Augusta Braxton Baker (1911-1998) was a pioneering New York Public Library children’s librarian, author, educator, and master storyteller.
But her most notable role was as an advocate for positive Black representation in children’s literature.
The Augusta Baker Collection at Queens Public Library is a historical children's book collection of more than 500 titles centered on the African American, African, and Caribbean experience, as expressed through picture books, novels, and short stories as well as folklore, poetry, biographies, and additional works of nonfiction from the 1940s to the late 20th century.
The books are available for QPL users who are interested in examining the history of the African American experience as reflected in children’s literature.
The collection resides in Jamaica, New York at our Central Library’s Children's Library Discovery Center.
Learn more about the Augusta Baker Collection by reading this special brochure.
