Online Tip of the Month

Online Tip of the Month

The African American Experience, one of the free databases available through Broward County Library's online resources, is a comprehensive collection of materials that include an image library, speeches, oral histories, music, full-text articles and historic documents - all available with the click of a mouse. This award-winning site is great for academic research, genealogy studies, school projects, or just browsing. Reliable and thorough, The African American Experience is designed, developed and indexed by African American librarians and subject specialists, with twice-annual enhancements that offer users new text and updated sources.

The site offers four different featured sections in the center of the homepage on people like Barack Obama and Toni Morrison or subjects such as Jim Crow and the Underground Railroad. Each featured section (the subjects are changed regularly) includes a timeline, slide show, featured content, external link and even lesson plans for teachers.

Regular content is organized in an easy-to-use format that makes searching simple. The right

side of the home page offers the user the opportunity to peruse a wide array of subjects such as arts and media; business and labor; civil rights; health and science; literature; politics and law; and religion and spirituality. Each subject offers many subheadings that pull together information from books, journals, historic archives, and a huge range of sources that would be almost impossible to find anywhere else. For example, you could select "Culture" from the subject list, visit the subheading of "Food," and then find everything from the history of barbecue cookery to articles on well-known African American restaurateurs and even recipes from Algerian cookbooks.

The Resource List, located on the left side of the home page, is extensive, allowing users to choose between sources ranging from "Landmark Documents" to "Audio Files, "Slave Narratives," and "Primary Source Index." There's also a section on the most popular recent searches and a "Skills Center" that provides research tips as well as a special section for teachers with lesson plans, suggestions on using the site and professional reading for educators.

According to its "About Us" section, The African American Experience database was created with two goals in mind: "to provide rock-solid information from authorities in the field, and to allow African Americans to speak for themselves through a wealth of primary sources." With over 400 sources of content and information, The African American Experience provides first-hand knowledge of the black experience from its African origins to the issues of modern times.

How to access the African American Experience:
1 - Click onto the Free Online Resources Web page.
2 - Scroll down and the African American Experience is
     the first item listed under the directory.
3 - If you are not at a Broward County Library location,
     you will need your library card number, the last four
     digits of the telephone associated with your Broward
     County Library card account, and your last name.