Instruction and Class Guides

African Archives: Guides and Resources on the Web and in Print

Libraries and archives are often thought of as much the same; they may even co-exist in the same building. They are, however, quite different in purpose, operation, and use.

A library is a collection of informational resources that have been selected and acquired to fill the needs of a library's clientele. The materials are arranged for maximum public access.

An archive is a collection of administrative, organizational, institutional, or personal papers and records that have been used as part of the operation or business of the organization or person who generated them. Organizations may also have records centers, which house documents during their active life. Those records are usually stored for possible use according to a retention policy which may be dictated by law (for instance, the number of years a bank is required to maintain records of the activities of accounts), or by prudence (for instance, keeping records as long as they might reasonably be expected to be useful). Materials are usually placed in archives for long-term or permanent storage when they are no longer in active use. They are arranged for maximum utility to the organization that created them, and access for outside researchers is usually only a secondary consideration.

Both libraries and archives are important in ethnographic and historical research. The archives of national and local governments, of missions and churches, of corporations, of non-governmental organizations, and of individual scholars, statesmen, and other figures provide the primary documentation of human activity. Archives are frequently used for research which can be quite different from their original purpose. Because archives have not generally been created for use by researchers, unlocking the information they may contain is not as easy as logging on to a library's catalog.

Primary documents essential to the study of Africa may be found in archives in Africa, North America, Europe -- indeed, worldwide.

Guides and Links to Archives On the Web

Africa Research Central (http://www.africa-research.org/) This enormously useful site brings together all information known about archives in Africa, the United States, and Europe. One may search the 484 entries for Africa, browse the list arranged by country, or browse the lists for the United States and Europe. For each archive, contact information, including address, telephone numbers, name of director, etc. are provided, and as much information as the Web site owners have been able to find on the collections, access, finding aids, etc. If an archive has a Web site, a link is provided. The sites for U.S. and European archives are linked directly, but no annotation on the ARC site describes the Africa-related portions of archives, and the sites do not make these immediately apparent.

Guides, Collections and Ancillary Materials to African Archival Resources in the United States by John Bruce Howell and Yvette Scheven. Electronic Journal of African Bibliography, Vol. 1 (http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/ejab/1/index.html) This is an electronic version of the print guide in ASL Reference, providing information on collections of African archival material in U.S. libraries, print guides, and ancillary material, defined as "histories or historically-related materials such as pamphlets that together provide an important source for the writing of history". Although somewhat dated now, this guide is a useful complement to the ARC site, since the annotations are extremely helpful. Holdings in major U.S. libraries are noted.

African Government Web Site (http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/africa.html) This site consolidates access to official Web sites for African government agencies, including national archives. Most links probably duplicate links on Africa Research Central, but links to other government agencies can be useful.

West African Archive Web Site (http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his311/archives/arcindex.htm) is a site developed and maintained by Professor Jim Jones at West Chester University in Pennsylvania to support courses in African history. It describes archives in Mali, Senegal and France.

Africa South of the Sahara (http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/libs.html) gathers links to Web sites for both libraries and archives in Africa, North America, and Europe. Each link is annotated, usually with an additional link directly to the most relevant sections of the site. Also at this site is a list of libraries and archives in South Africa
(http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/rsalibs.html) Archives sites are also listed under each country.

Columbia University's African Studies Library site contains an alphabetical listing of libraries and archives. Each entry is annotates. (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/BibInfo.html)

Using Search Engines

The Web sites described above, in conjunction with print guides available in the African Studies Library and elsewhere, probably cover the full range of information that is available on archives in Africa and archives worldwide that have Africa-related collections. Searching the Web is not likely to produce much more useful information. HOWEVER, it is always a good idea to check out all possibilities.

The best search engine to use for academic research is Google (http://www.google.com) For an overview of using Google, see the Web tutorial Web Resources for the Study of Africa (http://www.bu.edu/library/instruction/africa.html). Northern Light, the other search engine that worked well for academic research, has recently been acquired by larger commercial vendor, and now provides access only to selected text resources, not Web sites.

Using the search terms Africa archives, African archives, and [country name] archives, an exploration yields thousands of results for each combination. It is quickly apparent that only a few are really relevant, and a spot check indicates that most of those are already included in the Web sites in this guide. Many of the results will turn out to be archives of a Web site, discussion list, or publication.

Some of the results can be interesting pieces ABOUT archives, such as
Seeing (in) Blindness: South Africa, Archives and Passion for Justice (http://www.caldeson.com/RIMOS/harris01.html)
and the Unesco site (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/public_domain/archives_newtech_africa.html).

A quick search yielded a few good composite sites, although most of the links were also on the Africa Research Central site:
Repositories of Primary Sources http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/africa.html)
National Archives around the World (http://home.earthlink.net/%7Egenealogyplanet/links_national_archives.html#archives1)

Archives of the ANC (http://liberation.ufh.ac.za/) was found with a Google search, and was also on Africa Research Center's site. Select 'Collections' in order to view the ANC Collection.

Archival Materials in Library Collections

Some archival collections have been microfilmed or duplicated in print and are available for purchase by libraries. This broadens access to valuable research materials, and also lessens the demand for use of the original documents, reducing the danger of damage from handling, photocopying, etc.

Finding Archival Materials in Library Collections is not as straightforward as one might wish. It is difficult to determine from the catalog entry if the item found is a copy or facsimile of archival documents, or if it is only a guide to a collection. Use the subject terms: archives, archival resources, and manuscripts in a search of the library catalog, or the catalogs of other libraries. These terms are modified by geographic names or other defining words. Guides, lists, and finding aids are enormously helpful in determining what archives may contain relevant information, and in determining how (and if) researchers can use archives.

The Cooperative Africana Microform Project (http://www.crl.edu/areastudies/camp/index.htm) at the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago has collected a large number of microform sets of archival materials. These are available to Boston University researchers via interlibrary loan.

The following is the beginning of a guide to archival materials and to guides, directories, and finding aids for archives which can be found in the Boston University Libraries.

Archival Materials in the Boston University Libraries (a list in progress)

The IMC/CBMS Missionary Archives. (International Missionary Council/Conference of British Missionary Societies). Mugar Microfiche (Microforms Library). Several of the African sections are owned.

Church Missionary Society Archive. Theology Library Microfilm. BV2361.C5 C58

Yoruba Collection of William and Berta Bascom Mugar Microfiche (Microforms Library)

Correspondence of the Royal African Company's Chief Merchants at Cabo Corso Castle with William's Fort, Whydah, and the Little Popo Factory, 1727-1728 HF 486 R6 C67 1991

Guides to Archival Collections in Other Libraries (A List in Progress)

Henige, David
A Union List of Africana Archival Materials in Microform, 2nd Edition. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, 1984. Z3508.H52 H46 1984

Cooperative Africana Microform Project (CAMP) http://www.crl.edu/areastudies/camp/collections/campguide.htm

Print Guides and Finding Aids (A List in Progress)

Archive collections are not usually user-friendly. They are usually arranged on the shelf in the order dictated by their active use, e.g., by agency, type of document, date, etc. Subject access is rare, unless current users need subject access, such as legislators and lawyers searching for precedents. What probably awaits you are days of tedious skimming of documents, perhaps rewarded by terrific discoveries. Finding aids developed for researchers can be enormously helpful.

Cook, Chris
The Making of Modern Africa: A Guide to Archives. Afr St Z 3508 H5 C66 1995. A guide to the collections of "personal papers of value to the historian of modern Africa", covering the period from the Congress of Berlin (1878) to the end of colonial rule in Africa a century later. The entries in the alphabetical list of personal names identify each figure, provide the name of the archive where papers are deposited, with a description of the collection. The archives are highlighted in the index, but there is no contact information provided.

Howell, John Bruce, and Yvette Scheven
Guides, Collections, and Ancillary Materials to African Archival Resources in the United States. Madison, WI: African Studies Program, University of Wisconsin, 1996. (Also online: EJAB)

Archives in Africa

Central African Archives. Archives in a New Era: A Report by the Chief archivist. CD 2355 C4 R5

Dadzie, E. W. Directory of Archives, Libraries, and Schools of Librarianship in Africa. Z 857 A1 D3

Directory of Manuscript Collections in Southern Africa. CD 2450 D57 1986

Repertoire National des Archives, Bibliotheques et Organismes de Documentation (Algeria) Z857 A4 M37 1977

Les Arabes par leurs Archives: Xvie-XXe siecles. DS 37.4 A7

Inventaire du Fonds Amadou-Hampate Ba Z6616 B23 S68

Directory of Museums in Africa Afr St AM 80 D57 1990

Archives in the U.S.

Papers of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. BV 2360 A45 1994

Archives in the rest of the world

Grieken-Taverniers, Madeleine van la colonisation belge en Afrique Centrale: guide des archives africaines do Ministere des affaires africaines, 1885-1862 CD 1681 G75 1981

Guide to the Sources of the History of the Nations. B. Africa Afr St CD 941 G84, vols. 1-8

Vol. I - Germany
Vol. II - Spain
Vol. III/IV - France
Vol. V-VII - Italy
Vol. VIII - Scandinavia

Guide to the Basel Mission's Ghana Archive Afr St CD 1929 B29 G84 1985

Public Availability of Diplomatic Archives Afr St CD 986.5 P48 1985

Other Issues Concerning Archives

These issues may only peripherally affect your use of archives, but it is well to be aware of them. Discussion of archives on H-Africa can be seen in its logs: H-Africa discussion (http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~africa/threads/index.html#Archives)

Preservation

The main purpose of an archive is to preserve the contents for the primary users. The contents of archives are usually unique, and their use is limited to secure circumstances. it is advisable to learn what the conditions are before beginning research. There is usually no borrowing allowed, and. in-house use will be monitored by staff. Items may be fragile, needing extra care. Photocopying may be limited or prohibited altogether.

Despite the need to preserve unique materials, African archives often exist in lamentable conditions -- little climate control, poor security, infestations of pests. Optimum archival preservation simply has a lower priority in national budgeting than national security, education, or health care.

Digitization seems to be the wave of the future, but is not yet proven as a good means of preserving documents. Microfilm remains the standard for most archives. Sometimes, however, digitization is the only means of preservation available. For instance, a faculty member of Northwestern University is attempting to preserve Arabic manuscripts at the Mamma Haidara Memorial Library in Timbuctu by digitizing them. The manuscripts themselves are in such poor condition that microfilming could not produce a readable image. On the other hand, some firms, such as Coca Cola, are moving toward digital archives as their sole means of preserving records. ("Coca-Cola: Enterprise Archives Preserve Social History". (IRLA January 2002, p. 8)

Migration and Destruction of Archives

Unesco has a publication available: Lost Memory: Libraries and Archives Destroyed. http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/administ/pdf/LOSTMEMO.PDF

No matter what the conditions a nation can provide for its archives, those records are the property of that nation and represent its heritage. "Migrated" archives is a widespread problem that refers both to the extraction of colonial records from the independent country to the former colonial power, and to the (perhaps) well-meaning but misguided researcher who takes documents he finds in appalling circumstances in order to "give them a better home."

Addressing the Problems: Some Projects Underway.

UNESCO Unesco Portal (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_archives)
CAMP Cooperative Project with Archives Nationales du Senegal
(http://www.crl.edu/areastudies/CAMP/relatedprojects/senegal.htm)

Gretchen Walsh
http://www.bu.edu/library/instruction/africanarchives.html

Links updated November 2007 - Beth Restrick