Research Guides: AFRS 1501: Survey of African American Experience: Find Books

Why Books?

Books are the best source for indepth information when you really need to know a subject in and out. Typical books are structured in such a way as to lead you from little knowledge about a subject to a more thorough understanding; this cannot usually be said for web resources or articles. Scholarly articles are typically written by and for experts in a field and so cannot be easily understood by someone that is not familiar with the jargon of that area. Web resources are often the best option for up to date information, but usually do not provide any in depth examination of the information.

Tips for Searching

Think of the best keywords to enter and be ready to change them as you pursue your topic. Try using a subject encyclopedia or dictionary for specialized terminology. Get ideas for new keywords by carefully examining the subject fields in your first results.

Try these search features:

Use quotes to search for phrases (example: "Atlantic Slave Trade”)
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to broaden or narrow your search
Use truncation (example: archiv* will find archive, archives, archival, archivist)
Sort results by date or relevance
Browse subject headings (e.g. "Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775")

Newest Titles in African American History

The African American Roots of Modernism: From Reconstruction to the Harlem Renaissance by James Smethurst
The period between 1880 and 1918, at the end of which Jim Crow was firmly established and the Great Migration of African Americans was well under way, was not the nadir for black culture, James Smethurst reveals, but instead a time of profound response from African American intellectuals. The African American Roots of Modernism explores how the Jim Crow system triggered significant artistic and intellectual responses from African American writers, deeply marking the beginnings of literary modernism and, ultimately, notions of American modernity.

Finding Books

The resources identified in this LibGuide are by no means a comprehensive list of resources available.

To identify books, eBooks, DVDs, and other items in the Library's collections, use the GIL-Find catalog.
To identify materials held at other USG Libraries, select "University System of Georgia" from the dropdown menu when searching the GIL-Find catalog. Use our GIL Express service to have materials sent to SSU.
To identify materials beyond the local region, use the WorldCat catalog and our ILL services.