Libraries Offer Resources on Civil Rights for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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Part of a larger display of books related to civil rights in honor of MLK Day

The University Libraries invite you to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with related photographs, newspapers, books and speeches. A physical book display is up on the lobby level of Mullins Library. Resources are also available through the Libraries' Special Collections, Digital Collections and Children's Literature Collection. The materials selected provide a look at the ways in which campus and the local area have celebrated this holiday.

"It is very rewarding to see the Libraries staff working together to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." said Martha Anderson, chair of the Libraries' Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access committee. "We welcome future recommendations from the U of A campus on how we can serve you better. Below is a list of selected resources from the Libraries personnel."

The physical book display in Mullins Library, curated by Lynaire Hartsell, includes titles such as My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King, Through it All: Reflections on My Life, My Family and My Faith by Christine King Farris and Selma to Saigon: The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War by Daniel S. Lucks. All books on display are available for immediate checkout. 

Laura Cameron, education librarian, has created a Research Guide on Anti-Racism and Social Justice that includes lesson plans for K-12 teachers and relevant holdings from the Children's Literature Collection. Physical books from the collection are also on display in the southwest corner of the lobby level of Mullins Library. Included in the display are titles such as The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, a 2020 Newbery Honor Book and winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal. It features the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement while highlighting the enduring spirit of the people who fight against inequality today.

The Digital Services Unit has curated a selection of photographs, speeches and newspaper articles from the collections Brooks Hays Materials, Commence and Go Forth–University of Arkansas Commencement Speeches, Land of (Unequal) Opportunity: Documenting the Civil Rights Struggle in Arkansas and The Arkansas Traveler newspapers. 

A Research Guide created by Special Collections highlights materials related to the 1957 Little Rock School Integration. Special Collections also holds a letter written by King on Nov. 8, 1965, to then-Sen. J. William Fulbright regarding the Vietnam War. The Special Collections Division is open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.