TinyCat’s July Library of the Month: The Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University
The Reading Room
The Center for Black Diaspora welcomes you to its Reading Room—a jewel not just of the Center, but of DePaul University. This space contains a wonderful collection of approximately 3,000 books and 250 films related to the African diaspora.
Subject matter includes art, culture, history, social studies, photography, women’s studies, politics, religion, philosophy, and much more. This collection is the product of over twenty years of careful thought and acquisition on the part of the Center’s former director, Dr. Sandra Jackson. Many of these resources are rare, and most are not held in DePaul’s other libraries.
The Reading Room has undergone extensive renovations. It now features a new conference table and chairs, a wall-mounted flat screen television with internet connectivity, and a comfortable reading sofa. Fresh paint and the removal of several pieces of furniture make the room much brighter and easier to move about. Most importantly, the room has a book security system. This will prevent serious losses that the collection had unfortunately sustained over the years, and will allow visitors to bring their bags in rather than leave them at the front desk. The holdings have been reorganized, and patrons can finally search for materials via the new on-line, searchable catalog (see link above).
We encourage you to visit the Reading Room and make use of its resources. The room is available for presentations, classes, meetings, colloquia, studying, etc. We also welcome you to come in for a cup of coffee or tea, watch a film, play a game of mancala or chess, check your email, or take a quick nap between classes. We invite DePaul and local artists to display their work at the Center, and are particularly interested in showcasing the work of student artists.
The Reading Room is open from 9:30am-5:00pm, Mondays through Fridays. To reserve the space, please contact the Center staff. Extended hours may be arranged by request.