102 · Representative Documents: Collection Descriptions
Northwestern University
Africana Collection
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Home » Libraries &Collections » Evanston Campus » Africana Collection
Africana Collection
From Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee by Edward T. Bowdich, 1819.
Established in 1954, the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University is the
largest separate Africana collection in existence. Its scope is as wide as the continent of Africa itself its
subject matter ranges from art, history, literature, music, and religion to communications, management, and
cooking. The Africana collection is a resource for the entire university, and most of Northwestern's disciplinary
programs are reflected in the collection. In addition to serving the NU community, the Herskovits Library staff
also serves regional, national, and international scholars as well. Reference assistance is available in the
Herskovits Library from 8:30 am -5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
To locate specific titles of monographs and serials, consult NUcat, the Northwestern University Library's
online catalog.
Other print resources in the Africana collection include extensive collections of uncataloged materials
(housed in vertical file cabinets) and conference papers (interfiled amongst the Africana stacks). To
access these titles, consult the Africana Vertical File Index and the Africana Conference Paper Index,
also available through NUcat.
More information about how to find specific resources, such as articles, reference material, primary
resources, and dissertations and theses is available in the African Studies Research Guide.
To schedule a research consultation, instruction session for a class, or to learn more about the services we
offer at the Herskovits Library, check out our Services page!
Looking for a map of Africa? Check out this map of Africa &information about each African country,
from the CIA World Factbook.
Quick Facts about the Africana Collection
400,000 volumes
2,800 current serials
More than 6000 non-circulating rare books
250 current newspapers
15,000 books in 300 different African languages
Archival and manuscript collections
Extensive collections of ephemera, maps, posters, videos, and photographs
Electronic resources for the study of Africa
Become a fan of the Africana Library on Facebook!
Program of African Studies at Northwestern University
Also founded by Melville J. Herskovits, the Program of African Studies guides the study of Africa at
Northwestern, engaging students and faculty in a wide variety of activities. The program hosts scholars and
distinguished visitors from Africa and around the world. Throughout the year, PAS sponsors talks,
discussions, readings, films, and other events. PAS also works with other centers of African scholarship in the
Chicago area, such as the University of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Art Institute of
Chicago, the program also maintains close ties with scholars and other centers of African study around the
world.
Students at Northwestern have the opportunity to actively participate in one of the most dynamic centers in
the world for the study of Africa. The interdisciplinary and cross-thematic nature of the teaching about Africa
challenges students to examine Africa from perspectives of innovative scholarship.
HOURS
Africana
Summer Session
(06/20/2011 -08/13/2011)
Mon-Thu: 8:30 AM -10:00 PM
Fri-Sat: 8:30 AM -5:00 PM
Sun: 10:00 AM -6:00 PM
Exception: Closed Saturday,
July 2 through Monday, July 4.
Staff Assistance Monday-
Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Click here for future dates
LOCATION
Level 5, East Tower
Main Library
1970 N. Campus Drive
Evanston, Illinois 60208
CONTACTS
Africana Collection
+1 (847) 467 3084
Fax: +1 (847) 467 1233
africana@northwestern.edu
CATALOGS &DATABASES
African Studies Research Guide
Africana Conference Paper Index
Africana Vertical File Index
Arabic Manuscripts from West
Africa
COLLECTIONS &EXHIBITS
Maps of Africa
Winterton Collection of East
African Photographs
SERVICES
Interlibrary Loan
Request a Research Consultation
Scanning Requests
QUICKLINKS
NUcat
Program of African Studies
CONTACT DISCLAIMER POLICY STATEMENTS NU CAMPUS EMERGENCY INFORMATION
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