KU Libraries to host ALC Spring Meeting, showcase Africa-related resources

LAWRENCE — For the first time in a decade, KU Libraries will host the spring meeting of the African Studies Association’s Africana Librarians Council, and it’s inviting the University of Kansas community along for the occasion. 

Africa Day, a new KU Libraries event, will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 15 in Watson Library 3 West, offering the KU community a chance to explore African-related scholarship, library resources and a taste of West African cuisine alongside partners from the Department of African & African-American Studies (AAAS) and the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC). The event serves as the community-facing complement to KU’s hosting of the Africana Librarians Council’s 2026 spring meeting, a national gathering of librarians, archivists and documentalists working with materials from and about Africa. 

“KU Libraries is a leader in African studies scholarship in the Midwest and among the best in North America,” said Kodjo Atiso, KU librarian for Africana and International Studies. “The conference program will highlight KU’s contributions to advancing scholarship in these fields and the good work that KASC and the AAAS department are doing.” 

All are welcome to attend Africa Day as well as the opening reception of the council’s conference 9-10 a.m. April 16, also in Watson 3 West. Both events are free and open to the public with no registration required. 

The key collaborations that fueled Africa Day inspiration also shape Atiso’s everyday work at KU, where he builds library collections, evaluating and assessing the needs of students and faculty, and working closely with the AAAS department and KASC, one of 10 National Resource Centers for African Studies. 

“These collaborations are important for building a robust relationship between the units and advancing scholarship in the field,” Atiso said. “I’m excited that African studies scholarship is reaching a new level, not just at KU but everywhere. Part of KU Libraries’ role is to share this scholarship with the world.” 

Elspeth Healey, Spencer Research Library Special Collections curator, said she is excited for attendees to gain a greater sense of the range of resources the libraries hold for African studies. 

“I hope visitors will encounter something that they might not have realized we have here at KU and that seeing these materials will inspire them to visit our reading room to explore in greater depth,” Healey said. 

Part of the Africa Day display will include examples of Onitsha Market Literature, pamphlets created and sold in the market town of Onitsha in southern Nigeria in the 1960s, during the period between independence and the Nigerian Civil War. “A resource of great interest,” Healey said the volumes are examples of popular literature and both the subject of recent research queries and a compelling item of exploration during class visits and tours, with colorful covers and contents ranging from stories and plays to self-help works to moral and political meditations. 

Visitors will also have a chance to sample small bites from African Dream Cuisine, a Lenexa-based catering company featuring West African flavors.