Guide to African American reference
Guide to Afro-Caribbean reference
Thomas Weissinger - BIBLIOGRAPHER
1408 West Gregory, Room 246, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3006
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/afx/afro.htm
The University Library has had an African American Studies bibliographer since 1969. From1969 to 2008, the Afro-Americana Library operated as a separate bibliographic unit with responsibilities for collection development, reference, and bibliographic services. During spring 2008 the bibliographer initiated a proposal to move the Afro-American Library into the History, Philosophy & Newspaper Library (HPNL) because the services and programs of the units overlapped in significant ways and users would benefit from closer collaboration and co-location. The major affinities between the two units included clienteles served, instructional sessions provided, and materials acquired. Key primary source collections in African American history are held on microfilm in the HPNL film stacks. A key element of the proposal was retaining the autonomy of the Afro-American bibliographic unit within this new configuration. The Library Executive Committee approved a name change reflective of the continued autonomy and new configuration, renaming it the African American Research Center (AARC) of the History, Philosophy & Newspaper Library.
The University Library contains approximately 200,000 volumes identified as African American Studies materials. Most of the volumes, which are available for circulation, are located in the Main Library book stacks. Others are found throughout the University's various departmental libraries. The Library system contains thousands of other items relating to African Americans and Africans in the Diaspora, including books, journals, newspapers, documents, microforms, videocassettes, and non-print media. Areas of the world emphasized in the collection include the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Great Britain, France, Germany and the Pacific Islands.
For reference purposes, the AARC maintains a collection of approximately 500 books and the Pan-African CD-ROM Workstation. These materials include encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, bibliographies, collection catalogs, biographical directories, literary guides, and other useful works. Subjects covered include history, biography, women, literature, music, art, religion, education, politics, the performing arts, and the Caribbean.
The AARC needs private funds to permanently endow student assistant wages to support the AARC Bibliographer's acquisitions, collections maintenance, and teaching of the 3-credit course (AFRO 102) entitled Researching the African American Experience. The AARC Bibliographer has taught this course for the Department of African American Studies since the late 1980s. The course is unique among peer institutions and, independent of the Graduate School of Library & Information Science, is the only undergraduate course that the University Library has supported in this way. Although the African American Studies collection is a rich resource, gifts of $1,500-$3,000 would be useful in helping with special purchases, including additions to the NAACP papers, digital collections of primary sources, and African American newspapers.
Please do not hesitate to give me a call (333-3006) or send an e-mail (tweissin@illinois.edu) if I may be of assistance.
University LibraryFor comments on this page contact: African American Research Center
Last modified by: Thomas Weissinger on 2/20/09
