6 March 2006

Schomburg Studies Focus on African-American History

Longwood University is Virginia's first charter subscriber to the Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, an online resource that provides access to a database of scholarly analyses and rare documents covering every aspect of Black Studies. Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience offers original essays by leading scholars; primary and secondary sources including articles, book chapters, and dissertations; reference materials including a glossary, bibliographies, weblinks, and multi-thematic timelines; and a complete captioned and searchable multimedia library.

Howard Dodson, a specialist in African-American history and series director of the Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, initiated the collaboration that resulted in a unique, scholarly but user-friendly database that explores the African experience in the Americas. In April 2005, Longwood's Greenwood Library became a charter subscriber to the service which was launched by ProQuest Information and Learning in November 2005.

Virginia Kinman, electronic resources librarian for Greenwood Library, said "The original essays on topics such as black women's studies, religion, black cinema, the black press, African-American labor history, slavery, and sexuality are the heart of the Schomburg Studies database. Primary sources, timelines, video clips and images place people and events in context and provide a first-hand perspective. This multi-disciplinary resource will be useful for both research and personal enlightenment."

"The Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience offers a window into a treasure trove of African and American history," said Lonnie Calhoun, director of multicultural affairs and international student services at Longwood. "This is an especially important resource for rural areas where access to information that is usually found in large, public libraries is limited. Through the use of this technology Longwood students, faculty and staff members, as well as members of the local community, are able to expand their world view and gain valuable insight from the Schomburg collection."

The Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience is the product of a partnership between ProQuest Information and Learning and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, one of the four research libraries of the New York Public Library. The project evolved from Dodson's vision to provide an encyclopedic treatment of the formation and development of Black Studies.
ProQuest Information and Learning, a division of ProQuest Company, is a world leader in collecting, organizing, and publishing information worldwide for researchers, faculty, and students in libraries and schools. Known widely for its strength in business and economics, general reference, humanities, social sciences, and STM content, the company develops premium databases comprising periodicals, newspapers, dissertations, out-of-print books, and other scholarly information from more than 8,500 publishers worldwide.

Community patrons may access Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience in Longwood's Greenwood Library. Information about the Greenwood Library's computer usage policies and hours are available at http://www.longwood.edu/library and by calling 434/395-2633.