When the Louisville Free Public Library Colored Branch opened in 1905, it was the first of its kind in the nation to cater specifically to African Americans. It was also entirely staffed by African Americans. It was a measured response to agitation from the black community for an educational center, yet without breaking segregation. The Western Colored Branch would be the center of African-American librarianship. It would integrate after the Supreme Court tears down segregation, and would be recognized as a landmark. Its programs and resources today still honor its beginning as the first African-American library.