We're glad you asked!
Do get in touch with us at afr@lib.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions, have trouble accessing material, or if you have any suggestions for how to improve the guide!
The African Studies Library is situated within the Centre of African Studies at the University of Cambridge, and supports the research and teaching needs of the African Studies MPhil course. It also serves the rest of the University in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate study of Africa. Our collection's particular focus is Africa south of the Sahara.
We are open with loan privileges to all Cambridge University students and members.
Take a quick virtual tour with us on our Instagram HERE.
Materials
Services and Resources
The library's collection is undergoing re-classification from the Universal Decimal System to the Library of Congress system. Take a look at the floorplan below to help you navigate the Library ahead of your visit.
Take a look on iDiscover for any particular material you are seeking, and do send us an email at afr@lib.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions about finding materials ahead of your visit.
Time | Opening Hours |
Term (click for dates) |
9:00-17:00, Monday to Friday |
Vacation |
9:30-17:00, Monday to Friday |
Closed |
The Library usually closes for the winter holidays in December, and for Easter weekend in April.Please email afr@lib.cam.ac.uk for any queries during these times. |
Open Shelf Material can be Borrowed by all User Groups
Loan periods are as follows for open shelf material:
User Type | Loan Period | Book Limit |
Undergraduates | 7 Days | 8 Books |
Graduates | 28 Days | 10 Books |
Staff | 28 Days | 20 Books |
Visiting Scholars | 14 Days | 10 Books |
Public Cambridge Library Member | 7 Days | 8 Books |
The following materials cannot be renewed and have shorter loan periods:
DVD & Video | 7 DAYS |
Overnight Loans |
24 Hours Only If borrowing on a Friday, overnight loans will be due Monday. |
We don't operate an end of term recall, or set vacation borrowing.
Overnight loans remain as 24 hours only.
Please get in touch if you are interested in borrowing at afr@lib.cam.ac.uk.
Please return your borrowed materials to the African Studies Library:
Please use the self-issue desk to return your books, or place them in the box near the issue desk.
Click here for a full list of return options.
Do contact us with as much notice as possible before your visit so we can help you save time.
Fill out our online fetching form, providing as much information as possible about the items that you have found as being held in the library.
If you have any other queries, please email us at afr@lib.cam.ac.uk.
Click here to view our upcoming and past events.
The Centre's annual seminar series is back every Monday from 4-5:30pm in room S1 of the Alison Richard Building, starting October 16th. Click the PDF link below to find more information.
February 28th 2024
Matatu (CRSid Login): publishing high quality articles on African literatures and societies. The journal continues to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue between literary and cultural studies, historiography, the social sciences, and cultural anthropology.
Digital Benin (Open Access): shows Benin objects in one unique space accompanied by information that in certain cases had only partially been available to the public (i.e., internal museum data) or available in a dispersed form.
February 15th 2024
Historical Papers Research Archive (Open Access): one of the most comprehensive public archives in Southern Africa, with over 3400 collections. We are the official repository of the South African Institute of Race Relations, and the Anglican Church in Southern Africa. Over and above we have in our custody collections which we received from trade unions, political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), women's organisations, church bodies, as well as records of political trials and the personal papers of individuals, many of which have shaped South Africa's past and present.
Digital Innovation South Africa (Open Access): a freely accessible online scholarly resource focusing on the socio-political history of South Africa, particularly the struggle for freedom during the period from 1950 to the first democratic elections in 1994, providing a wealth of material on this fascinating period of the country’s history.
The Pan African Cinema Podcast: June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive - "In each episode we bring together the works and voices of filmmakers, artists and writers around a wide range of themes, debates and interests related to Pan African culture and identity."
Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (Raven login): This collection focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region, with an emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It brings together materials from various archives and libraries throughout the world documenting colonial rule, dispersion of exiles, international intervention, and the worldwide networks that supported successive generations of resistance within the region.
Transition (Raven login): is a unique forum for the freshest, most compelling ideas from and about the black world. Since its founding in Uganda in 1961, the magazine has kept apace of the rapid transformation of the African Diaspora and has remained a leading forum of intellectual debate. Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, edited by Alejandro de la Fuente and published three times annually.
February 6th 2024
January 8th 2024
November 8th 2023
This collection is now available for consultation at the African Studies Library! It explores Marriage & Divorce Law, and Activism with Orphans in Uganda c. 1960-2000. Read the full blog post here.
The collection is made up of two boxes, and contains roughly 116 items.
You may be interested in this collection if you are researching any of the following topics:
Marriage and divorce law in Uganda
Orphaned children in Uganda, particularly Sanyu Babies Home
Women’s rights in Uganda
Makerere University alumni by name c. 1972-1997
Notable Documents in the Collection:
WB/U/1/10: Photocopy of “Report of the Commission on Marriage, Divorce and the Status of Women 1965” produced by the Ugandan Government - approx. 94 pages
WB/U/1/14: Letter addressed to Winifred from the First Lady, Janet K Museveni, regarding thanks for sending them a copy of her work and with reference to UWESO, the orphan charity Mrs. Museveni established - typewritten, 1 page, 28/09/1988
WB/U/2/8: Arise: a women’s developmental magazine published by ACFODE - published by Action for Development, Kampala (6 issues) - 1991-1993
Click the PDF collection aid below for more details.
September 28th 2023
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