The library is now open!

Thanks to Physical Plant staff for keeping our building safe and beautiful!

To celebrate Black History Month, we’ll be sharing resources from our collection as well as sites from around the internet:

Our subscription to the African American Historical Serials Collection provides access to “an archive of periodicals that document the history of African American religious life and culture between 1829 and 1922. It includes newspapers and magazines, plus reports and annuals from African American religious organizations, including churches and social service agencies. Now compiled and accessible to researchers in one digital collection, this unique resource documents the history of African American life and religious organizations from 1829 and 1922. Content features multiple religious denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Zion Church and many Baptist churches.”

In 2010, the University Council on Diversity invited alumni to participate in interviews addressing diversity. This collection, stewarded by Meg Miner, our University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, will be added to as more interviews are done with alumni in the future.

The University of Georgia’s Brown Media Archives recently discovered footage from the area’s African American community in a home movie. Read the press release, or visit the Brown Media Archives page for more information.

JSTOR, one of our favorite organizations, recently created a companion to the renowned Schomburg Center’s for Research in Black Culture‘s Black Liberation Reading List. For more information about the reading list, see the JSTOR Daily, which also links to Black Liberation Lists for teens and children.

From the Library of Congress, The HistoryMakers collects oral histories from notables in the African American community, across the United States. Artists, sports figures, lawmakers, and scientists are just a few of the groups represented.

To learn more about Native American Heritage Month…

Visit our book exhibit on the entry level of The Ames Library, curated by Meg Miner, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, and learn more about the John Wesley Powell Collection of Pueblo Pottery.

Visit https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov for exhibits, audio, and video.

Participate in the Native Cinema Showcase, Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 7 – 11 PM (available on demand until November 23)

Watch these and other PBS documentaries online:
Standing Bear’s Footsteps: The story of an Indian chief who redefined what it means to be an American
Urban Rez: How do Native Americans maintain their culture in a dominant society?
Kind Hearted Woman Part One: An unforgettable portrait of a single mother living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation

Learn more about Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, and learn what native land you live on.

Finally, check out IWU Writing Center’s Twitter for reading suggestions!

November is #nativeamericanheritagemonth so we want to kick it off with ten resources you can find online @theameslibrary @il_wesleyan. pic.twitter.com/hAayMoHGoH

— Illinois Wesleyan Writing Center💚🤍📝 (@IWUWC) November 2, 2020