The collection also includes the African Heritage Collection, audio tapes from the Howard Thurman Educational Trust; locally produced audio and video tapes of Howard University Divinity School events; and commercially produced films, filmstrips, and videos. The African Heritage Collection was established in the 1960's to document the Civil Rights era and the religious heritage and life/history of African Americans and African diaspora (African American, African Caribbean, Latin American/Hispanic etc.) The Collection includes

• The personal library of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays;

• Several first editions and books published in 1940 and before by authors of African Descent;

• Dissertations and thesis of the School of Divinity (1930's to the present);

• Vertical files (articles, programs, pamphlets and other ephemeral materials).

The collection is unique within the Washington Metropolitan area and highly depended upon for study and research for the School of Divinity, the Howard University community, the Washington Theological Consortium, and for researchers and scholars of the religious experience of the African Diaspora.
  

Photo by Deborah Bush

The Divinity Library is part of the University Libraries System which consists of a central library group (comprised of the Founders Library/ Undergraduate Library and four branch libraries in professional schools--Architecture, Business, Divinity, and Social Work), the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, the Health Sciences library, the A.M. Daniel Law Library, the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center Library, and the Afro-American Studies Resource Center. Together, these facilities contain more than 2.2 million volumes; 14,000 current journal subscriptions; 3.7 million microform pieces; 6,600 manuscripts; and thousands of audio-visual items. Services and traditional collections are greatly enhanced by a rich universe of digital resources and the smart use of information
technology. Access to the holdings of the Library System is provided through Sterling, the online catalog system. 

The Divinity Library Staff will assist you in locating and obtaining the items you need at Howard or through interlibrary loans. The Librarian will provide group and individual instruction.