Covington Desegregated Library and Services (Kenton County, KY)
Start Year : 1901
The Covington Public Library, in Covington, KY, was the first desegregated public library in the state. The building was constructed in 1900, and in 1901 the library board of trustees minutes read, "The library in all its parts shall be open to every man, woman, and child in Covington, free upon compliance with these rules." The library board had also ruled that there would be no list of prohibited books. In 1940, the Covington Public Library was one of five public libraries in a southern state that offered full privileges to all at the main public library. The other four public libraries that offered services with no race restrictions were located in Texas: Brady, Corpus Christi, El Paso, and Pecos. For more see Library Service to African Americans in Kentucky by R. F. Jones; and "Board of Trustees Rules, January 1901" an unpublished manuscript at the Kenton County Public Library.
Subjects: Librarians, Library Collections, Libraries
Geographic Region: Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky / Brady, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Pecos, Texas