African American Literature After 1950: Finding Books and Media

Black Drama: 1850 to the Present

"The full text of 1,200 plays written from the mid-1800s to the present by 201 playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries." Rutgers-restricted Access

Black Thought and Culture

The full text of approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writing by leading figures in African American life and culture. Includes books, articles and essays, speeches, interviews, pamphlets and correspondence. Rutgers-restricted Access

Literature Online (LION)

The full text of over 350,000 English-language literary works, including literary work in various genres from African Americans. Rutgers-restricted Access.

Rutgers Library Catalog (QuickSearch)

Search all Rutgers Libraries (except the Law Libraries) for books, videos, media, and other materials.

Catalog of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Catalog of the New York Public research library "devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world." The Schomburg Center contains over 5,000,000 items. [Note: When beginning a search session, select "Schomburg Center" from the pull-down menu on the right.]

The Cambridge History of African American Literature

Maryemma Graham and Jerry W. Ward, Jr., eds. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Essays on the evolution of African American Literature. Rutgers-restricted Access

While we are operating under COVID restrictions, if you need a physical copy of a book from Dana or another Rutgers Library, you can request the book by bringing up the record for the book in QuickSearch, logging in with your Rutgers NetID, and clicking on the Request link. You'll receive an email when your materials are ready for pickup, with instructions for making an appointment to pick up at Dana. Or, you can request delivery by mail by selecting Personal Delivery > Home Address in QuickSearch.

Please note that we cannot provide access to physical copies if there is an online version available in our collections.

The fastest way to get a copy of a book that is not owned or not available (checked out/on Reserve/missing etc.) at the Rutgers Libraries is to request it through E-Z Borrow. E-Z Borrow books are normally received within about five working days.

If a book is not owned by the Rutgers Libraries and is not available via E-Z Borrow, you can place an Interlibrary Loan request.