The digital African Studies General Collections have been developed and managed to support the past, ongoing and future needs of University of Florida's Center for African Studies, one of the most active and well regarded such centers in North America and the only United States Department of Education Title VI Center for African Studies in the southeastern U.S.

The African Studies Collection, from which this digital collection is drawn, is recognized as a unique resource within the University of Florida's George A. Smathers libraries, ranking among the best such collections in the U.S. Its holdings include disciplinary topics from the natural sciences and applied fields such as agriculture and public health, to the social sciences, humanities, and professions. Reflecting the great breadth and depth of these academic and professional programs, the African Studies Collection facilitates interdisciplinary and applied approaches to the study of the continent, its flora and fauna, peoples and cultures, natural resources and wildlife for which UF's African Studies programs are best known. Please view a brief overview presentation of the collection and the Sobek software to get a better idea of how to use these materials.

Notable print holdings (from which many of the digital collections derive) include the George Fortune collection of Southern Bantu linguistics (especially Shona), the Donald Abraham collection of Lusophone culture and history (concentrating on Angola and Mozambique), Gwendolen M. Carter’s materials relating to the South African liberation struggle, and Martin Rikli’s photographic albums of Ethiopia during the Italian invasion and occupation of 1935-1936. Finding aids for these and related manuscript collections, most of which are yet to be digitized, are available online. Among our newest manuscripts available with selected digitized images are the Records of the East African Professional Hunters Association (EAPHA) and the Ian Parker Collection relating to East African wildlife conservation (from which are digitized over 3,000 elephant biological data sheet records along with several reports on the international ivory trade and related conservation materials).

The Arts of Africa = Les Arts d'Afrique is a demonstration collection of art works and artifacts from the African continent, and, mostly from private collections. Our intent is to demonstrate access to high resolution images while simulating the museum walk-around experience. Works in this collection are intended to be used in tandem with the literature of African art held in the Africa General Collections. Many of the materials in this collection were added to support the "Between the Beads: Reading African Beadwork" exhibit at Harn Museum of Art in 2008-2009.

For maps of Africa, see also the African Map Collection which offers maps dating from the 16th through the 21st centuries, including examples of work from the most important cartographers and representing some of the most important maps from the Age of Exploration to the present day.