Multimedia Libraries & Archives

Arabic at the Libraries

The Arabic program is proud to partner with Swarthmore Libraries to provide multimedia support for undergraduates learning Arabic. You can reach out to our Subject Librarian for support finding and requesting academic texts, novels, and comics both in Arabic and about the Arabic-speaking world. We stock a collection in the Modern Languages Reading Room on the second floor of McCabe Library specifically for Arabic learners to browse and read. 

Arabic at the Language Center

Did you know that Swarthmore has the only complete collection of vintage Arabic-language Sesame Street DVDs in the United States? Students can access - and make requests to add to - a large collection of Arabic DVD films at the Language Center. You can physically stop in to Kohlberg Hall 326 and ask the Language Center student assistant to help you physically browse the collection, or locate films online via Tripod. Additional digital-only films are available online to Swarthmore students via Kanopy, and you can make special requests to streaming@swarthmore.edu to help stream a DVD online.

Once you choose a film, many rooms across campus are available for group screenings - McCabe 311, 320, 328, and 336 can be used for casual watching with friends.

Arabic in the Special Collections

For undergraduates interested in projects for class, journalism for the Phoenix, or original research for an honors thesis, the Special Collections have a wide variety of archival resources to explore. You can find political-social content about peace movements by Arabic speakers at the Peace Collection, stories of past Arabic-speaking Swatties at the College Archives, and an incredibly rich and diverse collection of all types of Arabic content - including artwork - at the Rare Book Room. We highly encourage Arabic majors to apply for the Moore Student Fellowship to obtain a stipend for research in the Special Collections.