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THE COLLECTION
History of the Collection
The various components of the Yale
University Libraries include some of the most extensive and accessible
collections of Africana in North America, if not the world. The first
acquisition of Africa-related material goes back to the earliest days
of the University's existence, and the impressive depth and breadth of
holdings reflects the diversity of the University Library�s strengths
as well as generations of Yale scholars' varied research pursuits.
Collection Subject Strengths
The African Collection has a particularly strong focus on Anglophone
southern, central, east, and west Africa; Francophone and Lusophone countries
are also strongly represented and there are considerable resources on
all other areas, including the Indian Ocean islands. Holdings on most
southern African countries are close to exhaustive. Yale has a
most impressive collection of indigenous-language material, particularly
creative literature.
The Collection, while not a discrete
entity, includes books, periodicals, and newspapers, as well as extensive
holdings of maps,
photographs, and archival materials. The Yale
Divinity Library has perhaps, the largest and finest collection of
Africa-related materials on the continent, and the Manuscripts
and Archives Center contains a singularly impressive Africana manuscript
collection. Equally imposing are Yale's Africana microform collections,
which include newspapers, dissertations, transcripts of political trials,
and political ephemera. Significantly strong collections are housed in
other libraries on campus, particularly the Social
Science Library and the Economic
Growth Center.
Staff
The Curator, Dorothy C. Woodson,
and the staff of the African Collection are located in Room 317, Sterling
Memorial Library. They welcome research questions and will lend assistance
in the use of reference materials housed in the office.
Collection Location
and Hours
Location: Sterling Memorial
Library, Rm 317
Yale University
130 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06520
Phone: (203) 432-1883
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am
- 5:00pm
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