Timothy D. Pyatt, Editor
University Press of Virginia
© 1996 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
Conditions of Use

Richard B. Harrison Public Library
Wake County Public Libraries
1313 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh NC 27610
Phone: (919) 856-5720

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; closed Sunday

Services: Photocopying available

Started by the first black librarian in Wake County, the Lee Collection has grown to become a special collection containing over 8,000 volumes on African Americans, composed of both adult and juvenile fiction and nonfiction books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, and vertical file materials by and about African Americans in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, and the United States. Copies of the Carolinian are available in the original book form and on microform dating back to 1945. The vertical file collection includes the Raleigh Historic Properties Commission's Oral History Collection of transcripts and cassette tapes (Raleigh's Roots) documenting the lives of African Americans in Raleigh communities. Interviews explore life in the communities, describe boundaries, note community landmarks, and institutions. The publication Culture Town: Life in Raleigh's African-American Communities (book and cassette) was a result of this project. The Lee vertical files are strong in local biographies that may not be available elsewhere. The book collection is accessible through an automated catalog.