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. We are open to the public! Our collection's particular focus is Africa south of the Sahara.
We are open with loan privileges to all Cambridge University students and members. Members of the public are welcome to come browse and read material in the Library.
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 |
| Postgraduates | 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 on the office 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.
We are delighted to announce that this year’s Audrey Richards Annual Lecture in African Studies will be given by Professor Amina Mama on Wednesday 22 May at 5pm. The venue is the Cavonius Centre, Gonville and Caius College, Harvey Court, West Road, Cambridge. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.
This lecture will map some of the shifting ethical and political concerns that have energised African scholarly production since the 1970’s, focusing on the anti-colonial and feminist interventions of two networks that have cultivated epistemic change. It examines how the non-governmental Council for the Development of Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA) grew into the largest scholarly network of continental Africans and produced an impressive corpus of continental knowledge. I argue that while feminist critiques were articulated within CODESRIA during the 1990’s, it was the mobilization of feminist scholars outside CODESRIA that eventually influenced the Council to pursue a more equitable research profile. The accounts of key actors highlight the importance of interpersonal relationships and collective spaces in the enunciation of African feminism on the continent. These examples document the ways in which epistemic changes are products of close interpersonal relational practices that characterise intellectual communities and the strategies they pursue. What do these developments in the continental African studies landscape imply for the ethics of transnational collaborations?
This event is open to all and is free of charge, but registration is required.
Register for online attendance here.
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.
September 11th 2024
The collection is made up of one box and contains 25 items (books & small pamphlets).
You may be interested in this collection if you’re researching any of the following:
Notable Documents in the Collection:
“Shaaban Robert is to the Swahili language what Shakespeare was to English. Acclaimed as the national poet, his publications have always been the touchstone of beauty of language, purity of spirit, and deep wisdom informed by African and Swahili culture in particular, but imbued with respect for and understanding of other cultures. Most prominent of his work is Kusadikika (To be believed), an allegorical work of an imaginary country or state in which injustices are perpetrated against all notions of justice, law and humanity. Published at the height of colonial occupation in Tanzania. Shaaban Robert kwa lugha ya Kiswahili ni sawa na Shakespeare kwa lugha ya Kiingereza. Akikubalika kama msahiri wa taifa, vitabu vyake daima vimekuwa kipimo cha juu cha uhondo wa lugha, usafi wa nia na hekima kutokana na utamaduni hususan wa Kiafrika na Waswahili lakini pia kwa jnsi alivyoelewa na kusheshimu tamadui nyingine. Katika vitabu vyake Kusadikika ndicho maarufu kushinda vyote. Hii ni hadithi ya kiistara juu ya nchi ambako dhulma inatawala kinyume na haki, sheria na utu. Kitabu kilichapishwa wakati ukoloni umetanda nchini Tanzania.”
Click here to view the full finding aid.
August 28th 2024
Life at Sea: Seafaring in the Anglo-American Maritime World 1600-1900 (Cambridge Login): documents pertaining to the transatlantic enslavement of African peoples.
Below you'll find a list of items that have been added to our LibGuide in recent times.
