African American History Pathfinder

The library owns an extensive collection of books written by and/or about African Americans. These books and other resources can be located by accessing the library's catalog and performing a keyword, title, author, or subject search. Many titles will be located primarily at the Scotlandville Branch in the Black Heritage Collection. The following titles represent a select few of the many resources the library owns to help you begin your search for information.

Broad Guides

Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience

A single volume encyclopedia, this book gives a broad outline of the contributions of people of African descent, especially in the Americas but, more generally around the world.

The African American Almanac

Reflecting the rich and varied heritage of African American life, this single volume source offers an accurate portrait of contemporary life and a wealth of information on the present state of African Americans.

The African American Encyclopedia

A 10-volume set containing essay entries on 3,576 topics, this resource includes cross-references to aid in locating related topics of interest.

Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History

This is a 5-volume set which includes about 2,200 entries. The majority are biographies that range from the beginning of the 17th to the end of the 20th century. It includes a number of large essays by well-known scholars.

Reference Library of Black America

A 5-volume set in which information appears in 29 subject chapters, it would be useful for the researcher seeking information on well-known people, places, and events in black history. There is also an Elementary School edition of this resource available at the Scotlandville Branch in the Black Heritage Collection.

Biographical Information

Biographical Dictionary of African Americans

This book includes over 230 entries on prominent black figures from colonial America to the present.

Contemporary Black Biography

Providing information on persons from the international black community, this publication includes persons found in today's headlines as well as those important and influential persons who are not yet household names.

Notable Black American Men

Notable Black American Women

These resources provide biographies of 500 men and 300 women from colonial times to the present. They also include addresses for the living biographees and a geographical index that includes both the birthplace and places of residence.

Who's Who Among African Americans

Highlights of the lives of African Americans with achievements and contributions in sports, music, entertainment, business, education, government, science, and technology are presented in this book.

Scientists and Inventors

African American Medical Pioneers

A publication useful for persons interested in the historical role of blacks in American medicine, this book also includes a summary listing of all the predominantly black medical schools in the United States.

Black Inventors of America

Containing information on a select group of black inventors, this book's appendix includes a useful patent and invention index.

Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century

In-depth information on a select group of 100 scientists' personal lives and scientific contributions are contained in this book.

Notable Black American Scientists

This publication highlights the accomplishments of 254 black scientists and physicians from colonial times to the present.

The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences

Providing profiles of African American men and women who have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering, this is a useful website.

Historical

African American Experience on File

Organized chronologically into six historical eras, this publication provides a detailed overview of African American history and offers hundreds of maps, graphs, drawings, photographs and other graphic sources of information on the history of people of African descent in the United States.

African American Firsts: Famous, Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America

This book seeks to present factual information of endeavors which were first achieved by blacks in America.

Chronology of African American History

A historical timeline providing information on important people, places, and events in the history of African Americans from the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 to the present is featured in this publication.

The Civitas Anthology of African American Slave Narratives

Presenting the narratives of several fugitive slaves either written by the slaves themselves or written by others as told by the slave, this book is useful for the researcher seeking first-hand knowledge of the horrors of slavery or collecting information on selective slaves lives.

Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery

Devoted entirely to slavery as a concept, this book summarizes current knowledge about all forms of human bondage throughout the world and presents information on abolition movements of the past and present.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

This website provides access to the Schomburg Center, one of the Research Libraries of The New York Public Library, and a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world.

Online Databases

EBSCO-EBSCOhost

link to EBSCO via the Online Databases

Greenwood Electronic Media

American Slavery: A Composite Autobiography
Literature In Context

Enables full access to many primary documents.

link to Greenwood Electronic Media via the Online Databases

Other Media

Eyes on the Prize: America at the Racial Crossroads

This is a PBS collection of 8 videos featuring the leaders and events of the civil rights movement from 1965 through 1985.

Freedom on My Mind

This video presents the story of the Mississippi freedom movement as told by actual participants. Historical footage is shown and updates are given on the lives of some of the activists.

A Call to Conscience: the landmark speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a collection of 6 cassettes featuring Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches with introductions by other notable people involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a biography of the famous civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. on audiocassette for those who enjoy listening or who have little time to read.

Malcolm X

This is a biography on audiocassette of one of the most vocal members of the Black Muslims, Malcolm X.

Remembering Slavery: African Americans talk about their personal experiences of slavery and freedom

This is a book and cassette companion set featuring live recordings of interviews with former slaves.

The Main Library also has an extensive collection of articles relating to African Americans and Black History located in Vertical Files labeled BL. These files will be especially useful to researchers of local history. Ask at the Reference Desk if additional assistance is needed.

African American History

A Select Guide to Reference Sources for Researching African American History