How often is the helpful work of librarians publicly acknowledged? The president of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Andrew Jackson, noted how rarely writers and scholars, when awarded the Pulitzer Prize or other accolades, publicly thank librarians who assisted them in their research.

He was guest speaker Sunday at the 35th anniversary brunch of New York Black Librarians’ Caucus. Jazz musicians played and vocalist Lee olive Tucker sang at the Richard Harris Terrace of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where the NYBLC raised funds for scholarships.

The organization was founded after a group of black librarians met in 1970 to address the problem of insufficient library resources in black communities, as well as inadequate professional development and career advancement opportunities for African-Americans. Originally named the Black Librarians’ Caucus of Queens, the organization was renamed the New York Black Librarians’ Caucus in 1975 to acknowledge its expanded membership.

At the brunch, NYBLC president Stanton Biddle, who is administrative services librarian at the Newman Library at Baruch College, praised the organization’s founders, E. Cynthia Jenkins (1924-2001), Yvonne Bennett (1945-2004), Ernestine Washington, and Joan Cole. Mr. Biddle recalled what state Senator Malcolm Smith had once said of Jenkins, a former New York State assemblywoman who had been campaigning for a City Council seat when she passed away: “You could count on her to fight for the interest of the people she tries to serve.”

Mr. Biddle presented awards to two past presidents of the organization, who were present: Phyllis G. Mack, NYBLC president from 1981-83 and New York Public Library employee for 39 years; and Lucille Thomas, NYBLC president from 1973-75 and current Brooklyn Public Library board of trustees president. Ms. Thomas is the first and only African-American to serve as president of the New York State Library Association, and the first African-American to serve as president of the New York Library Club, which was founded in 1885 by Melvil Dewey.

Scholarship Committee chair Madeline Ford presented Queens College students Evelyn Muriel-Cooper and Margaret Gibson with the 2005 Donna Hoke Scholarships, named for a librarian who began as a page in the Queens Borough Public Library and who at the age of 30 succumbed to Hodgkin’s disease. The organization will celebrate the scholarship, founded in 1981, on its 25th anniversary next year.

In his address, Mr. Jackson described the role of libraries as a “safe haven” for many people in their childhood, including the poet Langston Hughes. The audience laughed when Mr. Jackson said that he does not match the image the public has of librarians as “the little old lady” with her hair in a bun who says “Shhhh!”

Inside the program booklet, members had donated money to place their names next to quotations they liked, as a way of raising additional funds for the organization. A few of those apothegms include Maya Angelou’s advice: “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” There was also a proverb from Guinea: “Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested,” and this gem from Nigeria: “Not to know is bad. Not to want to know is worse. Not to hope is unthinkable. Not to care is unforgivable.”

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ARCHIVES AWARDS The American Numismatic Society in the heart of the financial district was the site of the annual Archives Week awards presentation hosted last week by the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York.

The city of New York’s Department of Records and Information Services commissioner, Brian Andersson, held aloft a proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg in connection with Archives Week. The audience laughed when Mr. Andersson quipped, “I have a confession – I’m a genealogist. I actually head an agency I have some use for.”

Kathleen Roe, chief of archival services at the New York State Archives, presented an award for archival achievement to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, which is the grant-making affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration. NHPRC executive director Max Evans accepted the award, saying thank you for honoring the organization during a difficult year of federal budget cuts.

The award for outstanding support of archives went to the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which is noted for its behind-the-scenes help with archival projects at many organizations. Accepting the award, Delmas trustee David Stam said he liked the symbolism of the “Archivists Roundtable,” and added with merriment, “All the archivists I’ve ever known worked at rectangular desks.”

Filmmaker and Anthology Film Archives archivist Andrew Lampert then presented the award for innovative use of archives to Rick Prelinger for “Panorama Ephemera,” a portrait of America compiled from footage from industrial, advertising, and government films. In accepting the award, Mr. Prelinger, who is affiliated with the public access Internet Archive, said, “Wonderful things happen when you place archives online for ordinary people.” He said new cultural works come forth from sharing archival materials online.

gshapiro@nysun.com