Archival and Manuscript Collections
Archival and manuscript collections in the Herskovits Library include personal papers, photographs, records and microforms. See guidelines for accessing our rare and archival materials.
Collections are owned by the Herskovits Library and the McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives, as indicated below.
For Herskovits Library collections, please contact us before your visit at 847-467-3084 or africana@northwestern.edu. Requests are filled within 1 to 2 business days.
Collections in Herskovits Library
| Collection | Date Range | Boxes |
|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Abdurahman (1872-1940) Family Papers (See collection details) | 1906-62 | 7 |
| African American Institute Records (See collection details) | 1982-85 | 7 |
| African Studies Association Papers (See collection details) | 1957-80 | 50 |
| American Committee to Keep BIAFRA Alive Records (See collection details) | 1966-80 | 2 |
| Vernon Anderson Papers (See collection details) | 1921-80 | 2 |
| Claude Barnett Research Collection (See collection details) | 1950-70 | 41 |
| Black Sash Papers (See collection details) | 1928-63 | 4 |
| Dennis Brutus Defense Committee, Records of the (See collection details) | 1963-83 | 4 |
| Edward Harland Duckworth Photographs (See collections details) | 1930-72 | 96, 4 trunks |
| Joseph E. Harris Papers (See collection details) | 1929-2016 | 255 |
| Alex Hepple Papers (See collection details) | 1937-64 | 15 |
| The Polly Hill Papers (See collection details) | 1921-89 | 26 |
| Images of Italians in Africa (See collection details) | 1936-1938 | 2 |
| International Journal of African Historical Studies Editorial Records (See collection details) | 1968-78 | 27 |
| Leo Kuper (1908-1994) Papers (See collection details) | 1952-66 | 21 |
| Pier M. Larson Archive (See collection details) | 1984-2020 | 69 document boxes, 5 cartons, 5 oversize boxes, 1 map-case drawer, and 2.05 TB of data |
| Economic Survey of Liberia Records (See collection details) | 1956-62 | 8 |
| Legal Survey of Liberia Records | 1 | |
| William B. Lloyd Jr. (1908-1995) Papers (See collection details) | 1942-83 | 7 |
| Vernon McKay (1912-1988) Papers (See collection details or view in Digital Collections) | 1935-77 | 121 |
| Simon Ottenberg Papers (See collection details) | 1950-2000 | 35, 1 folio |
| Lydia Luhman Pederson collection (See collection details) | 1969-90 | 25 |
| Edward Roux Clipping Scrapbook Collection | 1941-64 | 4 |
| Lavinia Scott (1907-1997) Papers (See collection details) | 1930-59 | 4 |
| Slides of Africa from the University of Wisconsin--Madison (See collection details) | 1960-2000 | 99 |
| Toward Freedom Newsletter Records (See collection details) | 1937-75 | 7 |
| Lorenzo Dow Turner Papers (See collection details) | 1915-73 | 52 |
| Jan Vansina Papers (See collection details) | 1718-2010 | 136 |
| Humphrey Winterton Collection of East African Photographs (See collection details or view in Digital Collections) | 1860-1960 | 75 albums |
Collections in the McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives
For access to the collections below, please see instructions on how to request collections and Plan A Visit to the McCormick Reading Room.
| Collection | Date Range | Boxes |
|---|---|---|
| African Curriculum Project Records (See collection details) | 1965-68 | 17 |
| Dennis Brutus (1924-2009) Papers (See collection details) | 1960-84 | 41 |
| Clignet-Sween African Data Printouts (See collection details) | 1965-75 | 35 |
| Gwendolen M. Carter Papers (See collection details) | 1915-91 | 180 |
| Marilyn Greene (1945- ) Papers (See collection details) | 1962-2015 | 36 |
| Melville J. Herskovits Biographical Materials (See collection details) | 1920-96 | 1 |
| Melville J. Herskovits Papers (See collection details) | 1906-63 | 172 |
| David Jolly Papers (See collection details) | 1945-66 | 2 |
| Program of African Studies Records (See collection details) | 1955-83 | 60 |
| Program of African Studies Interdepartmental Seminar on Africa Records (See collection details) | 1949-58 |
1 |
| Program of African Studies Lecture Series Audiotapes (See collection details) | 1965-78 |
13 |