Africa Research Guide
Reference Desk (413) 774-1509	Research Guides | Library Home

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Selected Reference Sources

Use reference sources to choose a topic, locate background information, and identify good search terms.

• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION, R 203 E56 2005
• RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, R 291 R382
• COUNTRIES AND THEIR CULTURES, R 306.03 C855
• ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MANKIND, R 306.03 I29
• DICTIONARY OF ART, R 703 D554tu
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD ART, R 703 E56
• AFRICANA: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, R 960 A258en 2005
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AFRICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE, R 960 P133en
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AFRICAN HISTORY, R 960.03 E56af
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AFRICA: SOUTH OF THE SAHARA , R 967 E56

Finding Books in the Online Catalog

Books accumulate and synthesize information from various sources. Identify appropriate terms to use for keyword and subject searches in the catalog. Common subheadings such as Economic Conditions, History, Politics and Government, Social Life and Customs are used after the names of countries.

Use history books on Africa (960's) to identify a topic of interest and locate background information. Recommended subject headings are:

• AFRICA - HISTORY - 1884-1960.
• AFRICA - HISTORY - TO 1864.
• ART, AFRICAN.

Search tips:

• Keep track of the variant spellings. African languages generally do not have an alphabet.
• After a topic from African history and culture has been identified, search that topic as a subject in the online catalog to identify titles in other areas of the collection (art, religion, political science, etc.).
• If your topic has multiple concepts, try a keyword search. See Boolean Logic for more information on constructing keyword searches and using Boolean operators.
• Use the bibliographies or reference lists in the books you find to identify other books and articles on the topic.

Finding Periodical Articles

The library owns current and back issues of periodicals (magazines and newspapers) which include articles about Africa, such as National Geographic and the New York Times. Primary documents are articles published at the time an event occurs. Use an index or database, such as Readers Guide Retrospective, to identify articles on a subject about African history and culture.

Use the Periodical List to determine whether the library owns the periodicals cited and where these publications are located in the library. Some articles may be available in the research databases. Search the title and subject lists of appropriate databases to find out.

Finding Articles in Research Databases
(go to DA Orgs/Library for off-campus access)

• CountryWatch (full text)
  Provides information on each of the 192 recognized countries of the world including:
  CountryReviews--demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental information;
  CountryWire--daily news coverage and a news archive;
  CountryWatch Forecast--a five-year macroeconomic forecast;
  CountryWatch Energy Forecast--a 20-year forecast of energy demand, supply, and pricing;
  Also features CountryWatch Data (statistics), the CountryWatch Map Gallery, CountryWatch@School (curriculum based resources), and the weekly Global News Update.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (full text)
  Includes country information from the complete encyclopedia and the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, plus the Britannica Book of the Year--also includes 300,000 links to websites selected by the editors
• CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)(full text)(1991-present)
  A comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs
• General Databases such as Academic Search Premier and General OneFile will include current articles about countries and their cultures. If possible, search by subject and browse the subheadings under the subject for specific information. For older articles, try JSTOR or the Readers Guide.
• History Databases such as History Reference Center or History Study Center include information about the countries of the world plus primary documents.
• Lexis-Nexis provides current news about countries. Under General News, browse the source list for the titles of foreign newspapers indexed by this database. Use a news directory on the Internet to search other foreign newspapers online: ABYZ News Links, Online Newspapers from Around the World, or World Newspaper.com.
• Smithsonian Global Sound--search by country, cultural group, or artist to listen to African music
• Contemporary World Music
• Naxos Music Library--a large collection of music, including world music--includes notes on the works plus biographical information on composers and artists--search by country in the Advanced Search

Selected Internet Resources
(Websites should always be evaluated for authorship, accuracy, and currency)

Selected by Deerfield faculty:

• African Timelines
• Wonders of the African World (PBS)
• Facts About African Countries (clickable map)(Northwestern U.)
• Art and Life in Africa Project (U. of Iowa)
• Internet Africa History Sourcebook (Fordham U.)
• The Story of Africa (BBC World News Service)
• African Voices (Smithsonian Natural History Museum)
• Google Directory for Africa

Selected by Deerfield librarians:

• African Studies Internet Resources (Columbia U.)
• Africa South of the Sahara: Selected Internet Resources (Stanford U.)
• Africa (PBS)
• Sahara: Explore the Regions (PBS)
• African Study Center: Countries (U. Penn)
• African Study Center: Multimedia Archive (U. Penn)
• Index on Africa (includes country links)
• Africa Photos (CA Academy of Sciences)
• Africa Focus: Sights & Sounds of a Continent
• Africa Maps (U. of Texas-Austin)
• National Museum of Africa Art: Explore the Collection
• Archive of African Journals (full text of social sciences & humanities journals)

Try the Countries & Cultures Research Guide
for recommended websites for country information

Need help with citing sources?
MLA Citation Style Guide
NoodleBib (citation management tool)