African American Studies

Tanner, Henry Ossawa. The Banjo Lesson (1893) Oil on canvas Hampton University Museum, VA

Library materials on all aspects of Black life and culture are collected. Most materials are held in the Main Collection of the University Library. There are relevant works on African American life and culture housed throughout various University Library units (e.g., African-American art in the Art Library; health care and folk medicine at the Galter Health Science Library; African American music in the Music Library; rare and ephemeral materials in Special Collections; videocassettes in the Mitchell Multimedia Center; etc.). Humanities and social science disciplines (i.e., anthropology, art and archaeology, drama, comparative literature, American literature, economics, education, geography, government, history, language, law, linguistics, mass media, music, philosophy, political science, religion, sociology, women’s studies; etc.) are emphasized.

For more detail, see the African American Studies Collection Development Policy Statement


Links to African American Resources in the University Library:

Selected Campus Web Sites for African American Studies:

Selected Gateways to African American Studies Materials:

Links to Selected Library Websites for African American Studies:


Recommend an addition to the collections of Northwestern University Library. Gift Policy for giving books to the Northwestern University Library.
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Kathleen E. Bethel
African American Studies Librarian
Northwestern University Library
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208
:847.491.2173; fax: 847.491.5678

kbethel@northwestern.edu