The purpose of this comparative study was to determine to what degree the politically correct term, "African American" is being used in library literature and African American literature. Other terms examined were "Black,""Afro-American,""multicultural," and "cultural diversity." In addition, the accessibility of literature was examined through an analysis of the Library of Congress Subject Headings. A sample of eight journals from 1984 to 1993 was used. The titles of articles were examined from four categories: (1) general library literature, (2) academic library literature, (3) general Afro-American literature, and (4) academic Afro-American literature. It was determined that the term, "African American" was the second most frequently used term among the racial references studied; "Black" was the most frequently used term in both the library literature and African American literature. In the library literature, "African American" was used less frequently in academic journals than in journals intended for a general audience; in the African-American literature, the term, "African American" was used more in academic journals than in journals for a general audience. Analysis of the 1980 and 1990 Library of Congress Subject Headings, revealed that the term, "African American" is cross-referenced to "Afro-American." The concepts of multiculturism and cultural diversity were addressed more in academic journals than in general ones. In Appendix A, 20 tables present information; Appendix B provides the content analysis form. (Contains 25 references.) (AEF)