The
Hess Collection on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa and the Robert
L. Hess
Collection on the Continent of Africa are largely
devoted to colonial issues and the colonial period.
The materials date from the late 18th to the mid-twentieth
centuries.
The collection of some 5,000 volumes has been
inventoried and appraised by leading bookmen and
Africana specialists William French and Philip
McBain. The appraisers characterized the collection
this way:
The great bulk of the collection
is specifically focused on the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Somalia,
and
their neighbors. Within this area
the coverage is both broad and deep; all aspects of history,
exploration, politics, linguistics,
religion, art, economics, and geography are extensively covered.
Materials include:
Robert L. Hess was a noted scholar of Ethiopian History
who served as president of Brooklyn
College from 1979 to 1992. In 1993, the Robert L. Hess Collection
in African and Ethiopian
history was deeded to the Brooklyn College Library by the late-President
Hess's widow, Frances
A. Hess.
Access:
Reference and research assistance is offered to all Brooklyn College
students, alumni, faculty, and
administrators. Access is also available to outside researchers,
writers, and students, who should
secure permission from the archivist prior to visiting the collections.
Visitors are required to sign our register after presenting proper identification.
The duplication of collection materials either by photocopying
and/or computer-based processing is
permitted on a case-by-case basis. Permission is determined by
the physical condition of the
requested materials and any copyright or use restrictions that
may apply. Consultation with the
archivist is required.
For further information, contact: Archives and Special Collections
Brooklyn College Library
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889
Voice (718) 951-5346
Fax (718) 951-4557
Contact Professor Anthony M. Cucchiara at: tonyc@brooklyn.cuny.edu
