Marian M. Hadley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marian M. Hadley
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Hadley in Chicago Tribune 1959
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| Born | 1886 |
| Died | 1974 (aged 87–88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Librarian |
Marian M. Hadley was a very important librarian. She was the first African American librarian in Nashville, Tennessee. She helped start the Nashville Negro Public Library. This library was a special branch of the Nashville Public Library for African American people. Later, she worked at the Chicago Public Library for nearly 20 years. There, she helped create and share a huge collection of African American history and culture.
Marian Hadley's Early Life and School
Marian M. Hadley was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1886. She went to Fisk University, which is a famous school.
Working at the Nashville Negro Public Library
In 1913, a rich man named Andrew Carnegie gave $50,000 to Nashville. He wanted the city to build two libraries. One library was for white people. The other was the first library branch for African American people in Nashville. Before this, African Americans could only get books from a special bookmobile.
Many people wanted to work at the new library. Marian Hadley, who was 29 years old, got the job as the main librarian. In 1915, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky for two months. She trained at the Western Colored Branch of the Louisville Public Library. She had to pay for her own train ticket and stay there.
The Nashville Negro Public Library opened on February 10, 1916. Marian Hadley and her assistant, Hattie Watkins, got help from the main Nashville librarian.
Marian Hadley was a very important person in the African American community in Nashville. People respected her work a lot. One library leader said her work was "of the highest order." She worked at the library for three years. In 1919, she left to become the first leader of the Young Women's Christian Association in Nashville. She helped start a special YWCA for African American women called the Blue Triangle chapter.
In 1921, Marian Hadley came back to the library. She worked there for two more years. This time, she earned a bit more money.
Working at the Chicago Public Library
In the 1920s, Marian Hadley moved to Chicago. She started working for the Chicago Public Library. She joined other talented African American women librarians. These included Charlemae Hill Rollins and Doris E. Saunders. They were brought to the library by Vivian G. Harsh, who was the first African American librarian at CPL.
Marian Hadley worked with Vivian Harsh to build a special collection. This was called the Special Negro Collection. It had many books and materials about African American history. They also held events to help people use the collection. Famous writers like Richard Wright and Langston Hughes often visited this collection. Marian Hadley also wrote letters to W. E. B. Du Bois, who visited the collection too.
Marian Hadley loved African American history and culture. She started collecting pictures when she was at Fisk University. She gathered over 1,000 images of African American people and topics. By the 1950s, her collection of slides was one of the biggest in the country. She gave talks with these pictures at clubs and churches all over Chicago.
She worked at the Chicago Public Library for almost 20 years. She retired in 1959.
After she retired, Marian Hadley helped start a new museum in Chicago. It was called the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art. This museum later became the DuSable Museum of African American History. Marian Hadley passed away around 1974.
