Scanned image of the Jones Memorial Library's Report of Dunbar Branch for January 1924 submitted by Anne Spencer and R.D. Harris.
The Dunbar Branch was opened in 1924 in the Dunbar High School in Lynchburg and was the first branch of the Jones Memorial Library. The branch provided service to "colored" residents of the city during a time when library services were racially segregated.
This report records the circulation of library books and materials at the branch during its first month of operation. The report was submitted by Anne Spencer, who was appointed as the branch's permanent librarian, and Rachel Davis Harris, who had traveled to Lynchburg from the Louisville Free Public Library's Western Colored Division in 1923-1924 to advise and assist with establishment of the Dunbar Branch. The report appears to have been entered by hand by Anne Spencer.
The paper, "Report from Formosa" by Dr. Richard C. Rowland, provides a detailed account of his observations in Taiwan, facilitated by a Fulbright award and a State Department grant. Rowland discusses the geographical beauty, demographic density, and societal aspects of Taiwan, focusing on the daily lives of its people, land reform measures, the challenge of birth control, and the political climate. His narrative blends personal experiences with an analysis of Taiwan's economy, agricultural practices, and its unique democratic doctrine amidst a backdrop of press censorship and martial law. The paper is structured around Rowland's travels and encounters, offering insights into Taiwan's culture, governance, and the looming uncertainties facing its progress.
