Library collection and online catalogue Libis

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The library collection consists of 130,000 monographs, of which a number of unique and rare works, and around 300 current scientific journals. Alongside this there are several hundred complete series.

The RMCA’s collection is exceptionally unique and as the only one in Belgium the library often has specific journals at its disposal which were obtained through exchange or presented as a gift. It deals with diverse general subjects about Africa and in particular Central Africa, but is above all a reflection of the scientific disciplines which are studied in the RMCA.

Online catalogue

• The online catalogue of the RMCA’s library is included in Libis (http://opac.libis.be - select RMCA-catalogue) which features acquisitions made since 2007, as well as the collections of:
  - Ethnography
  - Social Anthropology
  - General Geology
  - Geomorphology
  - Linguistics
  - Etnomusicology
  - Prehistory and Archaeology
  - Contemporary History
  - Invertebrates
  - Entomology
  - Wood biology
  - Agricultural economy.
  
  This Libis catalogue is in its turn also included in larger catalogues such as the communal catalogues of the Federal Libraries Bib.Belgium and the catalogue of Belgian University Libraries Unicat.

• Not yet included in Libis are the collections of:
  - Colonial History
  - Vertebrates/Ornithology
  - Vertebrates/Ichtyology
  - Vertebrates/Herpetology
  - Vertebrates/Mammology
  - the Central library.
  
  This is why as a temporary solution a digital index card catalogue was created with photos of the complete index card collection (ZEBRA catalogue).
  This ZEBRA catalogue is fully searchable by all the words and can be consulted in the Central reading room.
   
• The collection of current journals can be consulted here.
  In the Central reading room you can nonetheless consult articles from the online subscriptions in full text.

More information

For more information about offering books to the library or about starting up an exchange agreement please get in touch with Fleur De Jaeger.