News Release

Photo note: To download a photo, see end of release.

Reliable Web sites on black culture,
history, identified in new UNC guide

CHAPEL HILL — Learning about black culture and history on the World Wide Web is now easier, thanks to a new online guide from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.

Studying black poets of the Appalachian region? Interested in the black inhabitants of Canada, Cuba or the Caribbean? Wondering how many African-Americans have been U.S. senators?

It’s all there, at http://www.lib.unc.edu/stone/webguide/.

Raquel Cogell, librarian for UNC’s Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History Library, developed the guide to bring quality resources to the attention of students, teachers, librarians and researchers. It is now the largest such site that she can identify.

The site points to more than 500 Web resources. Topics range from slavery and the civil rights movement to the unexpected, such as an online exhibit about black communities in Nova Scotia.

"There are so many amazing sites out there, but unless you’re an expert searcher, you might not come across them," Cogell said.

She is especially concerned about students who cannot always tell whether or not information on the Web is reliable. Before adding a new resource, Cogell reviews it for accuracy and quality. Graduate research assistants then write a brief description and assign subject categories such as dance, history, sports and education.

Michelle Jay, a doctoral candidate at UNC’s School of Education, wishes that she had had the site when she was a high school history teacher.

"It’s so easy to use and to navigate," she said. "It’s a great companion for student research in the schools and at the college level."

From the beginning, Cogell envisioned a searchable site that helped people find just what they needed. Entering "Woolworth," for example, brings up a PBS documentary site about the 1960 Greensboro sit-in and another page devoted to a planned museum.

While teachers, students and librarians are the target audience, Cogell herself has fallen under the sway of discovery.

"I thought I knew about the Port Chicago disaster," she said, referring to a World War II naval incident that killed some 200 African-American enlisted men. "Then I found a new site about the event and couldn’t pull myself away. I got so much out of it."

Cogell adds about 30 to 40 new resources each month as quickly as they come to her attention. "We know there’s even more out there," she said. "We’d love to hear about your favorite site."

To contribute ideas, call the Stone Center Library at (919) 843-5804 or email cogell@email.unc.edu.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/ElizabethKeckley.jpg, from the North Carolina Collection in UNC’s Wilson Library.

Suggested cutline: Portrait of Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who became a seamstress for Mary Todd Lincoln, from her autobiography. A new Web guide from the UNC-Chapel Hill Library, http://www.lib.unc.edu/stone/webguide/, points to hundreds of online resources about black culture and history.

• The University Library continues to expand its "Documenting the American South" historical Web site, with letters, diaries, books, photos and more about significant literature, culture and periods of history. Many of the materials offer stories of the African-American experience in the South, which are especially appropriate during national Black History Month. The site is available at http://docsouth.unc.edu.
• Dr. William L. Andrews, a UNC Distinguished Professor of English, edited the 2005 edition of Keckley’s memoir, "Behind the Scenes," available on "Documenting the American South" at http://docsouth.unc.edu/keckley/menu.html.
• Artist Lezley Saar’s acrylic on fabric of Keckley is among works on display through March 26 at UNC’s Ackland Art Museum. A news release is available at www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec05/familylegs121205.htm.

UNC Library contact: Judith Panitch, (919) 962-1301, panitch@email.unc.edu

News Services contacts: Print, L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595