Library as a legacy: start by investing in some good books about collecting African American books.

It's probable that when Arturo Schomburg bought his first book, he had no real designs on assembling a treasure trove that would last generations after him. Yet the works collected by the renowned Harlem Renaissance--era scholar evolved into the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and now provide service for hundreds of thousands of knowledge-seekers annually.

A home library need not be as ambitious, but with some thought and solid selections, it can transcend mere decoration and become as essential a tool to a household as that cookware set.

For African Americans still struggling to see themselves reflected accurately in the broader media, there are few better sanctuaries than a personal assembly of books, films, DVDs, maps and magazines--a mission akin to Schomburg's.

So after years of schlepping around, you're now ready to feed that appetite consistently, having settled into a space with some room to roam. And to get going, you'll need more than an assortment of fiction titles.

Without a range of topics, hardcovers and coffee-table books to accent those paperbacks, you're still falling short, says Robert Miller, curator of Chicago's Vivian Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The collection is housed in the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library.

It is a good idea to pattern your library on the neighborhood public library system.

History, classic literature and poetry, reference and philosophy should compose half of any library. Contemporary titles get 20 to 25 percent shelf space. The rest, Miller says, "should be built on things that you like."

Even if mysteries or sports almanacs tempt you otherwise, history has to top the must-own list, says Dorothy L. Ferebee, author of How to Create Your Own African-American Library (One World/Ballantine, November 2003).

"We can't look for the dominant culture to give us our truth," she says. "It is our responsibility to seek out the information. African Americans don't always have the luxury of reading frivolous material. We haven't had time to learn about ourselves. Our children are not going to get it in school."

Stocking the Shelves

Figuring out which titles will help you achieve your goals may seem daunting. There are guides like Ferebee's that include bibliographic and biographic entries for several genres to help tame the task.

Ferebee says works by Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes and Alice Walker are accessible classics. But don't forget collected works that make the beginner's job easier.

Selections such as John Edgar Wideman's My Soul Has Grown Deep: Classics of Early African American Literature (Running Press, September 2001) and The African-American Bookshelf: 50 Must-Reads From Before the Civil War Through Today (Citadel Press, February 2003) offer smatterings of writings that help develop that well-rounded literary core, Miller says.

The former, like the old standard bearer Cavalcade: Negro American Writing From 1760 to the Present by Arthur Paul Davis (Houghton Mifflin College Div., June 1971), explores writings from the colonial period through the early 20th century. The latter provides glimpses of the courageous and tenacious spirit of African Americans through political essays and excerpts.

On the reference end, The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference (John Wiley & Sons, 1999) is a great staple, with its many timelines, charts and other useful tidbits. The second edition of the Norton Anthology of African American Literature edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Nellie McKay (W.W. Norton & Company, December 2004) and Masterpieces of African American Literature edited by Frank N. Magill (HarperCollins, June 1993), which might be a bit hard to find, are also packed with useful information about black writers and their works.

Investigate what offerings exist about local black history and be sure that they have a slot in your library, too, Miller urges. And be sure to include some kiddie reads, even if you're childless. "If children are in the house, it's beneficial to them to have information there and they would also have that exposure, knowing they have a culture and a heritage," Miller adds.

The American Library Association's annual Coretta Scott King Awards provides a launch pad (see BIBR, March-April 2005), as do lists of Caldecott and Newbery Award winners.

The Frugal Collector

Building that library doesn't have to empty your 401(k), either. "Cost is not an issue. A good book might cost you $7.99," Ferebee says. "We throw away $7.99 during the course of the week."

If budget constraints are making you skittish, though, there are other options. Many public library systems have bookstores that offer discounted rates on used books. Garage and sidewalk sales also prove fruitful. Some cities have book banks affiliated with nonprofit organizations.

Once the bookshelves are assembled and loaded, however, the job doesn't end. Libraries, like gardens, need to be tended and weeded, says Danielle Lynn Montgomery, a cataloguing librarian at the Virginia Beach Central Library in Virginia.

That means minimizing dust and moisture exposure as well as checking for undue wear and mold. Anything that starts looking raggedy should head toward the trash. Rotation is necessary. Anything that hasn't been read in a while should find a new home.

After all, that could be the book that launches someone else's library. And what a gift that would be.

Nia Ngina Meeks is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer who covers culture and politics.