African American Museum & Library at Oakland audiovisual collection, circa 1950s-circa 2000s

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Summary

Creators:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland
Abstract:
The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection consists of 106 audiocassettes, 72 videotapes, 2 CD-Rs, and 2 seven inch reel audiotapes. The audiovisual collection consists of materials acquired by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, and its predecessor the Northern California Center for Afro-American History & Life. The collection is organized into 16 series by format or subject, and includes recordings of significant African Americans such J. Rupert Picott and Byron Rumford, oral histories with significant African American families and civil rights leaders, and documents various topics related to African American history, culture and experience.
Extent:
7.25 linear feet (5 boxes + 3 audiocassette boxes)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

African American Museum & Library at Oakland audiovisual collection, MS207, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection, assembled by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, contains 106 audiocassettes, 72 videotapes, 2 CD-Rs, and 2 seven inch reel audiotapes on various topics related to African American history, culture and experience. The materials date from the 1950s to 2000s. The bulk of the materials date from the 1990s

Biographical / historical:

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) was organized on July 2, 1965 in the home of Marcella Ford as the East Bay Negro Historical Society (EBNHS). In attendance at the first meeting were the seven founding members of the society: Marcella Ford, Jesse Ford, Eugene Lasartemay, Ruth Lasartemay, E. Harold Mason, Morrie Turner, and Madison Harvey Jr. The society’s mission was to “collect, preserve, record, and disseminate information related to the history, culture and experience, of persons of Black American and African descent, especially those in the East Bay, the State of California and throughout the West.” The society consisted of members, officers, and an executive board and included library, museum, publications and publicity, program, membership, finance, and nomination committees which met on the third Saturday of every month. Initially, the society operated as a unit of the Oakland Unified School District Volunteer Program, with members giving lectures on black history to students that would visit the library and museum. In 1970, the society moved to a storefront located at 3651 Grove Street in Oakland, California and remained there for six years before moving to 4519 Grove St., where it established a museum and library. In 1982, the society was invited into the Golden Gate Branch of the Oakland Public Library, making it the first Oakland library branch with a collection focused on African American history and culture. Following the appointment of Dr. Lawrence Crouchett as its executive director in 1988, the society changed its name to the Northern California Center for Afro-American History & Life (NCCAAHL). In 1994, the City of Oakland and the NCCAAHL merged to create the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO).

Acquisition information:
Audiovisual recordings were assembled by the African American Museum Library at Oakland and retained in the African American Museum Library at Oakland archives.
Processing information:

Processed by Sean Dickerson

Arrangement:

Series I. African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Series II. Binding ties Series III. Campaign spots Series IV. Church services Series V. City council meetings Series VI. Documentary film Series VII. Elihu M. Harris Series VIII. Music Series IX. Oakland Unified School District Series X. Oral histories Series XI. Radio programs Series XII. Slide shows Series XIII. Speeches and lectures Series XIV. Symposia Series XV. Television news Series XVI. Assorted

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.

Preferred citation:

African American Museum & Library at Oakland audiovisual collection, MS207, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Location of this collection:
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612, US
Contact:
(510) 637-0198
aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
Website