Africa: Getting Started with Research
Visit the African Studies Library virtually or in person. Check out current African newspapers, talk to library staff with long experience in the study of Africa, and get started in the right direction.
Africa South of the Sahara (AFR ST DT 351 F71)
A yearbook that gives a comprehensive, accurate, and readable overview on each country in sub-Saharan Africa. It covers history, politics and economics, gives a bibliography of suggested additional reading, current statistics. An essential first step.
The Country Studies Series (Library of Congress) presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world. Not all African countries are covered. For some countries, a briefer but useful Country Profile is also available.
The Country Reports and Country Profiles provide up-to-date economic and business information, along with analyses of how political and social events influence economic conditions. All African countries are covered. This resource can be searched for specific queries, but usually works best as an introduction by reading through the Reports and Profiles.
Bibliography of Africana Periodical Literature Database
This database is probably the best one to use for most African topics. It does not provide full-text, but most of the journals cited are in the BU Libraries' collection. Check the catalog and the ejournals locater. Besides the bibliography, this site also provides links to other useful sites.
African Studies Abstracts Online
The catalog of the African Studies Center Library at the University of Leiden (Holland) is your entry to a database of articles in journals as well as books. Full text is not available, but many of the journals cited are in the BU Libraries' collection.Check the catalog and the ejournals locater.
Also check out their Web Dossiers. These are informative essays with excellent bibliographies on topics such as Darfur, poverty reduction, and African cinema.
This database consolidates a large number of databases and bibliographies created worldwide covering articles and books about Africa. Access to full text is not provided, and many citations are to journals and newspapers not available locally. This database is best for long-term research, but check it out to cover all your bases.
Library of Congress Portals to the World
For each country, this gateway provides links to scholarly and authoritative web sites on history, health, culture, and more.
A carefully selected and very thorough collection of links to useful web sites for information on a wide variety of topics for all the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Can be browsed by country or by topic.
Look for books: use the BU catalog or check out other African studies collections, or go to WorldCat to cast a broader net for your search.