Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Africana Special Collections

Factors Influencing Collection Policy

The primary consideration for acquisitions for Africana Special Collections is value for academic research, with further consideration of use for teaching/learning outcomes and public engagement (exhibits, etc.). All Africana Special Collections materials All materials are available for use in the Special Collections Reading Room, and they are regularly used in classes and for exhibits. 

Collection development for Africana Special Collections focuses on the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, with particular strengths in materials from South Africa, Nigeria, the Senegambia, and Southern Africa - reflecting in large part the geographic collecting priorities of the Main, circulating collection. The periodization of the collection varies by genre, but most materials are from the twentieth century, and there is a particular emphasis on materials of decolonization/liberation and post-colonial materials.

For this subject collection, the acquisition of faculty research data for inclusion in the MSU Libraries research data repository will be considered on a case-by-case basis.