African & African American Studies

African American

These are just a few of the titles in African American history you will find in the STLCC Libraries.

African

For an extensive e-book collection on African history, geography, peoples, and more, visit the African History in Credo guide below. 

African American

African Americans have had a profound influence on American literature. Just a few of the heaviest hitters include

• Baldwin, James, 1924-1987
• Morrison, Toni
• Wright, Richard, 1908-1960

To find more, check library resources like African-American writers : a dictionary or your friendly reference librarians.  

African

At Forest Park campus Library you can find the Heritage Library of African Peoples, which contains small volumes about many of the hundreds of ethnic groups living in Africa. The example below is about the Ewe people of Ghana.

Reference Books

Reference Books are the best places to find concise summaries and background information on a topic. Reference books cannot be checked out of the library. Some of them are available as databases or ebooks. 

Circulating Books

Circulating books (books you can check out) may also provide summaries and background information, but usually go into greater depth about a topic.

Using Books for Research

Using books for research does not always mean that you need to read the entire book.

• Use the table of contents and the index to find where in a book information about your topic is located.

• The introduction to a book may be a good place to find background information on the topic the book is about.
• You should read enough of a book or chapter to understand what an author is saying and quote her correctly.
• Sometimes chapters in books are complete works written by different authors, making them ideal for research.