Argusta Walker, 2021-08-05

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Box 1

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Afua Ferdnance interviews Argusta Walker on August 5, 2021 at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. Argusta was born on July 30, 1953 in Shaw, Mississippi. She grew up in Greenville, Mississippi during segregation. At ten years old, Argusta worked at her aunt's café in Hernando, Mississippi during the summer. By the time she was sixteen, she worked in her mother's café, cooking and planning the menu. Argusta discusses attending school during integration.

Argusta recalls her move to Broward County, Florida in 1976. She began working for the Broward County Library System as a library associate with no degree in 1980. She later received her Bachelor's degree from Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, and her Master's degree from Florida State University. She worked as a librarian for thirty-one years in various Broward County library branches, including the Von D. Mizell Library and the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. As a librarian, Argusta expresses her enjoyment of working in youth services. She attributes the opportunities that she received from Tyrone Bryant, after whom the Tyrone Bryant Branch Library is named, for empowering library workers who wanted to implement their ideas. Argusta explains the Library-In-Action program, Broward County Library's initiative to build libraries in underserved communities. She describes her first library program on hair-braiding where young girls would have their hair braided and were presented with books on the subject. She later led genealogical workshops at the library. Argusta encouraged the addition of new computers to provide patrons with access to technology. She retired in 2011 from her position as Head of Reference Services at the Tamarac branch.

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