Black History Month 2016

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Gisele Schierhorst

Black History Month (February 1 through 29) is a wonderful opportunity to navigate resources in the Melville Library which describe the multitude of events, places and contributions of peoples of African descent! The following electronic sources are rich in content and provide ready reference and research information. Enjoy!

African American Newspapers (1827-1998) – This full-text database provides online access to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers from more than 35 states—including many rare and historically significant 19th century titles.

American Memory (Library of Congress) – This site provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions. Click on the link for “African-American History,” and you will find access to historical pamphlets, legal documents and the narratives of former slaves recorded between 1932 and 1975.

Ethnic NewsWatch –

This full-text source covers 1990-present, and offers articles from newspapers and periodicals published by ethnic, minority and native presses in the United States, in English and Spanish. A search for “civil rights,” produces thousands of entries, with a wide and detailed range of perspectives on this chapter in US history.

JSTOR – A multi-disciplinary archival database such as JSTOR allows one to explore a topic such as “African American art,” by simultaneously (or separately) searching journals focused on “African Studies,” “African-American Studies,” and “Art and Art History,” if so desired. The result is thousands of scholarly writings from which you can produce your own unique bibliography.

The University’s Africana Studies Department (http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/africana-studies/pages/Africana%20Studies%20Faculty.html)

offers exciting coursework taught by its renowned faculty. Take a course, or check out the upcoming Black History Month events sponsored by the Department!

–G. Schierhorst