The School of Information Science will host the 2026 Augusta Baker Lecture on Friday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St. in Columbia.

This year’s featured speaker, author Emely Rumble, will present on her acclaimed book Bibliotherapy in the Bronx, a powerful exploration of how literature can serve as a tool for healing within marginalized communities.

Blending personal narrative with professional insight, Rumble illuminates the transformative role of reading in fostering self-discovery, emotional resilience and collective change.

“To keynote the Augusta Baker Lecture is to stand in a lineage of Black librarians who believed stories could liberate, heal, and tell the truth about our lives,” Rumble said. “As a Black and Puerto Rican bibliotherapist, my work — Bibliotherapy in the Bronx — is rooted in honoring visionaries like Augusta Baker, whose devotion to children, storytelling and justice made space for generations of readers to see themselves and survive.”

The Augusta Baker Lecture Series honors the legacy of Augusta Braxton Baker (1911–1998), a pioneering librarian and storyteller whose work at the New York Public Library reshaped children’s literature by championing diverse, high-quality books — especially those reflecting Black voices and culture.

The series is organized and moderated by Nicole A. Cooke, Ph.D., Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the iSchool.