General Introduction

Research libraries are increasingly emphasizing collaborative approaches to collection development. Rising costs, pressured budgets and space limitations have made such an approach essential, and new technology has made it more possible than ever before. While discussion and good lines of communication among librarians is crucial, so too is outreach to the research community, to the faculty, students and staff members of the respective universities, in the region, and beyond.

The Consortium libraries have collaborated to build their collections and offer a wide variety of materials, responding to the needs of students, faculty and researchers from within the immediate community as well as from institutions in North America, Africa and elsewhere. The Consortium participates in national consortia of African libraries and is a member of the Cooperative Africana Microfilming Project (CAMP) administered by the Center for Research Libraries.

This resource guide is primarily an introduction to the Africana library collections of the four schools and to the Philadelphia area as a resource center for African Studies research. Collections related to North Africa have not been comprehensively included here. Researchers interested in this area are urged to call the Middle East bibliographer at Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania (see Appendix A).