Four Decades of Preserving Black History: Librarian Kathleen Bethel ’89 MA Prepares to Retire
In August 1963, the Washington, DC, row house where Kathleen Bethel lived with her parents and grandparents began filling with friends from across the county. They had traveled to DC not to socialize, but to march to the Lincoln Memorial. They came to hear the voice of Mahalia Jackson and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. They came to demand equal opportunity.
Though she was just 10 at the time, Bethel understood that attending the March on Washington would mean witnessing history in the making.
“I begged and begged my mother to allow me to go with her to the march, but my family just wasn’t sure it would be safe,” Bethel remembers. Even so, the march sparked her interest in Black history and in finding a career in which she could help preserve it.
As Northwestern University’s African American studies librarian for the past 40 years, Bethel has been instrumental in building a collection that conserves and uplifts the voices and stories of Black people in the US and around the world. But when Bethel retires at the end of this academic year, her legacy will reach far beyond bookshelves and online archives.
“I have heard many people describe Kathleen as a trusted and beloved figure within the Black community at Northwestern,” said Charla Wilson, Northwestern’s inaugural Archivist for the Black Experience. “She has certainly been a resource to students academically, but also as a mentor and advocate.”
John Dorr, interim director of McCormick Library, said he frequently witnessed Bethel’s knack for genuinely engaging whoever sought her expertise.
“They would enter into deep conversation about the role of the library and the power of historically marginalized voices to bring research alive,” Dorr said. “After spending time and sharing laughter with Kathleen, her visitors would leave as friends and colleagues.”
Before she became a scholar, Bethel was a child surrounded by inspiration. Her home was filled with reading materials including a well-used set of 1935 World Book encyclopedias, Jet magazines, two daily newspapers, and The Afro-American weekly. Several of her aunts were librarians, and one served in the foreign service in Africa. Her maternal grandmother had earned her high school diploma, a difficult achievement during the Jim Crow era.
So when white students threw a soda can at Bethel on her first day as an Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University) student, Bethel remained undaunted. She did, however, seek out the buttressing strength of fellow Black students. Her dedication to engaging with and supporting Black communities and organizations continued throughout her career.
After earning her BA from Elmhurst in 1975, Bethel worked at the Newberry Library, one of Chicago’s most historic cultural institutions and her ideal introduction to libraries. Bethel earned her MA degree in library science from Rosary College (now Dominican University) and then spent four years as an assistant librarian at the iconic Johnson Publishing Company, home to Ebony and Jet magazines.
“You never knew who would come in JPC from day to day,” she said, recalling sightings of Ronald Reagan and Bob Marley, to name a few famous visitors.
When Bethel joined Northwestern in 1982, the African American studies department was one decade old. Department Chair Mary E. Pattillo said Bethel became an integral part of curriculum development, article and book research, and student learning in the department.
“Kathleen supports students from first-year seminars through dissertation research, and she exposes faculty to archives at Northwestern and beyond that allow for the development of new knowledge and insights,” Pattillo said.
Bethel may have greatly expanded African American resources, but she doesn’t lean on the “build it and they will come” philosophy, said former dean of libraries Sarah Pritchard. She said Bethel has always been out on campus, involved with students and activities. Bethel also became a Northwestern student herself, earning a second MA degree, this time in African studies.
Bethel has served as a faculty adviser to the For Members Only Black student alliance, was a founding member of One Book One Northwestern, and served on numerous Black experience task forces, including the Black House Feasibility Study Committee. She has also been a member of Northwestern’s Black Professional Network, the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA), and the Northwestern University Black-Wimmin In Action (NUBIA), comprised of staff who worked with administrators to address issues impacting Black women staff and students.
Her involvement extends far beyond campus and her list of accomplishments is extensive. Highlights include serving as a trustee for the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center and supporting the American Library Association as its work expanded to include groups such as the Black Caucus. In 1996, she received a Fulbright Library Fellowship to provide expertise at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She’s also an official bibliographer for the Toni Morrison Society (honoring her favorite author).
Bethel’s rigorous professional development ensured she remained up to date even as library sciences shifted dramatically to digital and online services. A few of her recent additions to Northwestern’s online resources include NAACP papers and a vast collection of Black newspapers.
Pritchard said Bethel “exemplifies what being a librarian means in the contemporary era. She has responded to the changing trends in the community around her, in the information and publishing world, and in the practice of higher education.”
Though Bethel said she is proud to see large numbers of students taking advantage of online library resources, she does miss the days when students spent hours in the actual library where she could interact with them face to face.
“There were so many times students would come by and say, ‘I don’t really need anything. I just wanted to say hello and sit here for a moment,’” Bethel said.
One glance into Bethel’s University Library office explains why students treasured their time there. Her walls are covered with a carefully curated display of modern Black history, both at Northwestern and beyond. One wall neatly displays fliers of The Dolphin Show’s 2011 production of Ragtime and journalist Gwen Ifill’s 2010 visit. On another wall, famous faces beam: Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, Nina Simone, Mohammed Ali. On her door, a magnet declares, “Keep Calm and Ask a Librarian.”
Bethel will donate many of these Northwestern-related artifacts to the University before retiring. She has even more Black history-related items at home that she will donate to the Shorefront Legacy Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Black history in Chicago’s North Shore communities. She’ll offer her basket of Obama memorabilia—complete with purses and a cowboy hat emblazoned with the first Black US president’s name—to the Barak Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
After she retires this summer, Bethel plans to return to her hometown. She still owns the three-generation Washington, DC, home and expects to spend much of her time cleaning out “three generations worth of stuff.” She’ll particularly be searching for that treasured set of encyclopedias.
Recalling her childhood and how she was inspired to contribute to Black history and culture, Bethel is clearly proud of her accomplishments. But, she joked, “I thought I could quietly ease out the door when I retired.” Considering her impact as a scholar, mentor, and advocate, it’s unlikely Bethel will be able to sneak away without notice.
“Kathleen has this passion for sharing information about Black history and culture for which you can’t help but listen intently,” said Wilson. “She has so much knowledge and wisdom to impart.”
Alumni, colleagues, and friends can send Kathleen Bethel well-wishes before her retirement in June via email: kbethel@northwestern.edu.