The Jahn Library for African Literatures holds a great number of titles in currently more than ninety African languages.
The holdings of creative writing in African languages are, first of all, structured regionally: JF (West Africa), JG (Central Africa), JH (East Africa) und JK (Southern Africa). Furthermore, each language has a code derived from the initial letters of one of its designations.
Creative writing in West African languages has the shelf mark 'JF' followed by a specific language code, e.g., JF YOR for creative writing in Yorùbá, relevant critical sources and translations from and into the Yorùbá language.
Each language is further subdivided into general critical sources on creative writing in that language (1), anthologies in that language (2), critical sources on individual writers of that language (3) and literary works by individual writers in that language (4). Additionally, there are translations of literary works by individual writers from that language (5) and translations of literary works by individual writers into that language (6), e.g.:
JF YOR1 General critical sources on Yorùbá literature
JF YOR2 Yorùbá anthologies
JF YOR3 Critical sources on individual Yorùbá writers
JF YOR4 Literary works by individual Yorùbá writers
JF YOR5 Translations of literary works by individual writers from the Yorùbá
JF YOR6 Translations of literary works by individual writers into Yorùbá.
Some languages also have a category 'JZ' for journals in that languageUnlike literary works in the former colonial languages, literary works in African languages are ordered alphabetically according to writers' names, as are critical sources on individual writers and translations of literary works by individual writers.
Titles of the first two categories are numbered consecutively, titles of the other categories are numbered consecutively with respect to each writer.
Alphabetic list of African languages and their shelf mark codes in the Jahn Library
| Acholi | JH ACH |
| Adangme | JF DAN |
| Afrikaans | JK AFR |
| Akan | JF TWI |
| Akuapem-Twi | JF TWI |
| Amharisch | JH AMH |
| Asante-Twi | JF TWI |
| Bamanankan | JF BAM |
| Bambara | JF BAM |
| Bemba (Zambia) | JK BEM |
| Bini | JF EDO |
| Bulu | JF BUL |
| Caboverdiano | JF KEA |
| Calabar | JF EFI |
| Chewa | JK NYA |
| Chibemba | JK BEM |
| Chichewa | JK NYA |
| Chilunda | JK LUN |
| Chiluvale | JK LUV |
| Chinamwanga | JK MWA |
| Chinyanja | JK NYA |
| Chishona | JK SHO |
| Chitonga | JK TON |
| Chitshwa | JK TSH |
| Chitumbuka | JK TUM |
| Chivenda | JK VEN |
| Creole (Guinea-Bissau Creole) | JF POV |
| Creole (Krio, Sierra Leone) | JF KRI |
| Criol / Crioulo (Cape Verde) | JF KEA |
| Dangme | JF DAN |
| Dawida | JH TAI |
| Edo | JF EDO |
| Efik | JF EFI |
| Ewe | JF EWE |
| Fante | JF FAN |
| Fon | JF FON |
| Fula | JF FUL |
| Fulfulde | JF FUL |
| Gã | JF GA |
| Ganda | JH GAN |
| Gbaya (variety: Gbaya-Kara) | JG GBA |
| Gen | JF GEN |
| Gĩkũyũ | JH GIK |
| Guinea-Bissau Creole | JF POV |
| Guingbé | JF GEN |
| Gusii | JH GUS |
| Hausa | JF HAU |
| Herero | JK HER |
| Ibibio | JF EFI |
| Ichibemba | JK BEM |
| Ichinamwanga | JK MWA |
| Idoma | JF IDO |
| Igbo | JF IGB |
| Isiswazi | JK SWA |
| Isixhosa | JK XHO |
| Isizulu | JK ZUL |
| Kaboverdianu | JF KEA |
| Kalenjin | JH KAL |
| Kamba | JH KAM |
| Kanuri | JF KAN |
| Kaonde | JK KAO |
| Kerewe | JH KER |
| Kidawida | JH TAI |
| Kikamba | JH KAM |
| Kikerewe | JH KER |
| Kikongo | JG KON |
| Kimbundu | JK MBUN |
| Kinyarwanda | JH RWA |
| Kirundi | JH RUN |
| Kiswahili | JH SWA |
| Kitaita | JH TAI |
| Kitshwa | JK TSH |
| Kituba | JG KIT |
| Kongo | JG KON |
| Kreol | JH MFE |
| Kreol Seselwa | JH SES |
| Krio | JF KRI |
| Kriol | JF KEA |
| Krobo | JF DAN |
| Kwanyama | JK KWA |
| Lenje | JK LEN |
| Lingala | JG LIN |
| Lozi | JK LOZ |
| Luanda | JK MBUN |
| Luba-Kasai | JG LUB |
| Luganda | JH GAN |
| Luluyia | JH LUY |
| Lunda (Zambia) | JK LUN |
| Luo (Kenya) | JH LUO |
| Luo (Uganda) | JH ACH |
| Luvale | JK LUV |
| Luyia | JH LUY |
| Lwo (Uganda) | JH ACH |
| Maasai | JH MAA |
| Malagasy | JH MAL |
| Marka | JF SON |
| Masai | JH MAA |
| Maurisyen | JH MFE |
| Mauritius Creole French | JH MFE |
| Mbukushu | JK MBU |
| Mbundu | JK MBUN |
| Morisyen | JH MFE |
| Mwanga | JK MWA |
| Nama | JK NAM |
| Ndebele | JK NDE |
| Ndonga | JK NDO |
| Nord-Sotho | JK SEP |
| Nyanja | JK NYA |
| Nyamwanga | JK MWA |
| Nyoro-Tooro | JH NYO |
| Nzema | JF NZE |
| Ochindonga | JK NDO |
| Oromo | JH ORO |
| Otjiwambo | JK NDO |
| Ovambo | JK NDO |
| Owambo | JK NDO |
| Patois (Krio, Sierra Leone) | JF KRI |
| Peul | JF FUL |
| Portuguese Creole | JF POV |
| Réunion Creole French | JH RCF |
| Rundi | JH RUN |
| Runyoro-Rutooro | JH NYO |
| Rwanda | JH RWA |
| Sepedi | JK SEP |
| Seselwa Creole French | JH SES |
| Sesotho | JK SES |
| Setswana | JK TSW |
| Shitsonga | JK TSO |
| Shona | JK SHO |
| Silozi | JK LOZ |
| Siswati | JK SWA |
| Somali | JH SOM |
| Songhai | JF SON |
| Soninke | JF SNK |
| Southern Sotho | JK SES |
| Swahili | JH SWA |
| Swati | JK SWA |
| Taita | JH TAI |
| Tem | JF TEM |
| Tigrinya | JH TIG |
| Thimbukushu | JK MBU |
| Tiv | JF TIV |
| Tonga (Zambia) | JK TON |
| Tshiluba | JG LUB |
| Tshwa | JK TSH |
| Tsonga | JK TSO |
| Tswa | JK TSH |
| Tswana | JK TSW |
| Tumbuka | JK TUM |
| Twi | JF TWI |
| Umbundu | JK MBUN |
| Urundi | JH RUN |
| Venda | JK VEN |
| Vidunda | JH VID |
| Wolof | JF WOL |
| Xhosa | JK XHO |
| Yorùbá | JF YOR |
| Zambezi | JK TON |
| Zulu | JK ZUL |