Research Guides: Urban Africa: CLIO Searching & Primary Sources?

General Tips on Searching in CLIO

Basic Search Tools for CLIO and Other Databases
Reference works or statistical publications -- in print or electronic
- Combine name of city, country, language or ethnic group as “Subject” -AND- another term as a “Subject”….such as:
  
  bibliography | handbooks | statistics | atlas -or- maps
  
  biography | congresses (for conferences) | dictionaries | grammar
Historical sources—published
- Combine history with name of city ; name of country ; name of region ("East Africa" ; "West Africa'" ; "Southern Africa" ; etc., ) ...and with “Subject” keywords like:
  
  “description and travel“ | “economic development” | “economic conditions”
  "social conditions" | "social life and customs" | "urban" -or- "urbanization"
  "city" -or- "cities and towns" -or- "city and town life" |"women -or- men" | "gender"
  "trade" |"poverty“ | “labor" or "labour“ |“migration“ -or- "migration, internal"
  “ecology" -or- "environment“
- Colonial government publications in print
  
  Search by title or title keywords of document [if known]; otherwise use
  name of the colonial territory ...with Great Britain, France, etc.
  as “Author” or “All Fields”
Literary works and the arts
- Search by author or title …or combine [name of country] or [name of language] as “Subject” with:
  
  literature | drama | fiction | poetry | criticism
- Exceptions….African literature (English) ; African literature (French) ;
  "African diaspora in literature" ; "American literature African American authors" ;
  "African Americans in literature" ; "South African literature" ; "Nigerian literature"
- Search as "Subject":
  
  art | artists | poets | music | musicians | composers | singers | jazz
  
  -and- combine with [name of country]
Art exhibitions, Illustrations, and photographs [in publication]
- For art exhibitions, combine name of city -or- name of country ...with "Exhibitions"
- Combine name of city -or- name of country ... with "Pictorial works"
Films
- Search in CLIO--Catalog by title of film [if known]; otherwise, use
  name of city -or- name of country
  ...then, select "Video" Format, on left hand side of the display.
- Combine name of city -or- name of country
  ...with "Documentary films" -or- "Feature films"

Primary Sources?

Autobiographies & memoirs
Letters or correspondence
Diaries
Historical newspapers
Documentary films & photographs
Speeches (audio-visual or printed)
Oral histories & interviews (audio-visual or printed transcripts)
Unpublished government records & published government reports
Ethnographic surveys & case studies
Travellers’ accounts & descriptions
International organization & national NGO reports based on field investigations
Census & demographic data, statistical reports, & other data sets

RECOMMENDATION: Routinely search & read articles in the back issues of journals, especially: