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National & Subject Bibliographies

The following list is a model for researchers preparing a literature review on a subject that can be described geographically. The first section focuses on Ghana, identifying and evaluating early bibliographic tools for the region, following their development over time and by various entities. It then identifies additional topical and/or format-based bibliographies to focus in on one's subject. Because of the nature of official boundaries in Africa, it may be necessary to consider material from neighboring states (here, Nigeria is considered in items 11-14) and broader regional resources (e.g. West Africa, nos. 15-17).

The items on this list all can be found in Library West, Reference located on the 3rd floor behind the information desk.

Once you've gathered your resources, read the prefatory material in each and begin evaluating its usefulness for your purposes (is the index structured in such a way that you easily can get from a relevant heading to the individual entry or source?).

Briefly note your reactions on paper or in a text file to save yourself time when writing your project for this course, or for the next time you use each resource. Consider this a first step toward your final bibliographical project, which will include many more kinds of tools.

Ghana

1. Cardinall, A.W. Gold Coast Library. London: F. Edwards, 1924. 36p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3553. G6 C2
Subjects, general:
Gold Coast -- Bibliography.
"Since the Gold Coast is merely a conventional term for a portion of Western Africa which belongs to the British crown, and has no definite boundaries.... I have therefore had to include many works dealing with those parts under foreign rule but which naturally are closely related to the parts under British control, and in reality belong intrinsically the one to the other." Cardinall's initial attempt to assemble the earlier writings about the Gold Coast/Ghana. Citations are listed chronologically then by broad subject classifications such as history, native wars, missionaries, folklore and proverbs, forestry. Includes book, journal and parliamentary papers entries. Author index. 791 items.

2. Cardinall, A. W. Bibliography of the Gold Coast. Westport, Conn.: Negro Universities Press, 1970. 384p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z 3785 .C3 1970
Subjects, general:
Ghana-- Bibliography.
Reprint of the 1932 edition issued as companion volume to the census report of 1931. First separate published Ghana bibliography. Introduction is a guide to sources of earlier historical documents and monographs from research in English, Portuguese, Danish, French, and Dutch Archives. Begins with listings in 16th century to 1931. Chapters on missions, anthropology, linguistics, maps, newspapers, parliamentary papers, economics including forests, flora and fauna, cocoa, palm oil, etc. Includes chapter on Bibliographies. 5,168 citations. Author index.

3. Johnson, A. F. Bibliography of Ghana, 1930-1961. Accra: Published for the Ghana Library Board by Longmans, 1964. 210p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3785 .J58 1964b
Subjects, general:
Ghana -- Bibliography.
Attempts to list all publications on the Gold Coast and Ghana during the formation years 1930-1961 with selected periodicals. Excludes vernacular publications but includes indigenous poetry and drama, fiction, literature and strong social science and agriculture components. Early List of 20th century periodicals. Author index. Not annotated. Full bibliographic entries.

4. Ghana National Bibliography. Accra: Ghana Library Board. 1965- . Compiled at the Research Library on African Affairs of the Ghana Library Board.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z 3785 .G45
Subjects, general:
Law--Ghana--Bibliography.
Ghana-- Bibliography-- Periodicals.
Ghana--Imprints--Periodicals.
1965 initial year. Arranged by author entry alphabetically from items published in commercial, missionary and private presses. Includes official, semi-official government publications, and publications in Ghanaian and other African languages. From 1966 on includes periodical articles. In 1966 began to use the A. F. Johnson classification listing system for continuity. Lists new periodicals. The newer Ghana National Bibliography includes an author/title series and subject indices.

5. Amedekey, E. Y. Culture of Ghana. Accra: Ghana Universities Press. 1970. 215p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3785 .A7
Subjects, general:
Ghana-- Bibliography.
This bibliography contains excellent annotations. Published by the University of Legon Librarian to partially fulfill requirements for the diploma in librarianship at the University of London. Includes chapters on culture/history, economic life and material culture, social institutions, government and law, religion, music, language and literature and biographies. Chapters are subdivided by major ethnic groups. Interfiles books and journal entries with their culture as the principal factor for inclusion. An important source.

6. Aguolu, Christian C. Ghana in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, 1900-1971: a Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1973. 469p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3785 .A65
Subjects, general:
Ghana-- Bibliography.
Africa-- Bibliography.
Partially descriptive and critical annotations. Interfiles books and journal articles. List of abbreviations for journals included. Complements Cardinall (no. 2) and Johnson (no. 3). Contains masters theses and doctoral dissertations, conference papers, research reports and research pamphlets. Includes section on children's literature. A very fine resource.

7. Kafe, Joseph Kofi. Ghana: An Annotated Bibliography of Academic Theses 1920-1970 in the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland and the United States of America. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1973. 219p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3785 .K33
Subjects, general:
Dissertations, Academic--Bibliography.
Ghana--Bibliography.
Subject classed arrangement with 522 entries. An example of a format (dissertations/theses) bibliography focusing upon one country. Very useful annotations for British and Commonwealth thesis listings.

8. Afre, S.A. Ashanti Region of Ghana: An Annotated Bibliography, From Earliest Times to 1973. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1975. 494p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE DT 507 .A641
Subjects, general:
Ashantis-- Bibliography.
Ashanti-- Bibliography.
Major bibliographic work on Ashanti. Well-organized with a structured table of contents, subject/author index. Includes books, periodicals, government reports, typescripts of project reports, dissertations, maps, atlases, and unpublished seminar/conference proceedings. Excludes manuscripts and newspapers. Excellent bibliography well-defined, well-structured, annotated, and delivered. 2,781 citations.

9. Myers, Robert A. Ghana. Santa Barbara, California: Clio Press, 1991. (World bibliographical series; v. 124.)
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE DT510 .M31 1991
Subjects, general:
Ghana--Bibliography.
Major country bibliography series. Combines author, title, subject index with 781 items. Brief introductory essay on country's development and bibliography provides a broad description to the resources available for Ghana. Not comprehensive but aims to provide users with the most important resources for the topics included. Recent items are favored over older sources. Best for those unfamiliar with Ghana, its history, development, and ethnic groups.

10. Ardayfio-Schandorf, Elizabeth and Kate Kwafo-Akoto. Women in Ghana: An Annotated Bibliography. Accra, Ghana: Woeli Publishing Services. 1990. 427p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE HQ1816 .A721 1990
Subjects, general:
Women--Ghana--Social conditions--Bibliography.
Women in development--Ghana--Bibliography.
Lengthy, well-written evaluative annotations. 754 entries. Each cite has subject terms attached to the annotation to provide enhanced focus for the item. Separate author and subject index. Thrust of the bibliography to provide a database on women in development in Ghana and provide current information on labor force participation of Ghana's women. Received Honorable Mention in the competition for the Helen Conover & Dorothy Porter Best Reference Work Award 1992.

Nigeria

11. Nigerian Publications. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press. 1953-1972. annual.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE Z3553 .N5 I2
Subjects, general:
Nigeria--Bibliography.
Lists books and pamphlets published in Nigeria with items about Nigeria or by Nigerians published abroad. Embraces periodicals and newspapers of the country including new and ceased titles. Does not include maps, films or recordings. Includes linguistic statistical tables. 

12. National Bibliography of Nigeria. Lagos: National Library of Nigeria. 1973- .
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: Z3553 .N5 N37
Subjects, general:
Nigeria--Bibliography--Periodicals.
Title change (from no. 11) currently published by the National Library. Scope and content essentially unchanged.

13. Harris, John. Books About Nigeria; A Select Reading List. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press, 1963. 52p.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: DT 515.22 H3 1963
Subjects, general:
Nigeria--Bibliography.
Early state representation of one of Nigeria's most useful basic bibliographies. Compiled by the University Librarian at Ibadan. 400 citations from 300 books. Two dozen periodicals and eighty official reports. Author index.

14. Bell-Gam, Ruby and David Uru Iyam. Nigeria. Santa Barbara, California: Clio Press, 1999. 342p.(World Bibliographical Series; v.100)
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: DT515.22 .B45 1999
Subjects, general:
Nigeria--Bibliography.
Excellent descriptive, evaluative resource bibliography. 85 percent of the entries included were published from 1989-1998. First edition by Robert Myers (1989) remains important for materials published prior to 1989. 815 entries with 100 relating to journals, magazines, and newsletters. Emphasis on English language works published worldwide with criteria for selection governed by scope and importance of the topics included. See pages xiv and xv.

West Africa

15. Joucla, E. Bibliographie de l'Afrique occidentale francaise. Paris: Societe d'editions geographiques, maritimes et coloniales, 1937.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: Z3711 .J68 1937
Subjects, general:
Africa, French-speaking West--Bibliography.
French West Africa.
Benin.
Major source on Francophone Africa prior to World War II. Excellent coverage of books and periodicals for French speaking Africa. 9,543 entries. Author index, classed subject index, and map index.

16. Witherell, Julian W. French-speaking West Africa; a Guide to Official Publications. Washington, D.C.: African Section Library of Congress. 1967.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: Z3672 .W5
Subjects, general:
Africa, French-speaking West--Government publications--Bibliography.
Attempts to be a comprehensive list of official publications of French West Africa through 1967. Excellent subject index. Author was former Head of the African Section at the Library of Congress. The best African documents collection is located at Boston University. 2,431 entries.

17. Jones, Ruth. West Africa: General, Ethnography, Sociology, Linguistics and Related Subjects. London: International African Institute. 1958.
LIBRARY WEST, REFERENCE: Z3516 .I5
Subjects, general:
Africa, West--Bibliography.
One of four bibliographies in this series. Excellent ethnographic/linguistic listing of articles for this region. Contains an Ethnic and Linguistic Index. Arranged by country and then by ethnic groups.

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