Given the recent reckoning regarding systemic racial and gendered oppression in the United States, it is of utmost importance that we scrutinize institutions responsible for historic preservation. By electing to either preserve or landmark a site, an institution sends a message to the public that this place is significant to our shared culture. United for Libraries has continued the Literary Landmark project originally started by the Literary Landmarks Association in 1986, curating places of literary significance in the United States. When United for Libraries includes a place on their list, they demonstrate that the author’s works, culture, and community have value.
This poster will present a data analysis of the Literary Landmarks not only according to gender, race, and immigration status of the authors honored, but also the locations (by state), the type of site (residence, library, etc.), as well as the public accessibility of the site and admission fees. A precursory analysis of the data reveals that the majority of Literary Landmarks are dedicated to white, male authors, with the few BIPOC authors honored also being overwhelmingly male. Indeed, only three of the authors on the list are women of color. This lack of representation not only inaccurately reflects the richly diverse literary history of the United States, but also perpetuates harmful assumptions of what authors and works are considered important.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will describe the value of Literary Landmarks
Participants will explore the Literary Landmark data visualizations
Participants will discuss the diversity and accessibility of Literary Landmarks