The Library of Congress >> African & Middle Eastern Reading Room


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A Note to Researchers

The African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room (amed) is the principal gateway to the Africana treasures of the Library of Congress. Here in the atmosphere of a nineteenth-century reading room, the researcher finds a browsing rack of recent Africana periodicals, a seventeen- hundred-item reference collection, and electronic resources, including public access to the Internet. Because Africana materials are spread throughout the three Capitol Hill buildings of the Library of Congress in various reading rooms and custodial divisions, identifying individual items appropriate to specific research needs may be challenging.

View of the African & Middle Eastern Reading Room
View of the African and Middle Eastern Reading Room where researchers are encouraged to begin their exploration of the Africana collections housed in diverse divisions of the Library.

Researchers are encouraged to begin their visit to the Library in the African and Middle Eastern Division. The reading room is located on the second floor of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building (room LJ220) and offers a comfortable place to study, expert assistance by specialists, and a reference collection of basic resources. With the assistance of an African Section specialist -- knowledgeable about both the collections and specific regions of the continent -- the researcher may construct a methodology that enables him or her to get the most benefit out of a visit to the world's largest library. One-on-one consultations or group briefings may be arranged to give an overview of the Africana collections or to focus on specific subjects.

For more information, consult the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room's home page http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/. Information about special-format custodial divisions such as the Manuscript Division or the Prints and Photographs Division -- as well as the Library's Main Reading Room -- may be found at http://www.loc.gov/.


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The Library of Congress >> African & Middle Eastern Reading Room
( November 15, 2010 )
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