Q. How do I find books about Black Studies, or about African Americans?

The following subject headings and terms can be used in the library catalog to search for books about African Americans:

• African American  = to use as an adjective, such as African American Women or African American Poets
• African Americans  = will search for African Americans as a group
• African American?  In the library catalog, adding the question mark at the end of the word searches for both “African American or African Americans”

To browse the library stacks by call number, the call number range E 184.5 – E 185.98 is primarily African American history. However, there are thousands of books about the African American experience throughout the library stacks in different call number areas, depending on the specific subject focus of the book.  “African American?” can be combined with other search terms, for instance “African American and authors” or “African Americans and Social Conditions.”

You can search the STL Library Catalog by author, title, names, and keywords. For instance, you can search for James Baldwin or Audre Lorde as either authors, subjects, or keywords. You can search for specific titles, such as "This Bridge Called my Back."

For a quick reference, check out this Finding Books for Black Studies Library Guide and this List of Black Studies Books in our catalog!