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.
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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