Swem Library is pleased to announce four new databases to support the program in Africana Studies. While Swem continues to struggle financially, we are fortunate that these resources fell within the subject parameters of restricted private funds.
The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988) joins other historic newspapers from Proquest (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post). Founded by former slave John Henry Murphy Sr., the Baltimore Afro-American was one of the most widely circulated African-American newspapers on the Atlantic Coast.
Readex, the vendor that also provides access to America’s Historical Newspapers 1690-1922, has recently launched African American Newspapers, 1827-1998. When complete, this database will feature 270 newspapers published in thirty-six states for an overall chronological coverage of 170 years. Searches across these newspapers provide snapshots of African-American history and culture across time and place.
Members of the William and Mary community also have access to two databases from Aluka (from the Zulu word “to weave”), an international collaborative effort that‘s now part of JSTOR.
Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa offers over 180,000 pages of documents and images chronicling the liberation efforts primarily in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Included in the database are periodicals, nationalist publications, records of colonial governments, local newspaper reports, personal papers, correspondence, UN documents, oral testimonies, life histories, and speeches.
The African Cultural Heritage Sites & Landscapes database offers images and research documentation from repositories in Europe, North America, and Africa. Included here are thousands of aerial, panorama, and satellite photographs; virtual and three-dimensional models; GIS data sets; excavation notes and early travelogues; antiquarian maps; and a visual archive of African rock art.
Search these products from the Database links site on the Swem home page.
For more information, or if you have questions or comments, contact Cathy Reed, Director of Collections and Content Services, at 221-7615 or careed@wm.edu.
October 13, 2009 at 3:40 pm | News | No comment
