KU Libraries Celebrates and Supports African Scholarship

For three days in mid-April, Watson Library at the University of Kansas became a hub for one of the most important annual gatherings in Africana librarianship in North America. KU Libraries hosted the 2026 Spring Meeting of the Africana Librarians Council (ALC), alongside a vibrant Africa Day Collections Exhibition — an occasion that participants called the best ALC meeting they had ever attended.

The event marked the second time KU has hosted the ALC. The first was in 2010 under African Librarian Kenneth Lohrentz; now, sixteen years later, current Africana librarian Kodjo Atiso brought the meeting back to Lawrence — a testament to KU's continued standing in the field.

The gathering brought together several key campus partners, including the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC), the Department of African and African American Studies (AAAS), and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library (KSRL). Together, they helped shape a program that highlighted Africa-related scholarship, collections, and culture.

The opening day centered on a celebratory afternoon filled with displays of African collections, artifacts, and maps. Among the highlights was the Onitsha Market Literature collection — pamphlets created and sold in the market town of Onitsha in southern Nigeria during the 1960s, in the years between independence and the Nigerian Civil War. It was the flags of nations across the African continent, however, that drew the most attention — adding color and a sense of continental solidarity to the event. The afternoon also featured West African cuisine, offering attendees a warm, festive welcome alongside the academic programming.

The second and third days turned to the formal work of the ALC — the traditional council meeting that brings together Africana librarians from institutions across the country to share resources, build collaborations, and advance the field. By all accounts, the sessions were substantive and energizing.

Attendees left with glowing impressions, many calling it the best ALC meeting they had ever attended. "Thank you for hosting us and for organizing such a wonderful meeting," one wrote to the organizers.

Congratulations to Kodjo Atiso and all who made the 2026 ALC Spring Meeting a memorable one.