Welcome to a new monthly blog installment that will highlight online databases for teens. This month I will be linking databases in honor of Black History Month. Black History Month is a yearly celebration of the achievements of African Americans that takes place in February and every year a theme is chosen. This year's is Black Health and Wellness.
One of my favorite databases for the month is the African American Experience
I love this database for several reasons.
- It is a great source for locating primary documents and peer reviewed articles related to the history of African Americans.
- It can be explored in a few ways. You can perform independent searching, read through the time periods, or scroll to the bottom of the page to peruse the themed resource lists. For example, for this year's Black History Month theme, the database has created a list that corresponds to "Black Health and Wellness." This resource list has a removal date of March 1st 2022 so head on in and check out the wealth of sources before the end of the month!
- Need help navigating? There is an instructional video on how to use the database.
- In addition to all of the above, the database has one of my favorite features for those diving into research. There is an "Academic Success Corner" on the main page where you find guides on writing, researching, critical thinking and much more!
Five other databases that provide opportunities for reading and learning are:
Black Short Fiction and Folklore
Collects African and African-American short stories and folktales published in more than 15 countries from the mid-1900s to the present. Includes full digitized runs of select literary magazines and black-owned journals and newspapers.
Collects published works by leading African American writers, spanning the 1700s to the present. Includes books, interviews, journal articles, speeches, essays, pamplets and letters.
Collects fiction, poetry and essays by black women published in Africa and the Americas from the 1700s to the present.
Searchable collection of Caribbean poems, plays, novels, short stories, and other materials from 1700 to the present. Works are in English, French, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Dutch.
Genealogical tool that includes U.S. Federal Census records, genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries, Census data, slave schedules, maps, local history books and articles, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant application files, and the Freedman's Bank Records 1865-1874.
The above databases can be accessed from home with your library card and pin number or at your local Brooklyn Public Library branch. If you do not have a library card you can apply for one here. You can also opt to apply for an e-card here.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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