Introduction

This is the guide to selected basic materials on the African-American experience, located in the Fordham Libraries or accessible on the Internet.

Note on terms used: Keyword searches for African-American studies may include the following terms: "African-American," Afro-American," "Black," and "Negro," depending upon the publication date of the material.

Research Databases

America: History and Life     Index to journals on American and Canadian history since 1991.

Black Studies on Disc (RH Ref W DATA CD 10)     CD-ROM-based searchable index to black periodicals from 1988-2003.

Black Women in America—This second edition of this historic reference work provides an updated resource on the achievement of African-American women in the United States.

Ethnic News Watch     Ethnic NewsWatch is a full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines, and journals for the ethnic, minority, and native press since 1991.

Lexis-Nexis History Universe (African American History)   Full text of primary sources in African American history.

In Motion: the African-American Migration Experience    Database of full texts, maps, images, and lesson plans sponsored by the Schomburg Collection of the New York Public Library.

Oxford African American Studies Center   Full text of Oxford University Press reference books on African Americans.

Who's Who Among African-Americans   Now available in electronic format by the Gale Research Library, this is the 2007 edition on this reference for multicultural studies.

Top of Page

General References

Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (2^nd ed.) (Vols. 1-5).   New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. (RH) Ref  + DT14.A37435 2005

Asante, Molefi. The African-American Atlas: Black History and Culture--An Illustrated Reference. New York: Macmillan, 1998. (RH LC) Ref + E185.A791998

Brown, Lorene. Subject Headings for African-American Materials. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1995. (RH LC) Ref Z695.1.B76 1995

Ciment, James. Atlas of African-American History. New York: Facts on File, 2001. (RH) Ref + E185 .C55 2001

Earle, J. Routledge Atlas of African American History. New York: Routledge, 2000. (RH LC) Ref E185.E125 2000

Finkelman, P. Encyclopedia of African-American History 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass (Vols. 1-3). New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. (RH) Ref +E185.E545 2006

Higginbotham, E.B. The Harvard Guide to African-American History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. (RH LC) Ref E185 .H326 2001

Hornor, L.L. Black Americans: A Statistical Sourcebook. Palo Alto, CA: Information Pub., 2002. (MM) Ref E185.86 .B498 2002

Lowery, C.D. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Twenty-First Century (Vols. 1-2). New York: Greenwood Press, 2003. (RH) Ref E185.61 .E54 2003

Miles, J.H. Almanac of African American Heritage: A Book of Lists Featuring People, Places, Times, and Events That Shaped Black Culture. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall Press, 2001. (RH) Ref E185 .A448 2001

Mjagkij, N. (Ed.). Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations. New York: Garland Publishers, 2001. (RH) Ref + E185.5.O74 2001

Palmer, C.A. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: the Black Experience in the Americas  (2^nd ed.) (Vols. 1-6). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. (RH LC MM) Ref + E185.E54 2006

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Kaiser Index to Black Resources, 1948-1986 (Vols. 1-5). Brooklyn, NY: Carlson, 1992. (RH) Ref + E185.A1 K34 1992

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York Public Library African American Desk Reference. New York: Wiley, 1999. (RH LC) Ref E185.N69 1999

Shillington, K. Encyclopedia of African History (Vols. 1-3). New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2005. (RH LC) Ref +DT20.E53 2005

Smith, J.C., Palmisano, J.M. (Eds.). African-American Almanac. Detroit: Gale, 2000. (LC MM) Ref + E185.A252 2000

Smith, J.C. Historical Statistics of Black America (Vols. 1-2). New York: Gale, 1995. (RH LC MM) Ref E185.H558 1995

Smith, R.C. Encyclopedia of African-American Politics. New York: Facts on File, 2003. (RH) Ref + E185 .S58155 2003

Top of Page

Biography

Aaseng, Nathan. African-American Athletes. New York: Facts on File, 2003. (RH) Ref GV697 .A196 2003

Bader, Philip. African-American Writers. New York: Facts on File, 2004. (RH) Ref PS153.N5 B214 2004

Brockman, N.C. An African Biographical Dictionary. New York: Grey House Pub., 2006. (RH) Ref +DT18.B76 2006

Carey, Charles W. African-American Political Leaders. New York: Facts on File, 2004. (RH) Ref E185.96 .C18 2004

Gates, H.L., Higginbotham, E.B. (Eds.). African-American Lives. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. (RH) Ref + E185.96 .A48 2004

Hine, D.C. (Ed.). Black Women in America (Vols. 1-3). New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. (RH LC MM) Ref +E185.86.B542 2005

Kessler, J.H. Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20^th Century. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 1996. (RH) Science Ref Q141.D535 1996

Kranz, Rachel. African-American Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs. New York: Facts on File, 2004. (RH) Ref HC102.5 .A2 K73 2004

Mitchell, Sara.  Afro-American Biographies: A Bibliography. Huntington, NY: Nova Science Pub., 2000. (RH) Ref E185.96.A13 2000

Moebs, Thomas. Black Soldiers-Black Sailors-Black Ink: Research Guide on African-Americans in U.S. Military History, 1526-1900. Chesapeake Bay, VA: Moebs Pub. Co., 1994. (RH) Ref UB418.A47 M64 1994

Riggs, T. (Ed.). St. James Guide to Black Artists. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997. (RH LC) Ref + N40.S78 1997

Salley, Columbus. The Black 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential African-Americans, Past, and Present. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. Group, 1999.  (RH) Ref E185.96.S225 1999

Sammons, Vivian. Blacks in Science and Medicine. New York: Hemisphere Pub. Corp., 1990. (RH LC) Ref + Q141.B58 1990

Smith, J.C. (Ed.). Notable Black American Women. Detroit: Gale Research, 2003. (RH LC MM) Ref + E185.96 .N68 2003

Smith, J.C. Black Heroes of the Twentieth Century. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1998. (LC) Ref E185.96.B5337 1998

Top of Page

Culture and History

Andrews, W.L., Foster, F.S., Harris, T. (Eds.). Oxford Companion to African-American Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. (RH LC MM) Ref PS153.N5 A183 1997

Cowan, Thomas. Timelines of African-American History: 500 Years of Black Achievement. New York: Berkley Pub. Group, 1994. (RH LC) Ref E185.C86 1994

Draper, J.P. (Ed.). Black Literature Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Most Significant Works of Black Authors Over the Past 200 Years (Vols. 1-3). Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. (RH LC MM) Ref + PS153.N5 B556 1992

Estell, Kenneth. African America: Portrait of a People. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1994. (LC) Ref E185.96 E87 1994

Smith, V. (Ed.). African-American Writers (2nd ed.) (Vols. 1-2). New York: Scribners, 2001. (RH) Ref + PS153.N5 A344 2001

Thomison, Dennis. Black Artist in America: An Index to Reproductions. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1991. (RH LC) Ref N6538.N5 T46 1991

Valade, R.M. (Ed.).  Schomburg Center Guide to Black Literature from the Eighteenth Century to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. (RH LC) Ref PN841.A1 S34 1996

Danky, J.P. African-American Newspapers and Periodicals: A National Bibliography. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1998. (RH) Ref +PN4882.5.A37 1998

Kagan, Alfred. Reference Guide to Africa: A Bibliography of Sources. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005. (RH) Ref DT4.K15 2005

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Bibliographic Guide to Black Studies. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1975-1997. (RH LC) Ref HT1581.A1 N41

Semmes, Clovis.  Roots of Afrocentric Thought: A Reference Guide to Negro Digest/Black World. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. (RH) Ref D1.N31 INDEX

African-American Mosaic     This is a Library of Congress resource guide for the study of black history and culture.

Amistad Research Center of Tulane University    An independent manuscripts library dedicated to preserving African American and ethnic history and culture.

The Black Collegian Online    National magazine that focuses on career opportunities for young African Americans.

W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research of Harvard University    The nation's oldest research center dedicated to the study of the history, culture, and social institutions of African Americans.

Georgetown University Library's African American Studies Research Guide   Georgetown University Library's list of resources for African-American studies.

Museum of Afro American History, Boston   A not-for-profit history institution dedicated to preserving, conserving and accurately interpreting the contributions of African Americans during the colonial period in New England.

Our Shared History: African American Heritage    The National Park Service features links and online tours to provide information on African American historical places.

University of California, Santa Barbara's Resources in Black Studies    Includes resources for researchers on people of African descent in the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Australia.

Those databases that are listed at the top of this African-American Studies' research guide are all excellent tools for researching the Harlem Renaissance, in addition to those found in the General Periodicals Indexes of the databases' section of this library Web site (i.e., Academic Search Premier, Project Muse, ProQuest).

MLA International Bibliography Because of the large literary movement that took place during this time, the MLA International Bibliography is a great place to locate information about the notable writers that influenced the Harlem Renaissance.

Aberjhani, & West, S.L. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2003. (RH MM) + PS153.N5 A24 2003

Harris, T. (Ed.) Afro-American Writers from the Harlem Renaissance to 1940. Detroit: Gale, 1987. (RH LC MM) Ref PS2 .D5 V.51

Nelson, E.S. African American Authors, 1745-1945: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. (RH LC) Ref PS153.N5 A133 2000

Rasmussen, R.K. (Ed.). The African American Encyclopedia (2^nd ed.) (Vols. 1-10). New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2001. (RH LC) Ref E185 .A253 2001

Roses, L.E., & Randolph, R.E. Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: Literary Biographies of 100 Black Women Writers, 1900-1945. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. (RH LC MM) Ref PS153.N5 R65 1990

Rush, T.G., Myers, C.F., & Arata, E.S. Black American Writers Past and Present: A Biographical and Bibliographical Dictionary (Vols. 1-2). Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1975. (RH LC) Ref PS153.N5 A11

African American Odyssey Exhibition This online exhibit has a good overview of the Harlem Renaissance. Since it is published by a reputable source, such as the Library of Congress, educators and researchers alike will find this page to be beneficial, particularly the “Probing Further” section.

Schomburg Center for the Research in Black Culture One of the most extensive holdings about Black culture, the Schomburg Library features works of different formats relating to Black people, including rare books, oral histories, audiovisual materials, graphic art, and much more.