Afro American Studies

Library Guide by Isabel Espinal for

AfroAm 117:

Survey of African American Literature I

Professor Britt Rusert

"Lucy Terry Prince: The Griot's Voice" (2012) by Peggie Hartwell

Your library research learning goals:

• learn about the resources available at the library that will help in your research projects, specifically the project for this class
• start learning how to identify and use databases efficiently for specific projects
• learn how to sign up for RefWorks & about the importance of citation management
• begin searching for information for the presentation you will make to the class

What's a peer-reviewed journal?
Many of our journals are peer-reviewed. If you don't know what that means or why it matters, watch this video.

Use RefWorks to keep track of your research. 

Put all your references in RefWorks, create quick and easy bibliographies, build your knowledgebase.

1. Set up your account by clicking on the RefWorks link on the library homepage. From the RefWorks info page, choose "RefWorks Login & New Account Set up." From the login page, choosse "New to RefWorks? - Sign up for an Individual Account." Note: You get to choose your own username and password - make them easy to remember!

2. Get your book citations into RefWorks

Book citations from UMAWorldCat (a huge combined catalog that includes UMass books)

1. Go to http://www.library.umass.edu/
2. Conduct a search.
3. Click “Cite/Export” on the page for an individual book title.
4. Choose "Export to Refworks."
5. Log into RefWorks.

Another way:

1. Within RefWorks, go to the search menu on the left side top and choose "Online Catalog or database"
2. In the next screen, under "Online Catalog or Database to Search" choose "University of Massachusetts Amherst." If you have a specific title or author, go to the advanced search at the bottom and run your search.
3. Your results will appear in a separate window or tab. choose the title(s) you want to import to your RefWorks account and click on "Import."

3. Get your journal article citations into RefWorks
Most databases have a way to export citations into RefWorks directly.

4. Write your annotation and enter it into RefWorks
You can write and save your annotations in RefWorks using these instructions.

4. Print out your bibliography

1.     Click on Bibliography from the menu toolbar.
2.     Select Output Style (APA, MLA, etc.) .
3.     Select Format a Bibliography from a List of References
4.     Select File type to Create (HTML, Word, or text file)
5.     Select the Folder from which the citations are to be taken.
6.     Click Create Bibliography.
7.     Follow the instructions for viewing the file. Remember to save the document before closing. 
Be sure to check the list for accuracy!

If you need more help or info on RefWorks, check out the FAQs.

The Museum of African American History is New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. In Boston and Nantucket, the Museum has preserved four historic sites and two Black Heritage Trails that tell the story of organized black communities from the Colonial Period through the 19th century.

TIP: When you look for a particular book on the shelf, make sure to browse the shelf and nearby shelves for related books. Take your time! Open the books!  

To find books at UMass, you have two options.

1. Start with the general search box on the library home page, www.library.umass.edu.  
   Advantages:
   • This catalog gives you access to libraries and collections throughout North America and beyond! It starts with UMass but does not limit you to our catalog.
   
   
2. Or, use the Five Colleges Library Catalog.
   Advantages:
   • This catalog lets you search in some very specifc ways, for example, by Library of Congress Subject Heading. Be as specific as possible in your searching. Start with a subject search (use keyword if subject yields no results). Search by author, title, subject, keyword, call number, journal title, etc. For materials on a specific subject, enter your term(s) into the Subject or Keyword search boxes.
     

1. From off-campus, an OIT Computer Account is required to access licensed databases.
2. Use the Database Searching Log to keep track of your searches and search strategies.
3. Use RefWorks to manage your citations and create your bibliography.
4. After you've run a search, use the button to retrieve articles or to be taken directly to Interlibrary Loan, so you can order the article if UMass does not have it.

Primary Sources

African American Poetry The early history of African American poetry, from the first recorded poem by an African American (Lucy Terry Prince's 'Bars Fight', c.1746) to the major poets of the nineteenth century, including Paul Laurence Dunbar and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century - Starting with the Freedom’s Journal in 1827 and continuing in chronological order with the monthly addition of new text, this database plans to ultimately contain the complete text of the major African American newspapers published in the United States during the 19th century. Currently contains the following newspapers: Freedom's Journal, The Coloured American, The North Star, The National Era, Provincial Freeman, Frederick Douglass Paper, and The Christian Recorder.

African American Song Audio database which documents African American music, including jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, and narratives, from the Document Records label. Browse by category of music, region, genre, instrument, artist, ensemble, and time period. A playlist option is available.

Black Thought and Culture Contains 619 sources with 246 authors which includes the nonfiction published works of leading African Americans.

Black Women Writers A growing collection of literary works by about 77 African, African American, and Afro-Caribbean women.

Historical NY Times The entire New York Times, searchable, in image files. Time Period Covered: 1851-1999. 

Historical Statistics of the United States Statistics gathered by the Census Bureau, with scholarly editing and essays, from colonial times to near present.

North American Women's Letters and Diaries Primary source material for life as it was lived by 1,000 women in North America, 1675-1950.

Secondary Sources

African American Biographical Database Full-text books on African American lives and culture.

America: History and Life Citations and abstracts for journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews relating to United States and Canadian history. 

Art Abstracts An index to articles and reproductions of works of art in art-related magazines, journals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins.

Biography Resource Center Brief biographies from a variety of reference sources.

Black Studies Center combines several resources for research and teaching in Black Studies: Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, International Index to Black Periodicals (IIBP), and the Black Literature Index. IIBP provided indexing and abstracting of 150 African, American and Caribbean periodicals, with full text of forty core journals. 

JSTOR Full-text articles from scholarly journals from many disciplines. From the earliest issue of each journal to between two and five years prior to the present. Therefore, does NOT contain very recent scholarship. 

***MLA International Bibliography Considered THE PREMIER database for journal articles and other scholarly literature on literature, literary theory and criticism, linguistics, folklore, and film.

WorldCat The combined catalogs of most U.S. libraries. Material not owned by UMass Amherst can usually be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. 

Introducing UMA WorldCat - a new discovery tool that helps you find a wide range of materials using a single search. Books, journals, articles, videos and more can be located using UMA WorldCat.

Use your Interlibrary Loan account to:

• Borrow books, videos, and other materials not available in the Five College system.
• Request electronic copies of articles and book chapters not available at UMass.
  
• In databases, and in your Refworks account, use the button to  taken directly to Interlibrary Loan, so you can request articles if UMass does not have them.

Black Abolitionist Papers

Papers and articles of 300 US and European anti-slavery activists of color, 1830-1865.

The David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History & Underground Railroad Studies

"Florence’s Historic African American Community ~ By 1850 the small village of Florence (then Bensonville), counted among its population a higher percentage of African-Americans than nearby Springfield or even other strongly abolitionist Massachusetts communities in New Bedford and Boston. Many members of this significant if short-lived historical community were self-emancipated former slaves. Others like Sojourner Truth and David Ruggles were among the nation’s leading black activists in the struggle to end slavery."