African American Studies

Scope: African American Studies is multidisciplinary. It blends a variety of disciplines. This guide will assist you in locating such materials, in electronic and print formats. Due to licensing agreements, off campus access to most materials are restricted to current University of Maryland students, faculty, and staff. E-mail Otis Chadley, (ochadley@umd.edu.), the subject area specialist. Or call (301) 405-9282, for more information.

Table of Contents

• Selecting A Topic & Finding An Overview
• Locating Search Terms On Your Topic
• Locating Books & Nonprint Materials (Videos etc.)
• Locating Articles In Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers
• Locating African American Microform & Special Collections
• Locating African American Resources On The Internet
• Browsing Interesting African American Web Sites
• Off Campus Access To Library Resources

Selecting A Topic & Finding An Overview

• Reference sources and some Web sites, are good places to look for topics and background information. See Evaluating Web Sites (http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/evaluate.html).



• For reference sources on African American topics, visit the reference collection in McKeldin Library, and browse call number range [E184.5 - E185.98]. Also, consult the selected list below, entitled General Information On African American Related Topics.



• For a discussion about Call Numbers & The Library of Congress Classification System, see (http://www.lib.umd.edu/MCK/GUIDES/callnumbers.html). A detailed outline of LC Classification is located at (http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html).

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• The African-American Almanac
  (MCKREF STACKS E185.A37 1997 Noncirculating)



• Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience
  (MCKREF STACKS DT14.A37435 1999 Noncirculating)



• Atlas of African-American History and Politics: From the Slave Trade to Modern Times (MCKREF STACKS E185.E125 2000 Noncirculating)



• Black Americans: A Statistical Sourcebook
  (MCKREF STACKS E 185.B5 1997 Noncirculating)



• Census Data on the Black Population in the United States
  Web Address: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/black.html



• Chronology of African American History : From 1492 to the Present (MCKREF STACKS E185.H64 1997 Noncirculating)
  1619-1999
  Web Address: http://www.fs.fed.us/people/aasg/calendar/timeline.html
  1901-1925
  Web Address: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timelin3.html
  1881-1900
  Web Address: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timelin2.html
  1852-1880
  Web Address: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timeline.html



• Encyclopedia of African-American Culture And History
  (MCKREF MEDIA E185.E54 1999 CD-ROM Noncirculating)
  (MCK FOLIO E185.E54 1996 Vols. 1-5)



• Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
  (MCKREF STACKS E185.A455 2000 Noncirculating)



• Historical Statistics of Black America
  (MCKREF STACKS E 185.H543 1995 Vols. 1-2 Noncirculating)



• Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970
  (GOVDOC REF HA 202 .H57 1989 Pts. 1-2 Noncirculating & 1997
  Edition on CD-ROM in GOVDOC)



• Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
  Web Address: http://www.jointcenter.org



• Negro Population in the United States, 1790-1915
  (MCK STACKS HA 205.A33 1968)



• Negroes in the United States, 1920-1932
  (MCK STACKS E 185.6 .U5853 1969)



• The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference
  (MCKREF STACKS E185.N49 1999 Noncirculating)



• United States Historical Census Data Browser
  Web Address: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census

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Locating Search Terms On Your Topic

After you have selected a topic and understand your subject, then locate search terms.

• To identify terms related to African Americans and other topics, consult the list of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). (See the multi-volume set of red books located near McKeldin Library's Reference Desk).



• Use old and new subject headings from LCSH. Past subject headings referred to African Americans as: Afro-Americans, Black Americans, Colored People (United States), and Negroes. The current term used by LCSH is African Americans.



• All of the above terms are listed in the University Libraries Online Catalog. Therefore, use such terms as appropriate for the era.



• Also, databases, indexes, and other library catalogs use Library of Congress Subject Headings. Use LCSH when searching such resources.



• The bottom line is, use any term(s) and combination of terms that you believe will get results.

Locating Books & Nonprint Materials (Videos, etc.)

After you have a topic, search terms, and a general understanding of your subject, then it's time to visit the University of Maryland Libraries Homepage. See (http://www.lib.umd.edu). It is your guide to collections and services.

• To locate books, periodical titles, government documents, nonprint items, and other materials, use the online catalog. It lists materials held by the University System of Maryland Libraries.



• Primary and secondary sources are listed in the online catalog and in databases. For a discussion about, What are Primary Sources? / What are Secondary Sources?
  see (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html)

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Locating Articles In Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers

• To locate articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers, use databases and print indexes.

  
  
• For a discussion about Scholarly Journal Articles vs. Popular Magazine Articles, see (http://www.crk.umn.edu/library/links/profjls.htm). More discussion about Scholarly and Popular Articles is located at (http://library.albany.edu/usered/char/index.html).



• To conduct a database search:
  
  Visit the library homepage and click on research port. Search general databases (all purpose), as well as, databases by subject category, or databases by title.



• If you need help with selecting a database:
  
  Ask for assistance at the Service+ Desk in McKeldin Library.



• If you need help with searching a database:
  
  Use the help screens & search features located on the selected database.



• Still need help?
  
  Ask for assistance at the Service+ Desk in McKeldin Library.

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• African American Artists on Disc (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• African American Culture and History (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• African American Newspapers UM Only
  
• African American Poetry UM Only
• Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1699-1860 (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• Black Drama UM Only
• Black Thought and Culture UM Only
  
• Civil War (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• Database of African American Poetry, 1760-1900 (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• Ethnic NewsWatch UM Only
  
• History Universe (Primary Sources in African American History) UM Only
• International Index to Black Periodicals UM Only
  
• Primary Sources in African American History (Formerly History Universe,
  One of Several LexisNexis Databases) UM Only
  
• Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (CD available at Reference Desk, McKeldin Library)
• Twentieth Century African American Poetry UM Only

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Locating African American Microform & Special Collections

The African American related materials listed below, are located in McKeldin Library's Periodicals/Microforms Room, and Special Collections in Hornbake Library, Maryland Room. Visit (http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/subject_list.html) for more Microform Collections, and (http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUB/collections.html) for more Special Collections.

• African American History Resources (Archives & Manuscripts Department)
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/archivesum/rguide/afram.jsp
  Visit the above Web address for information on selected holdings in Special Collections.
  
• African and African-American Pamphlet Collection
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/RARE/rAREcOLLECTION/africanpamphlet.html
  Location: Hornbake Library, First Floor Maryland Room
• Civil Rights During the Johnson Administration, 1963-1969
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/civil_rights.html
  MCK-PER M-FILM KF4749.C68
• The Claude A. Barnett Papers. Part One: Associated Negro Press News Releases, 1928-1964 (1986) Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/claude_barnett.html
  MCK PER M-FILM 4882.5.C525 1984
  
• Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Papers, 1959-1976
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/core.html
  MCK-PER M-FILM E185.61.C66
  
• Hope, John. Papers of John and Lugenia Burns Hope
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/john_hope.html
  MCK-PER M-FILM LC2781.H596 1984
  
• The Martin Luther King, Jr., FBI File
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/martin_luther_king.html
  MCK-PER M-FILM E185.5.N275A3 1982
  
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Papers
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/naacp.html
  MCK-PER M-FILM E185.97.K5M268
  
• New Deal Agencies and Black America
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/newdeal.html
  McK-Per M-Film JK723 .A34N48
  
• President Truman's Committee on Civil Rights
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/truman.html
  MCKPER M-FILM J82.B3 1964
  
• Travels in the New South I and II
  Web Address: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/travels_new_south.html
  M-CARD UNCATALOGED (Microcards are arranged by main entry in the microcard cabinets in the Periodicals/Microforms Room. Items are individually catalogued by main entry without call number).

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Locating African American Resources On The Internet

The selected search engines below, are designed specifically, to retrieve black resources on the Web. Also, mainstream search engines will help you locate needed information. Refer to last entry in list below.

• AfricanAmericans.com
  Web Address: http://www.AfricanAmericans.com
  
• Afronetwireless.com
  Web Address: http://www.Afronetwireless.com/Afrosearch
  
• Black-Network.com
  Web Address: http://www.Black-Network.com
  
• BlackWebportal.com
  Web Address: http://www.BlackWebportal.com
  
• Still More Ways To Search The Internet
  Web Address: http://www.internettutorials.net/engines.html
  

Browsing Interesting African American Web Sites

Consider other resources available to you, on the World Wide Web. Listed below is a few of the many informative sites found on the Internet.

(Diversity Web Sites at UMCP)

• African American Studies Department
  Web Address: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/aasp
  
• African American Studies Faculty
  Web Address: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/aasp/faculty.htm
  
• Black Faculty and Staff Association
  Web Address: http://www.bfsa.umd.edu/
  
• Black Student Union
  Web Address: http://www.umdbsu.com/
  
• DiversityWeb (Resources for Diversity in Higher Education)
  Web Address: http://www.diversityweb.org
  
• Student Cultural Organizations (African, Black, Caribbean, etc.)
  Web Address: http://stars.umd.edu/view_groups.asp

(Genealogy)

• Library of Congress Local History & Genealogy Reading Room
  Web Address: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy
  
• National Archives, Washington D.C.
  Web Address: http://www.archives.gov/
  
• Problems Peculiar to African American Research
  Web Address: http://users.adelphia.net/~cliffmurr/specialp.htm
  
• State Archives Referral List
  Web Address: http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/what_do_we_have/other_state_archives/default.htm

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(Research Centers)

• African-American Research Library & Cultural Center
  Web Address: http://www.broward.org/library/aarlcc.htm
  
• Amistad Research Center, Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisana)
  Web Address: http://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/
  
• Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.)
  Web Address: http://www.loc.gov/
  
• Maryland State Archives African American Resources (Annapolis, Maryland)
  Web Address: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/html/afro.html
  
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York, New York)
  Web Address: http://http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html
  
• Smithsonian Institution African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.)
  Web Address: http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/afroam.htm
  

(Museums & Exhibits)

• African American Civil War Memorial (Washington, D.C)
  Web Address: http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/
  
• African-American Mosaic (An Exhibit By The Library Of Congress)
  Web Address: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
  
• Anacostia Museum (Washington, D.C.)
  Web Address: http://www.si.edu/anacostia
  
• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (Washington, D.C.)
  Web Address: http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html
• Great Blacks in Wax Museum (Baltimore, Maryland)
  Web Address: http://www.greatblacksinwax.org/
• Reginal F. Lewis Museum
  Web Address: http://www.africanamericanculture.org/museum_reglewis.html

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Off Campus Access To Library Resources

Everyone may search the catalog of UM Libraries and the University System of Maryland. Due to our licensing agreements, most databases and e-journals are restricted to current students, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland, College Park.

To search library holdings, visit our Web site at http://www.lib.umd.edu. Click on "Catalog."

To search databases and e-journals, visit our Web site at http://www.lib.umd.edu. Click on "Research Port" and review screen commands.

Other than "Research Port," you may access library resources through your WAM Account or VPN (Virtual Private Network). For details, visit http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/wam.html.

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