Find a Book Using iDiscover

• The iDiscover catalogue can be used to search all print and online content available to you as a member of the University

• Ensure that you login with your Raven password first to see all subscribed online content available to you

• When searching for books (print or online) use the radial button on the search bar and select "Cambridge Libraries Collections"

• Search using author last name and keywords from the title

• Use the filter bar on the right hand side of the page to bring up the concise title needed

• Books and journals will show as "Available in the Library" (print) or "Full-text online" in the filter bar, and below this you can identify which libraries hold the item needed

• Make sure to click on the required record for further details, i.e. location, classmark, availability, number of copies

• For help using iDiscover please see the iDiscover LibGuide for advanced search methods and account management advice

Find the Journal you Need

• Visit the eResources website to help you find journals, articles, databases, and ebooks online.

• Example: using the keyword "Africa" as a keyword search term in the "journals and articles" search box whilst selecting the "Journals" radial button, produces over 600 results for journal titles.

• Once you have found the title that you are looking for you can click directly through to the full text that is available to you as a University member (Raven login will be required, especially if off-campus).

• Wikipedia also has a list of international academic journals for you to peruse: list of African Studies journals on Wikipedia you can check access using the eresources & ejournals LibGuide.

• Advice on how to find print journals at the African Studies Library (journals are reference only).
• View a list of the print journals held at the Library (some may need to be fetched from the Archive Store).

Find a Dissertation or Thesis

• The African Studies Library holds (permitted) copies of dissertations from the African Studies MPhil course, dating back to 2011.  These are useful to refer to for structure, writing style, referencing style, and sources. 
• Dissertations are available for consultation within the Library only, they may not be borrowed or copied in any way.  Please see a list of dissertations at the bottom of this page.
• The Library also holds a number of bound PhD theses in the basement archive. Please ask us at the issue desk if you wish to consult any theses or dissertations.
• Find out how to access University of Cambridge PhD theses held at the University Library and elsewhere via the Theses & Dissertations LibGuide.

You are able to view theses from across the world online - try some of the following routes:

• Apollo: Full-text digital versions of several hundred Cambridge Ph.D. theses. This is a rapidly growing collection deposited by Cambridge Ph.D. graduates on a voluntary basis.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations: International freely available theses and dissertations 
• DART-Europe: Dissertations and theses from across Europe.
• EthOS: Electronic copies of Ph.D. theses submitted at over 100 UK universities are obtainable from EThOS, a service set up to provide access to all theses from participating institutions.
• OATD - Open Access Theses & Dissertations: OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 4,189,303 theses and dissertations.
• ProQuest Theses & Dissertations: The University subscribes to this database and titles are grouped by general subject packages (i.e. Social Sciences, History, Business).

For more in-depth information regarding these online services please see the: Theses & Dissertations LibGuide.

Find and Access eBooks

The ebooks@cambridge team have created a comprehensive LibGuide which includes the following information:

• How to find ebooks

• How to access ebooks

• How to use ebooks

• How to cite ebooks

• Copyright & licensing

• Free & Open Access ebook collections

Video: How to Access and Use eBooks

Please note: this SMS video is not accessible with keyboard-only access and some screen readers. Please use the YouTube version below if you experience any issues.

• How to access and use ebooks - a video

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• How to access and use ebooks at Cambridge: video transcript

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Are you Struggling to Access eResources?

The eResources team have put together excellent guidance for using browser extensions and plugins to help you with your search. 

Browser extensions and plugins can help you by enabling seamless authenticated searching, or by sourcing you an Open Access version of book chapters or articles.

Visit their page to find out more about how these tools can help you, and how to install them:

• Lean Library (Recommended)
• CORE Discovery
• Google Scholar Button
• Kopernio
• Open Access Button
• Unpaywall

African Studies Collections Outside of Cambridge

Linked below are various African Studies Centres in the UK and elsewhere.  If you are interested in these institutions, we may be able to arrange for you to visit and consult their collections.

• African Studies Centre - University of Oxford
• Department of African Studies & Anthropology - University of Birmingham
• Centre of African Studies (CAS) - University of Edinburgh
• Centre of African Studies (LUCAS) - University of Leeds
• Centre of African Studies - SOAS
• Firoz Lalji Centre for African Studies - LSE
• African Studies Centre - University of Leiden (Netherlands)
• Nordic Africa Institute (Uppsala, Sweden)
• Center for Africana Studies - John Hopkins University (USA)