Thomas Fountain Blue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Fountain Blue
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| Born | March 6, 1866 |
| Died | November 10, 1935 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute Richmond Theological Seminary |
| Occupation | Librarian, educator |
Thomas Fountain Blue (March 6, 1866 – November 10, 1935) was an important leader. He was a minister, a teacher, and a community helper. He managed the libraries for African Americans in Louisville, Kentucky.
Blue was the first African American to lead a public library. His work made the Louisville Free Public Library famous. It was known for its great work with African American library services. He also helped train many African American librarians.
Early Life and Education
Thomas Fountain Blue was born on March 6, 1866. He was the second child of Noah Hedgeman Blue and Henry Ann Crawley. Both of his parents had been slaves.
Blue went to the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. He studied there from 1885 to 1888. After that, he worked as a teacher in Virginia. In 1894, he started studying at the Richmond Theological Seminary. He earned a special degree in April 1898.
During the Spanish–American War, Blue served in the army. He was part of the Sixth Virginia Volunteers. After the war, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky. There, he led the Colored Branch of the Louisville Young Men's Christian Association. He also joined many community groups. One group he helped start was the Louisville Chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Leading the Libraries
Blue made history in 1905. He became the first African American to lead a public library. This was at the Western Colored Branch in Louisville. It was the first public library in the country to serve African American people. All of its staff were also African American.
In 1914, Blue also became the leader of the new Eastern Colored Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. He believed that training library staff was very important. He started special classes to teach people how to be librarians.
At that time, there were no schools in the South to train African American librarians. So, people from other cities came to Louisville for training. These classes were the first library training program for African Americans in the United States. Blue wanted the library to be a place for the whole community. Many social clubs used the Western and Eastern Colored Branches.
From 1919 until he passed away in 1935, Blue was in charge of all library work for African Americans in Louisville. This included bringing library books to seventeen schools in the Jefferson County area.
In 1922, Blue spoke at the American Library Association conference. He shared information about his training classes. He was the first African American to speak at an ALA program. Blue also started the Negro Library Conference. The first meeting was held at his old school, Hampton Institute, in March 1927.
The library training program Blue created in Louisville later became the Hampton Library School. The training program in Louisville ended in the early 1930s. This was because new library schools began to open across the country.
Blue died on November 10, 1935. The Louisville Free Public Library Board of Trustees honored him. They called him "a trusted, loyal and highly competent administrator." They also said he was "a pioneer in this field of public service among Colored People."
In 2003, the American Library Association recognized Blue's work. They passed a resolution honoring his leadership. They said he helped create a path for African American librarians in the United States and around the world.
Family Life
Blue married Cornelia Phillips Johnson in 1925. They had two sons together. Through his marriage, he became the brother-in-law of Lyman T. Johnson. Lyman T. Johnson was a teacher and worked to end racial segregation in Kentucky. Thomas Blue continued to be a preacher and church leader throughout his life.
