I heard on the news that the NAACP is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and I'm looking for information about them. What do you have?

The NAACP is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! In conjunction with national anniversary, the local Baltimore Branch of the NAACP is also celebrating its 97th anniversary. The Enoch Pratt Library is currently co-sponsoring an exhibit of the local branch’s memorabilia and photographs at our Central Library. After exploring the exhibit, you are invited to have a look at the exhibit booklet that presents a brief pictorial timeline of the branch’s history.

If you are looking more specifically for information on the national history such as the organization’s beginnings and global impact, one good place to start would be with the newly published NAACP 100: Celebrating a Century 100 Years in Pictures which gives a thorough and moving account of the organization through its images and words. The African American Department can also help with finding information in the vertical file and in our collection.

A student has a list of ten African American scientists and needs to find biographical information and a photo. Where should you direct them?

For a comprehensive list of African American scientists, Blacks in Science and Medicine is the recommended resource. It lists over 1500 biographies, which include birth and death dates, specialties, education, employment, and organizations. The range of coverage is wide, extensive and tremendously useful.

The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Scientists includes an extensive list of scientists, including biographical information and pictures. Scientists are organized by profession or name.

For research about African American scientists, Notable Black American Scientists contains a rich source of information from colonial time until present. The entry begins with basic information about each subject--name, year of birth and death (if deceased), and specialty. Additionally, it follows with biographical essay covering the subject's life and professional accomplishments as well as photos. And, the scientific explanation is easily presented for students with science and non-science background.

The African American Department has also created a How-to Guide called Researching African American Scientists and Inventors which would provide much assistance to librarians or customers. It covers additional Web sites and books that can provide biographical information and pictures of different African American scientists.