The Black Library was established in 1972 at the request
of Concerned Black Students for a separate collection of
books and other materials relating to Black culture. African-American
periodicals, as well as many books by and about African-Americans,
are located in an alcove on the south side of the second
floor of Burling Library. Among the many interesting materials
to be found in this alcove is the collection of slave narratives
entitled The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography.
This is a forty-two volume series collected and transcribed
by members of the Federal Writers Project during the Great
Depression. (Black Library E444 .A45 and E441 .A58).
The Black Library is a selection of materials from the
general library collection. It contains novels and poetry
by African-American authors, documents, statistics, biographies,
and other research material related to the study of African
Americans in all aspects ofAfrican-American culture and
history. The periodical collection and some portions of
the monograph collection are permanently housed in the Black
Library, while other materials cycle back into the larger
collection in Burling Library. All material shelved in the
Black Library will be identified in the online catalog.
