American Center Cotonou coordinates American spaces around the country. More details regarding these American Corners are available in French.
Services & Products
The American Center is now the research and reference service of the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou. The American Center is equipped to do research in current U.S. affairs and in global issues, such as trade and business, environment, democracy and human rights, information and communication technology, and social and cultural issues.
The American Center in Cotonou has a large collection books, magazines and electronic resources available online and on tablets. 80% of the collection is available for circulation whereas 20% of the titles are reference sources. There is an important portion of the collection in French to meet the needs of the target audience. It also maintains a diverse periodical collection. The American Center focuses on Electronic Information Resources and is progressively replacing paper reference sources with online versions, CD-ROMS and other online databases. The American Center currently has a collection of 100 CD-ROMS for ESL purposes, more than 20 kindles and 10 iPads.
The American Center Director and American Center Technician provide reference and research assistance, utilizing print and digital sources. Queries are accepted by telephone, e-mail, or in person (by appointment) during business hours.
Training/demonstration sessions of resources and services provided by the American Center may be arranged for groups upon request.
Membership
Membership is free and open to Secondary School students (6è to Terminale) and all adults at least 18 years old. All patrons must be residents of Benin.
To be a member of the American Center, you just need to fill the digital form at http://tinyurl.com/CotonouACC and American Center staff will set an appointment for you to get your membership card printed.
Services
- Book circulation
- On-site consultation
- Reference Services
- Bibliographies / Book Exhibits
- Library instructions
- Training in web searching / information retrieval
- Consultation of CD-ROMS
- Internet Access
- English Language Programs
Books
One third of our collection is in English and two thirds are in French, with a focus on American Studies, Literature, Management, Law, Journalism, Media, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Periodicals
The library subscribes to titles like Foreign Policy, Havard Business Review, the Economist, Essence, Ebony, Oprah Magazine for titles in English and L’Expansion Management Review, Pour la Science, Sciences et Vie for titles in French.
The library is open to the public from Monday to Friday as follow:
Monday through Thursday: 09:00 – 16:00.
Friday: from 9:00 – 13:00
The American Center is closed on weekends and American and Beninese holidays.
Phone: (229) 21 36 78 68 – Fax : (229) 21 30 03 84
Avenue de la Marina
01 B.P. 2012 Cotonou – Benin
Email: irccotonou@state.gov
American Center Resources
U.S Government Resources
Online Databases
Internet For EFL
American Studies Resources
American Studies is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It incorporates the study of economics, history, literature, law, art, the media, film, urban studies, women’s studies, gender studies, anthropology, sociology, queer studies, African American studies, Chicano studies, Asian American studies, foreign police, and culture of the United States, among other fields. See some American Studies resources below.
