"Hidden Gems" is a new ongoing series highlighting many of the places and experiences available across Penn State to the campus and local communities. 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On the third floor of West Pattee Library, on Penn State's University Park campus, visitors can access a unique collection of history from African, African American, and African Diasporic cultures over five centuries. 

The Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora offers a look into the African experience in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, with materials dating as far back as 1632. A majority of the collection focuses on the history and achievement of African Americans from approximately 1900 to 2006.

Visitors can learn from items covering a range of subjects, from slavery and civil rights to exploration and biography. Some collection items document the difficult history of anti-black racism and oppression, while others illuminate the rich diversity of Black creative expression.

Through Penn State University Libraries’ Blockson collection, visitors can view historical postcards, manuscripts and sheet music alongside a collection of literature for all age groups. Records and other artifacts also provide a look into arts and culture, especially the lives of famous Black performers Marian Anderson, Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson.

The collection was created and gifted by Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Charles L. Blockson, who graduated from the University in 1956. Blockson was a historian, author, bibliophile and collector who worked throughout his life to preserve the history and culture of those of African descent, and was the subject of the WPSU Public Media short documentary, “Holding History: The collections of Charles L. Blockson.” 

Though the collection itself is only available for visits by appointment, materials can be viewed through the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and searched in the University Libraries Catalog. Selections from the collection also are on display periodically through exhibitions. Currently, some items are showcased in the exhibit "'Where Beauty's At': Expressions of Black Visual Culture," on display through Sept. 9.

For more information, visit the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora website.