Africana / Black Studies

1. Start with the library catalog

The best way to start is to search the Wardman Library catalog.  Our catalog will indicate what books and e-books we have.  You can your search by title, author, subject, or keyword but there are other ways to discover useful sources.

• Browsing using call numbers: The Library of Congress Classification system uses call numbers to organize similar books together.  Once you have a call number, you may find similar and useful books shelved nearby.  Here are call number ranges related to Africana/Black Studies that might be helpful:
  • DT: African history and general cultures
  • E 184 - E 185: African American history
  • HT 601 - HT 1595: Class, race, slavery (general)
  • PL 8000 - 9000: African literature written or translated from an African language
  • PR 9205 - 9339: Caribbean and Diaspora literature, not the United States
  • PR 9340 - 9410: Literature by authors of African heritage written in English
  • PS: American literature, including African American authors

• Subject Headings: the Library of Congress creates subject headings to help describe what a book is about.  When you find a book, you can click on one of these subject headings to find more books with the same subject.  Often, books will have more than one subject heading so you may need to click a few of the subject headings to find books that fit your needs.  Here are some (but not all) subject headings related to Africana / Black Studies that might be helpful:
  • African Diaspora.
  • Africans -- America -- History.
  • Africans -- America -- Ethnic identity.
  • Africans -- Migrations.
  • American -- Civilization -- African influences
  • African Americans History.
  • African American Families.
  • African American Study and Teaching.
  • African Americans -- Social Conditions

2. What if the library does not have what you want?

Wardman Library may not have the exact title you are looking for but that does not mean we cannot get it for you.  You have two options to borrow books from another library:

1. LINK+ is a service that where a group of libraries share a common catalog.  You can search for a book and make a request.  When it arrives, you can pick it up at the circulation desk.  You can browse here: LINK+.
2. For books not available at Wardman Library or LINK+, you can use interlibrary loan.  You can borrow a book, article, a book chapter, or technical report from another library.  

3. Where else can I look?

Google Books, HathiTrust, and the Internet Archive, which describes how to access two online repositories that comprise several millions of books, many of which are available in their entirety.