Find it guide

Here are some guidelines on how to find certain resources, such as articles, journals or films, and how to use the ASCL’s online catalogue. A number of other relevant sources for each type of material are also suggested.

General | Finding articles | Finding books | Finding journals | Finding newspapers | Finding films | Finding e-resources | Finding dissertations | Finding maps

General

Access to the ASCL catalogue is available via the Leiden University Libraries Catalogue, both in a separate section, as well as in the general catalogue.

For more information on the Leiden University Libraries Catalogue see:

• The LU subject guide: how to search the catalogue
• The LU tutorial: guidelines for searching academic publications

In the ASCL catalogue restricting your search to a particular type of material can be done in two ways:

• simple search: carry out a search action and filter the results by ‘material type’. N.B. It is also possible to filter your result by language.
• advanced search: type in the search terms, choose the search scope 'African Studies Centre' and limit by type of material under ‘material type’ before starting the search action.

Tip: Try truncating your search term: Nigeria gives only results with Nigeria in the list: Niger* (use an asterisk) gives also Nigerian and Nigerians.

Finding articles

Restricting your search to articles in the ASCL catalogue can be done in simple search by using a filter after searching, or in advanced search by limiting by articles under ‘material type’ and by African Studies Centre under 'search scope' before starting the search action.

Tips:
Have a look at recently added articles on our New Titles page and archive.

More articles:
AfricaBib
African Journals Online (AJOL, restricted access)
African Studies journals on JSTOR (restricted access)

Finding books

Restricting your search to books in the ASCL catalogue can be done in simple search by using a filter after searching, or in advanced search by limiting by books under ‘material type’ and by African Studies Centre under 'search scope' before starting the search action.

Tip: Check the ASCL’s New Titles and Library Highlights

More books:
Worldcat (general)
ilissAfrica
African Writers’ Series (African literature online, restricted access)

Finding journals

Restricting your search to journals in the ASCL catalogue can be done in simple search by filtering the results by ‘journals’ after searching, or in advanced search by limiting by journals under ‘material type’ and by African Studies Centre under 'search scope' before starting the search action.

Tip: Have a look at the ASCL’s current journal subscriptions

More journals:
List of free Africa related e-journals
E-journals University Leiden (restricted access)
African Journals Online (AJOL)
African Studies journals on JSTOR (restricted access)
African Studies Journals @ Wikipedia

Finding newspapers

Find more information on the ASCL’s newspaper collection here. For all the ASCL’s newspapers, click here.

More newspapers:
African Newspapers (restricted access) : More than 40 historical African newspapers with titles from Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe
Electronic newspapers of Africa by country
List of newspapers in Africa

Finding films

Restricting your search to films in the ASCL catalogue can be done in simple search by filtering the results by ‘audiovisual’ after searching, or in advanced search by limiting by ‘video’ under ‘material type’ and and by African Studies Centre under 'search scope' before starting the search action. For all the ASCL's films, click here. Trailers or complete films about Africa (if available on YouTube or Vimeo) can be found via the ASCL YouTube Channel - arranged by country.

Tip: Have a look at the ASCL’s recently acquired films on the New Titles list.

More films:

Leiden University databases:
Ethnographic Video Online
Docuseek2

Other databases:
La Cinémathèque Afrique
Colonial Film Database
British Film Institute
La Cinémathèque française
Moving Image Archive

Finding e-resources

Restricting your search to full text in the ASCL catalogue can be done by filtering the results by ‘Online Access’ after searching. The filter options are located on the left side of the screen.

More e-resources:
ASC Digital sources

Finding dissertations

Dutch dissertations on Africa by year of publication: 

2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 (pdf files)

Find more dissertations on Africa in the ASCL catalogue (subject heading dissertations (form))
Find theses on Africa in the ASCL catalogue (subject heading theses (form))

More dissertations:
theses.fr (French Theses on Africa)
DART-Europe E-theses Portal

Finding maps

Find maps of Africa in the ASCL catalogue (subject heading maps (form))

More maps

Current:
Wikimedia | United Nations

Georeferencing:
Harvard | Cartesius

Historical:
Chicago (NW Univ; Maps of Africa, Period: 1530-1915, >100 maps online)
Harvard Map Collection (Period: 1450-2000, >15 Africana maps online (e.g. Central Africa 2001))
University Library Amsterdam (Period: 1540-1960, >20 Africana maps online)
Animated atlas of African History, 1879-2002 (Browne University)
African Historical Maps University of Cape Town Libraries Digital Collections

Others:
Afriterra (Boston) (Period: 1480-1960, 500 maps online (total: 5.000))
Perry-Castañeda Library (Period: 1450-2007, 1000 maps online, including (older) city maps)
Ikuska (Spanish publisher) (Conveniently arranged, compendious, recent maps, included: ethnology, press, music, language, short history, recipes et al.), automatic translation
Useful Africa (Le Monde)