Documentation and Reproduction of Colonial Legal Materials in European Libraries

Abstract

The emphasis in this paper is on the need for documentation and cooperative reproduction of legal documents relating to the colonial period in Africa which are mainly available in libraries in European countries. It is argued that these materials are extremely useful for research in legal and general scholarship, and that their non-availability in Africa at present is a drawback to the increase of research carried out in Africa. Documentation will make the existence of these materials more widely known in academic institutions than is the case at present, while reproduction through modern techniques will make them available to libraries. Potential demand for the documents, in view of the changing African political scenes, which are cutting across old colonial lines, emphasize the need for their availability. We have chosen the colonial period in African history because the colonial legal documents are obviously out of print and few libraries contain complete sets. As a set of literature, they are difficult for law libraries to acquire, not only in Africa, but also in other parts of the academic world where they may be needed. The International Association of Law Libraries is well placed to coordinate documentation and reprographic exchanges between libraries which have similar requirements in Europe, Africa and other parts of the world.