Black History Pathfinder Last updated: November 2008 The purpose of this pathfinder is to introduce some of the resources available at the Charles County Public Library in the subject area of Black History. The various types of library materials which may be useful are described along with a few examples of each type.

A good place to start your research is with the library’s CATALOG, which can be accessed online at http://cosmos.somd.lib.md.us. Books on Black History may be located by using the following SUBJECT searches:

• African-Americans
• Afro-Americans
• Blacks

BROWSING through the library’s books in the following call number areas may be helpful:

• 323 Civil & Political Rights
• 973.0496 Afro-Americans — History
• Biographies and Juvenile Biographies are in alphabetical order by the subject’s last name.

REFERENCE books which may be helpful include:

R 305.896 Civil Rights Movement.
Wilkinson, Brenda. Crescent Books, 1997.

R 306.362 Struggle Against Slavery: A
History in Documents. Walderstreicher, David. Oxford Univ. Press, 2001.

R 509.2273 Notable Black American
Scientists. Krapp, Kristine, ed. Gale
Research, 1999.

R 909.0496 Black Firsts. Smith, Jessie
Carney, ed. Visible Ink Press, 2003.

R 920.71 Notable Black American Men. Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Gale Research, 1999.

R 920.72 Notable Black American Women. Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Gale Research, 1992.

R 973 Extraordinary Black Americans from Colonial to Contemporary Times. Altman,
Susan. Children’s Press, 1989.

R 973.0496 African-American Culture &
History: A Student’s Guide. Salzman, Jack, ed. MacMillan, 2001.

R 973.0496 Slavery in America. Schneider, Dorothy. Facts On File, 2000.

INTERNET SITES can offer a great deal of information. Some to try are:

Faces of Science: African-Americans in the Sciences
https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/faces.html
Contains biographical prophiles of African American men and women who have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering.

ONLINE DATABASES are another good resource. These subscription databases are made available through the library. You can also access them at home with your library card number!

Biography Resource Center:
Contains biographical information on over 200,000 people throughout history. You can search by name, occupation, gender, ethnicity, birthplace or birth year.

African-American History Online:
Provides in-depth information on the people, events and topics important to the study of
African-American history.

Student Research Center:
Especially geared for students, this database contains primary sources, photos, magazines, maps, flags and reference books.

OTHER SOURCES:

African-American Heritage Society Museum:
This two-room museum houses artifacts relating to slavery and African American culture in 19th-20th Century Charles County. The museum also provides lectures and slide shows, and collects oral histories from senior citizens. Tours are available on request.

Md. Dept. of Recreation & Parks,
Museum Division.
17485 Crain Hwy., La Plata
301-843-0371