The collection which consists of books, serials, microforms, audiocassettes, videocassettes and compact discs has steadily expanded and has served as a focal point for library researchers seeking information on the culture and history of peoples of African descent. The Reference and Research Collection, presently consists of over 35,256 books, is non-circulating and available for public access.
All materials are free and open to scholars, researchers, students and the general public.
Photocopying of materials is available in person or through the mail by request. In the Humanities, subject areas include African literature, art, bibliographies, biographies, essays, drama, fiction, genealogy and history. The Social Sciences subject areas include, but are not limited to agriculture, anthropology, biology, civil rights, cultures, customs and economics. It also offers an encyclopedia, a listing of business profiles, a database of federal funding sources, a bank of news articles and the collection catalogs of nine other libraries throughout the country. In addition, it provides optical image display and print-out for selected, cataloged archival photographs of civic leaders.