Smithsonian Institution Libraries

It is the mission of Smithsonian Institution Libraries to collect materials which support the research, curatorial, and program activities of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as support the mission of the institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The Anacostia Community Museum Library specifically collects information in all forms relating to the history and culture of the African Diaspora in the Western Hemisphere, and also collects to assist the Anacostia Community Museum in its mission to document the African American experience from a community perspective.

This book was collected by Smithsonian Institution Libraries because of the significance of Paul Laurence Dunbar as a great American poet. Dunbar was the first African American to gain national and international notoriety as a poet and novelist, and is considered by some scholars to be the first professional African American writer in American history.