It’s hard to think of a topic in American history that does not include African-American history. The Schomburg is a must for your list of research resources.

An amazing source of information (it is one of the four New York Public Library research libraries), this is not only a place where tons of great material is available (for free, remember). The information is also very accessible, and you will have help navigating the library’s vast holdings.

When you enter, you will have to sign in and leave any large bags at the coat check. Make your way downstairs to the General Research and Reference Division, which will be your starting point no matter what kind of information you are looking for. In the two large rooms you will find desk space and computers with Internet access. (Be warned: the computers are for researching only, not word processing.) You should search the catalogue for books and artifacts that may be of interest to you.

You can ask a librarian for help. Once you know what you would like to look at, you fill out a small slip of paper with the item’s call number and title, and the librarian will retrieve it for you. (Remember that this is a research library, not a branch library, so you cannot take books out with you—only look at them in the library.) You will also have access to microfilm and microfiche (which is what publications such as newspapers are stored on) and several 19th-century genealogy records.

But getting back to American history: as you explore the General Research and Reference Division and the other four divisions (Art and Artifacts; Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books; Moving Image and Recorded Sound; and Photographs and Rare Prints), you will be able to find anything and everything. Holdings range from documentaries to dramas, from advertisements to TV programs that discuss African-American concerns across the U.S., from recordings of traditional and contemporary music from several African-American cultures (including recordings of the blues, jazz, rhythm, and rap) to speeches from the Civil Rights Movement. You can look at sheet music, scripts, playbills, broadsides, essays, short stories, poetry, articles, and personal letters and notes by famous leaders and scholars. There are photographs, sculptures, paintings, prints, illustrations, textiles, masks, instruments, weaponry, and artifacts—including some with great emotional resonance, such as slave shackles. The list goes on: coins, stamps, political buttons, quilts, uniforms, and clothing!

And that is by no means a complete summary. Though you can’t start out at any of the other four divisions, you can be directed to them from General Research and Reference. To get a better idea of what the Schomburg has to offer you, go online and look through their website. Read about their different collections [http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/collections.html] and look through the online exhibits [http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/exhib/sch/oelistsch.cfm], many of which came from past library exhibits. You can even look up books before you get to the library on CATNYP (the online catalogue of the New York Public Library, [http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/grd/resguides/catnyp.html]). Call the Research and General Reference Division at 212-491-2218 with any questions about getting started with your research. For general questions about the Schomburg Center, call the main switchboard at 212-491-2200.

Just a few of the great areas for research papers you’ll come across are: the Harlem Renaissance, the Works Progress Administration, the Black Arts Movement (1960s-1970s), black urban life, the Civil Rights Movement, the Niagara Movement and the NAACP, and important African-American historical figures, whether actors, musicians, authors, athletes, scholars, or political leaders.

The library offers programs and performances for the public (check online for a schedule), but of particular interest is the Junior Scholars Program, for students aged eleven to seventeen. It takes place from 10-3 on Saturdays from October to May, and if accepted you are expected to attend each session. You will learn about African-American culture and heritage through such activities as lectures, films, performances, and trips. Last year’s participants produced their own magazine and video about their experiences in the program. Though free, the program is competitive and can fill up quickly. Applications are usually due by mid August, but if the program is under-enrolled they accept participants into September. Call 212-491-2011 for information and an application.

The library is part of the HSCC, the Harlem Strategic Cultural Collaborative. This group of organizations preserves Harlem’s heritage and promotes the growth of culture in Harlem as a way to bring together and celebrate the community. Depending on what you are studying (or just plain interested in), you should ask the library about the HSCC. Other members of the HSCC are Aaron Davis Hall, the Apollo Theatre Foundation, Inc., the Boys Choir of Harlem, Inc., Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Harlem School of the Arts, Inc., Jazzmobile, Inc., the National Black Theatre, Inc., and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The Schomburg also has exhibits, another great place to get ideas and to do research. Though there is enough text to get through the exhibit without a guide, tours are available with a reservation. They’re generally given to school groups during the school day, but if you can get a group of about fifteen to twenty people together on a Saturday, the library will probably be able to accommodate you. Call 212-491-2207 about scheduling a tour. Many past exhibits have had works published on them that are available in the museum gift shop or online.

At the library, you can learn about Arthur A. Schomburg, but you should also note the library’s special tribute to Langston Hughes. As you walk past the theater named for him, look down at the floor. Above his buried ashes is a cosmogram that depicts the lifelines of Schomburg and Hughes, including their intersection in Harlem. You should definitely stop and pay your respects to the great writer this celebrates.