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Finding African Studies Materials

African Studies Library Reference/Reading Room

Located on the sixth floor of Mugar Memorial Library, accessible via the North Elevator, the ASL provides reference and research service and access to current periodicals from and about Africa, African newspapers, maps, African documents and government publications, and pamphlets.  The ASL also houses a number of special collections donated by researchers with direct links to Boston University.

Materials with the location “African Studies” or “African Documents”  are found inside the reading room of the African Studies Library and may not be checked out.

Sixth Floor Circulating Stacks

There are approximately 200,000 volumes dealing with Africa shelved throughout Mugar Memorial Library and its branches according to their subject classification.

The sixth floor houses the largest collections of Africana adjacent to the African Studies Library’s reading and reference room.  ASL collects nearly all subjects, since the primary focus is geographical.

The subjects housed on the sixth floor include:

  • BL 2400 – 2490: African Religions
  • BP 64: Islam in Africa
  • BR 1360 – 1470: Christianity in Africa
  • BV 3500 – 3630: Missions in Africa
  • DT: African History
  • Folio DT: Oversize volumes, African History
  • GN 643-661: African Anthropology
  • GN 861 – 865: African Archaeology
  • GR 350 – 360: African Folklore
  • HC 501-599: African Economic History and Conditions
  • HC 800 – 1085: African Economic History and Conditions
  • JQ 1870 – 3981: Political Institutions and Public Administration in Africa
  • LA 1500 – 2090: History of Education in Africa
  • LG 401 – 681: Educational Institutions in Africa
  • PJ 2301- 2615: Hamitic languages spoken in Africa (incl. Berber and Tuareg languages)
  • PJ 8900 – 9300: Semitic Languages & Literature in Africa (incl. Arabic, Somali and Ethiopian languages)
  • PL 8000 – 8844: African Languages and Literature
  • PQ 3980 – 3989: African Literature in French
  • PR 9340 – 9408: African Literature in English
  • PT 6500 – 6593: Afrikaans Literature
  • UA 855 – 858: Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation by region or country, Africa
  • Z 3501 – 3971: Bibliographies
  • Folio Z 3501 -3971: Oversize volumes, Bibliographies

These locations are indicated on maps and floorplans online and in the building.

Also housed on the sixth floor:

  • African Documents (LC Classification. Received and cataloged after 1982)
  • “J” Documents (An older in-house classification scheme. Documents received and cataloged prior to 1982)