UCLA Library Information Resources on African Languages

A GUIDE TO SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON AFRICAN LANGUAGES & CULTURE

Scholars interested in information on African languages can search the UCLA Library Catalog for various types and formats of information resources including books, periodicals, maps, government information, CD-ROMs, videos and music resources. The catalogue provides for both simple subject-keyword and advanced (Boolean operators) search options and a typical record includes title, author, publishers, physical description of the material, series (if any), subject terms with links, LC control number, record ID, collection (e.g. UCLA libraries), location, call number, status and the number of items. It is also possible to search by relevant ranges of call numbers. In addition, all options related to borrowing the materials are provided and linked to the searched record. Furthermore, a user can search Melvyl Catalog, checking such key commands as language codes in this case, LC's codes for major African languages and appropriate subject headings to maximize search results. African language information resources can also be searched from the following sources:

• Library Resources and Services
• Databases of Language Resources
• United Nations, Government and Local Resources
• Professional Associations and Language-Related Bodies
• Search Engines and Web-based Resources
• Reference Sources
• Accessing Information Resources on African Languages via UCLA Libraries

Library Resources and Services

• The OCLC WorldCat including former Eureka databases
• The Library of Congress Online Catalog
• The Library of Congress Authorities File
• Special collections, particularly UCLA-YRL's Department of Special Collections. Users can search these collections via UCLA Library Catalog as well as the Online Archive of California where UCLA Libraries contribute information.
• Specialized collections at UCLA such as UCLA Film and Television Archives, UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, UCLA Arts Library and UCLA Music Library maintain some African-related materials (search by relevant subject keywords such as language/country names).
• Relevant dissertations/theses searched from UCLA Library Catalogue, ProQuest Dissertations, Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and DATAD under the DATAD Initiative of the Association of African Universities).
• National libraries and national bibliographies of individual African countries as well as European countries with historical connections to Africa.
• Checking academic libraries of major African universities (some of their important materials, e.g. theses and dissertations, might be 'invisible' to the world), and European universities (e.g. SOAS-University of London and its library and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library, University of London)

Databases of Language Resources

• The UCLA Language Materials Project (LMP) database
• Ethnologue: Languages of the World
• Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) databases
• The Languages of the World (by the National Virtual Translation Center)

United Nations, Government and Local Resources

• The United Nations' official documents [sources include Access UN, UN's ISS (statistics), UN microfiche collection, Human Development Reports, etc]. Some of the UN agencies such as UNESCO have information resources on languages. For instance, UNESCO General History of Africa (Vol. I contains Chapter 12: I. African linguistic classification by J.H. Greenberg & Chapter 12:II. The language map of Africa by D. Dalby).
• Government documents (see related description of UCLA Library collection in African Studies)
• Local (where a language in question is spoken) and other newspapers with related documents, especially web-based versions, such as the CRL's Cooperative Africana Microform Project (CAMP) -- for details see description of UCLA Library collection in African Studies as well as identified resources for this guide under individual languages.
• Language maps, general maps and other documents that might include language or ethnolinguistic maps such as the CIA maps, the Columbia Gazetteer of the World, the Geography and Map Reading Room of the Library of Congress, the British Library's Map Collections, and so on.
• The US-Department of Education's Education Resources Information Center (ERIC).

Professional Associations and Language-Related Bodies

Information resources of library-related, African studies, languages, and other professional associations (check relevant links to their homepages) such as:

a) In the United States

• African Language Teachers Association.(ALTA)
• African Literature Association ( ALA)
• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
• American Library Association ( ALA )
• African Studies Association (ASA)
• Africana Librarians Council (ALC)
• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
• Associations of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL)
• Association of Research Libraries (ARC)
• Modern Language Association (MLA)
• National African Language Resource Center (NALRC)
• National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCLCTL)
• The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning
• UC Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching
• The International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM)
• West African Museums Programme, WAMP (Le Programme des Musées de l'Afrique de l'Ouest)
• Commonwealth Association of Museums

b) Worldwide

• African Association for Lexicography (AFRILEX)
• African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA)
• The Standing Conference on Library Materials on Africa (SCOLMA)
• The National Centre for Languages (CiLT), UK
• West African Research Association (WARA), especially its project, African Language Materials Archives (ALMA).

Search Engines and Web-based Resources

• The Web including MS-Live, Google Scholar and the Google itself for general information on specific languages, language groups/families, language maps, etc., as well as other libraries and African studies centers (universities) that might have undertaken similar work/study; check also any possible web-links for interactive language learning resources for African languages.

• Online discussion groups on African languages (including blogs – see resources for individual languages) such as H-Net. Related forums such as Wikimania Conference and its discussion on Facilitating African Language Wikipedias might be important sources of information for language scholars.

Reference Sources

Various reference sources including encyclopedias, guides, indexes and article bibliographic databases. Article databases contain important information for language researchers.

• Specific examples include CSA's Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) and Index Islamicus (covers a few African languages that have some historical Islamic influence), these and other relevant databases can be accessed via UCLA library catalogue's Article Databases.

• Online reference resources such as

· Europa World Plus (especially the sub-Saharan African link)

· Africa Bib

· Wikipedia (web-based cooperative encyclopedia) and its versions of African languages such as Afrikaans Wikipedia, Akan (Twi) Wikipedia, Swahili Wikipedia, and Wolof Wikipedia. See links below for more examples:

Accessing Information Resources on African Languages via UCLA Libraries

• Selected Materials for Researchers and Learners of African Languages and Culture (available from UCLA Libraries)

• Print and Online Reference Guides Available in the UCLA-YRL Reference Reading Room
• Books from General Collection
• Web-based Information Resources (including eResources at UCLA Libraries)
• Language and related Maps of Africa
• Periodicals Related to African Languages and Studies

• Distribution of Vernacular and General Collections of Key African Languages in UCLA Libraries
• Information Resources of Individual African Languages Taught in the United States (Selected Online & Print Resources)
• Information Resources and Programs on African Languages and Studies from other Institutions

• Bibliographic Guides from other Libraries' Collection on African Languages and Studies
• African Studies and Language Programs in America
• African Studies and Language Institutions and Programs Worldwide

• News/Articles/Reports on Information Resources Related to African Languages and Studies
• Cultural Resources/Collections in Los Angeles Area and other Places

Back to: UCLA Library Information Resources on African Languages

[Compiled by Janet Kaaya, CLIR Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA-Young Research Library. Please send her your comments/suggestions/additions]