This guide will give you some suggestions of places to find material for your mash-ups. Since there is a very good and comprehensive collection at the CIIA page Creative Commons/Public Domain portal, I am going to concentrate on resources, both print and microform, that we own here at the library, and qualify as public domain.
Typically anything published before 1923 is in the public domain, which means it can be reprinted or used creatively without copyright clearance. A search for the keywords "african american*" limited by date could yield some useful material.
Change the date of publication in the left hand filter bar.
Searches like this will pull up non-copyrighted material suitable for use in your mash-up.
If you are so inclined, the Library of American Civilization is a collection of microfiche that can be browsed using an Author or Subject index in the microform room under the call number E156 L5. Microfiche can be copied or scanned.
Summit and WorldCat
Summit and Worldcat are consortiums of libraries that we borrow materials from. They include large research universities such as University of Washington, Harvard, and libraries worldwide. The way to search these collections is easy. After completing a search in our library catalog, you simply need to "Repeat Search in Summit."
Ordering books from Summit is easy. Select a book (or other material - dvd, cd, etc.) you want from the list and click the title. Then click the "Request Summit Item" tab.
You will be asked to choose your university from a pull-down menu, then enter your last name and W#. After clicking the verify information page your Summit item will be delivered to our Circulation Desk in 2-4 days (you'll receive an e-mail). Worldcat books appear in the same results list as Summit books but toward the end. To order them you need to sign up for ILLiad.
Internet Sites of Use
The American Memory Project - Collections digitized by The Library of Congress; includes slave narratives; audio, visual and text.
African American Writers - A collection of links and online collections hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. Includes numerous full-text collections and archival (old) material. Extremely valuable collections here.
Harlem Renaissance Multimedia Resource - Video clips, audio, images and writing born of the Harlem Renaissance