The Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library was dedicated on Friday, December 20, 1996 to a packed crowd with Maya Angelou (1928-2014) in attendance. Angelou was an author, poet, professor, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, and producer. "I never knew a library named for anyone who was alive," she commented. "All the libraries that kept me alive and saved my life and then helped me extend my life, were always named for whole towns or countries or states or people who were dead." At the time, the Wichita City Council had a policy against naming public buildings after living people, but made an exception for Angelou.
The Angelou branch was one of the first Wichita Public Library locations to offer free internet access to the public. Its popular materials include the Urban Fiction collection. In 2021, a mural featuring Maya Angelou by artist Priscella Brown in partnership with Real Men Real Heroes was added to the 21st Street-facing side of the building.
Route 28
Stop at 21st and Hillside, then walk west to the library.