Primary Sources at BU
Some Examples of Primary Resources in the African Studies Library:
Within our collections, you can also find:
- Government records and reports
- Audio and video recordings
- Memoirs and autobiographies
- Correspondence, letters
- Speeches, interviews
- Literature (ie. novels, poems)
Primary Sources Online
- African Digital Collections Online A list in progress of various digital collections on Africa that are openly accessible on the Internet. We will continue added resources as we are aware of them.
- Afriterra Cartographic Library The Afriterra library is the most complete assembly in North America for original rare maps focused on early Africa. Some facts about the collection: 5,000 original rare maps, engravings, archive papers and rare book text and references, covering seven languages (English, Latin, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian). Dates of origin from 1480 to 1900. Palm-size to wall-size; small regional scale to continental scale Maps of mountains, deserts, scenes, villages, and pathways. Maps of Rivers: Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Congo, Orange, Zambezi, and Nile. Maps and Description of Regions: Gambia, Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Ivory Coast, Slave Coast, Grain Coast, Cameroon, Zaire, Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nubia, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Timbuktu. Locations of Kingdoms: Songhay, Asante, Dahomey, Oyo, Jolof, Dyula, Benin, Ife, Gao, Mali, Aja, Kong, Abrong, Mossi, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Vili, Borno, Akan, Ghana, Ewe, Dagomba, Kasanje, Tuareg, Sahel, Mbundu, Zulu. Locations of Slave trade sites: Arguin, Goree, St. Louis, De los, Sherbro, Bance, Whydah, Elmina, Anomabe, Lagos, Bonny, Calabar, Biafra, Benguela, Loango, Cabinda, Luanda, St. Thomas, Fernando Po.
- Europeana Collections Multi-lingual online collection of millions of digitized items from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections.
- Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and its partners. Online since 1997, it provides access to over 2 million documents. It is updated weekly with thousands of new materials. Areas include history, literature, science, philosophy, law, economics and political science in all types of media: print (books, periodicals and press), manuscripts, documents, sound, iconographic documents, maps and plans.
- Internet Archive Using the top search box will search text, audio and film. Many older books and ethnographies can be found digitized in this collection.
Head, African Studies Library
Beth Restrick
Contact:
African Studies Library
6th floor, Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri, 9am- 5pm
6th floor, Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri, 9am- 5pm
617-353-3726
Subjects: African Studies