AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES COLLECTION
DESCRIPTION
Purpose:
To support research and teaching on the black experience outside of Africa, with an emphasis on the Americas. Currently, African American Studies courses at the University are taught through numerous departments and coordinated by the African American Studies & Research Program. In addition, the African American Studies & Research Program offers a campus-wide interdisciplinary minor in African American Studies, a Graduate Minor (12 graduate hours), and a Graduate Concentration (24 graduate hours). At this time, African American courses are offered in the fields of anthropology, literature, education, history, political science, psychology, sociology, cinema studies, theatre, dance, music, social work, gender & women’s studies, and bibliography.
History of Collection:
Although materials by and about African Americans have been part of the collection for many decades, systematic acquisition and coordination began in 1969, when Alex Boyd became the first Afro-Americana Bibliographer. This position began as part of the general acquisitions department and became a separate bibliographic unit during the administration of the second bibliographer, Pola Patterson. The Afro-Americana Unit, which shares a suite with Africana, has a bibliographer and a library technical assistant.
Estimate of Holdings:117,000 volumes.
State, Regional, and National Importance:
The African American collection is among the top five academic library collections in the country, especially because of the strong, balanced holdings in both North and South America. The publicly owned collections in Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Vivian Harsh Collection of the Chicago Public Library, make the state one of the most significant places for Afro-American studies in the nation.
Unit Responsible for Collecting:
Afro-Americana Unit. Other units that collect a significant amount of material relevant to the black experience are the Latin American & Carribean, English, History, Music, and Education & Social Science Libraries.
Location of Materials:
African American Studies resources are found throughout the University's various libraries, with the largest number located in the Bookstacks.
Citations of Works Describing the Collection:
None available.
GENERAL COLLECTION GUIDELINES
Languages:
Standard statement. In addition, several creole languages.
Chronological Guidelines:
No restrictions.
Geographical Guidelines:
Outside of Africa with emphasis on the American.
Treatment of Subject:
Materials dealing with the black experience in the Americas and the African diaspora. Academic level, including scholarly treatment and selected textbooks. In addition, selected children's material.
Types of Materials:Standard statement. Current emphasis on dissertations since they are one of the major sources for Afro-American scholarship at present.
Date of Publication:Standard statement.
Place of Publication:No restrictions.
COLLECTION RESPONSIBILITY BY SUBJECT SUBDIVISIONS WITH QUALIFICATIONS, LEVELS OF COLLECTING INTENSITY, AND ASSIGNMENTS.
EXISTING STRENGTH: subject holdings rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the most extensive).
PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT: departmental libraries that have the greatest collection intensity of subject materials, respectively.In the case of 2 or more libraries listed, the collection intensity is comparable.
SECONDARY ASSIGNMENT: departmental libraries where additional materials may be found.
| SUBJECT SUBDIVISION
|
EXISTING STRENGTH
|
PRIMARY
ASSIGNMENTS
|
SECONDARY
ASSIGNMENTS
|
| African American—anthropology
|
3
|
Anthropology
|
Afro-Americana
|
| African American—art history and criticism
|
2
|
Art
|
Afro-Americana
|
| African American—biography
|
3
|
Afro-Americana
|
History
|
| African American—education
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
Education
|
| African American—health
|
1
|
Afro-Americana
|
|
| African American—history
|
3
|
Afro-Americana/History/Latin American
|
|
| African American—juvenilia
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
Instructional materials
|
| African American—linguistics
|
2
|
Linguistics
|
Afro-Americana
|
| African American—literature
|
|
|
|
| Original works
U. S. authors
|
3
|
Afro-Americana/English
|
|
| Canadian authors
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
English
|
| Latin American and Caribbean authors writing in:
English
|
3
|
Afro-Americana/Latin American
|
|
| French
|
3
|
Afro-Americana/French/
Latin American
|
|
| Spanish
|
3
|
Afro-Americana/Latin American
|
|
| Portuguese
|
2
|
Afro-Americana/Latin American
|
|
| Dutch
|
1
|
Afro-Americana
|
German/Latin American
|
| Creole
|
1
|
Afro-Americana
|
Comparative literature/
Latin American
|
| African American—media history and criticism
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
Communications
|
| African American—music
Records and sheet music
|
3
|
Music
|
Afro-Americana
|
| History
|
3
|
Music
|
Afro-Americana
|
| African American—political science
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
Political science
|
| African American—psychology
|
2
|
Afro-Americana
|
Psychology
|
| African American—reference works
|
4
|
Afro-Americana
|
Reference
|
| African American—science
|
|
|
|
| (Black contributions and impact on black people)
|
1
|
Afro-Americana
|
|
| African American—sociology
|
3
|
Afro-Americana
|
Sociology
|
| African American—women's studies
|
2
|
Afro-Americana/
Women's Studies
|
|
|
