Research, Reference Service, and Resources for the Study of Africa

Research, Reference Services, and Resources for the Study of Africa helps you steer clear of washouts, cave-ins, and dead ends on the road to successful research on—and in—Africa. This one-of-a-kind research guide presents practical solutions to frequently occurring problems in the study of Africa, including Internet accessibility problems, errors that will affect a “known item” search, the imposition of colonial legacy, and dealing with gender and class bias. Unlike most reference books on Africa that concentrate on collection development, this unique book focuses on the study of Africa, making it a must-have for academic librarians, Africanist scholars, and Africana librarians.

Experts present proven methods and techniques for studying about or in Africa!

Research, Reference Services, and Resources for the Study of Africa helps you steer clear of washouts, cave-ins, and dead ends on the road to successful research on—or in—Africa. This one-of-a-kind research guide presents practical solutions to frequently occurring problems in the study of Africa, including Internet accessibility problems, errors that will affect a “known item” search, the imposition of colonial legacy, and dealing with gender and class bias. Unlike most references on Africa that concentrate on collection development, this unique book focuses on the study of Africa, making it a must-have for academic librarians, Africanist scholars, and Africana librarians.

Specialists, generalist librarians, and end users all depend on tools designed to provide access to information in libraries and on the web including OPACs databases, and search engines. In this book, these tools, research methods, and the accessibility of information on Africa are examined, offering students and professionals a thorough guide to the most successful researching route.

Research, Reference Services, and Resources for the Study of Africa provides assistance in the research process according to a variety of categories including:

• evaluating OPACs and similar databases for known-item searching
• using keywords, subject headings, bias, indexing, full-text searching, terminology, cataloguing, user-centered information services, and other search strategies to find what you are looking for
• using Internet resources to your advantage
• using the partnerships between the U.S. and African libraries and scholarly institutions to help improve information access
• using techniques for reference librarians to act as a force increasing women’s roles in the study of Africa
• and much more!

Research, Reference Services, and Resources for the Study of Africa offers all the information necessary to avoid research hang-ups that affect the study of Africa, and the necessary information to pass these skills on to students.