is the author of "In Motion, " the companion book to the website In Motion: The African American Migration Experience, published by National Geographic.

The History Press