Constance Hill Marteena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Constance Hill Marteena
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Marteena in 1965
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| Born | August 24, 1897 or 1903 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
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| Died | December 29, 1978 |
| Occupation | librarian |
Constance Hill Marteena (born August 24, 1897 or 1903 – died December 29, 1978) was an American librarian and author. She was well-known for creating special lists of books and articles about Black women.
Early Life and Education
Constance Hill Marteena was born in Richmond, Virginia. Her birthday was August 24, either in 1897 or 1903. Her parents were Irene Robinson Hill and Reuben T. Hill.
She went to Hartshorn Memorial College. Later, she earned her B.S. degree from Hampton Institute in 1933. She continued her studies in library science. In 1946, she received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago.
From 1929 to 1937, she worked at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. There, she was in charge of sharing news and information with the public. In 1931, she also helped start the Alpha Phi chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. This was a special club for women.
A Career Helping Others Learn
Constance Marteena was a leader in the world of libraries. From 1952 to 1954, she was president of the North Carolina Negro Library Association (NCNLA). This group was for Black librarians.
She played a big part in helping the NCNLA join with the North Carolina Library Association. This important step helped end the separation of Black and white librarians' groups in North Carolina.
Through the NCNLA, she published a helpful book in 1949. It was called Achievements of Afro-American Women of the Twentieth Century: A Checklist. This book built on her earlier work from 1946. That work was a guide for finding books and articles about successful African-American women.
Marteena also wrote a biography called The Lengthening Shadow of a Woman. This book was about Charlotte Hawkins Brown. Charlotte Brown was famous for starting the Palmer Memorial Institute. Constance Marteena believed strongly in education for women. She once said, "when you educate a woman you educate a family."
From 1937 to 1967, Marteena worked at Bennett College. She retired as the director of the Thomas F. Holgate Library in Greensboro, North Carolina. She also taught students who wanted to become teacher-librarians. She helped build a special collection of books about African-American women at the college. In 1978, a special room in the library was named in her honor.
Constance Marteena passed away on December 29, 1978, in Greensboro.
