Description
The collection is maintained by the Latin American Library Services Unit.
The Latin American collection supports teaching and research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and those programs sponsored and coordinated by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Collecting responsibilities require the acquisition of publications appearing anywhere in any language, although they have focused on materials from Latin America, the United States, and Western Europe. The collection, approximately 400,000 volumes in size, ranks among the six largest in the country and is believed to be the largest collection in the region between both coasts and north of Texas. Because an active acquisition program has been maintained since the 1930’s, it holds rare materials not available to collections formed after that time. Materials are primarily located in Bookstacks, although some journals, manuscripts collections, newspapers, and monographs are located in the Newspaper Library, the University Archives, and various departmental libraries.
Version Date: April, 2005
Statements
I. Collection Description
Purpose:
To support teaching and research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and those programs sponsored and coordinated by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. In supporting relevant language and research and, to a lesser extent, needs of other campuses in the state which have become dependent on the Library, the collection has traditionally focused on the social sciences and humanities. Collecting responsibilities require the acquisition of publications appearing anywhere in any language, although they have focused on materials from Latin America, the United States, and Western Europe.
History of Collection:
The first history courses on Latin America were offered in 1909 by William Spence Robertson. Spanish American literature was taught by John Van Horne from 1928, and in 1948 a formal instructional program in Caribbean Studies was begun. In 1965, the present Center for Latin America and Caribbean studies was formed and a separate library acquisition budget of $11,000 was established by the Library. Since that time, the Center has consistently received federal support, and it now serves as a National Resource Center for Latin American Studies.
The collection has a tradition of acquisition dating back to the early 1900’s, when faculty in the departments of Spanish and History were especially active. The collecting carried out by the eminent historian William Spence Robertson, from 1909 to 1941 was greatly supplemented by the acquisiton, in 1953, of his private collection. In subsequent years, heavy collecting in the humanities and social sciences has assured that the Library has maintained coverage of the entire area. Following the appointment of specialized library staff in 1965, including a Latin American Librarian with a joint appointment as the Associate Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Center has supported frequent acquisitons trips to the area and provided funds for staff and acquistions. This joint Library and Center effort has lead to the development of one of the six largest collections in the country.
In 1983, the Library Administration established the Latin American Library as part of the Library’s reorganization plan. The Latin American Library Services Unit was created to develop and manage the collection in the Latin American areas, the Caribbean, and Hispanic America.
Estimate of Holdings:
399,811 volumes.
State, Regional and National Importance:
The collection ranks among the six largest in the country and is believed to be the largest collection in the region between both coasts and north of Texas. Because an active acquisition program has been maintained since the 1930’s, it holds rare materials not available to collections formed after that time. Through special programs supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Defense Education Act, it continues to serve needs of visiting fellows participating in special NEH and NDEA sponsored seminars and individual research projects. With a strong contingent of scholars in Illinois organized into an annual state conference on Latin America and the Caribbean, this collection meets special statewide demands.
Unit Responsible for Collecting:
Latin American Library Services Unit.
Location of Materials:
Materials are primarily located in Bookstacks, although some journals, manuscripts collections, newspapers, and monographs are located in the Newspaper Library, the University Archives, and various departmental libraries.
Citations of Works Describing the Collection:
Alguero, Manuel. “Brazilian Serial Publication in the University of Illinois Library.” (Unpub.)
Deal, Carl W. “Latin Americana.” NonSolus 6 (1979): 32-38.
Fau, Margaret Eustella. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: An Annotated Bibliography, 1947-1979. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1980.
Fau, Margaret Eustella and Nelly S. Gonzalez. Bibliographic Guide to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 1979-1985. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986. (Bibliographies and Indexes in World Literature, 7) 189 p.
Gonzalez, Nelly S. “Acquisition of Official Publications from Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico: Three Case Studies” in Library Resources on Latin America New Perspectives for the 1980’s: Final Report and Working Papers of the Twenty-fifth Seminar on the Acquistition of Latin American Library Materials. Madison, WI: SALALM Secretariat, 1981. 203-222.
_____. Bibliographic Guide to Garbriel Garcia Marquez 1986-1992. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1994. (Bibliograhies and Indexes in World Literature, 42) 430 p.
_____. Bibliography of Latin America, Hispanic-American and Caribbean videos: a guide to current sources in the University of Illinois Undergraduate Media Center as of June 30, 2000. [Urbana]: Latin American Library Services Unit, 2000. 119p.
_____. “Brazilian Official Serial Publications: An Acquisition Strategy.” The Serials Librarian 5:3 (Spring 1981): 45-55.
_____. Periodicals from and about Latin America and the Caribbean held by the University of Illinois. Urbana, Ill: Latin American Library Services Unit. 1991. 42 p.
Leal, Luis. “Para la Bibliografia de Jalisco” in Boletin Bibliografico de la Secretaria de Hacienda y Credito Publico. 14-17 (15 de abril, 1969), 10-11 (1 de mayo 1969), 16-17 (1 de junio, 1969), 15-16 (15 de julio, 1969).
Major, pp. 31, 44-45.
Mundo Lo, Sara de. Colombian Serial Titles in the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign. Austin: Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials, 1978.
_____. Spanish Speaking Minorities. Urbana, 1974. 74p.
_____. Catalogue of the 19th Century Mexican Pamphlets Collection at the University of Ilinois Library. Urbana: Albatross, 1991. 232 p.
Porgueras-Mayo, Alberto. “La Coleccion Palafox: Fondos raros en la Universidad de Illinois,” in XVII Congreso del Instituto Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana. Madrid: Ediciones Cultura Hispanica, 1978.
_____. “Impresos raros de los siglos XVII-XIX de Juan Palafox y Mendoza (1600-1659), Obispo de Puebla, en la Biblioteca de la Universidad de Illinois.” Anuario de Letras 12 (1974): 241-254.
In addition to the above works which focus largely on collections held in this library, collections at Illinois are cited with those from other libraries in the following national resource guides:
Jackson, William V. Library Guide for Brazilian Studies. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Book Centers, 1964.
Jiménez Codinach, Guadaupe. The Hispanic World 1492-1898: A Guide to Photo Reproduced Manuscripts from Spain in the Collections of the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Washington: Library of Congress, 1994. 311-326.
Mesa, Rosa. Latin American Serial Documents. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1968. 12 Vols.
Williams, Lee H. The Allende Years: A Union List of Chilean Imprints, 1970-1973. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1977.
II. General Collection Guidelines
Languages:
Standard statement. In addition, materials in indigenous languages of Latin America, especially Quechua, are collected.
Chronological Guidelines:
No restrictions.
Geographical Guidelines:
The collection is responsible for acquiring materials about the entire Latin American and Caribbean Hemisphere south of the United States. Latin American and Hispanic communities in the United States are also a primary responsibility. Although no nation among forty countries of the area is excluded, the collections geographic focus traditionally has been on Brazil (a Farmington Plan responsibility), the Andean countries (especially Ecuador and Peru), Mexico and Mesoamerica, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, and most recently, Central America.
Treatment of Subject:
Standard statement. Comprehensive collection coverage of Latin America and the Carribean area is the goal. Emphasis within the geographic guidelines is on the humanities and social sciences, although not to the total exclusion of other fields like agriculture, natural history, and the history of science.
Types of Materials:
Standard statement.
Date of Publication:
No restrictions. The bulk of material is published in Latin America and Caribbean countries, the United States, Great Britain, and Western Europe.
Place of Publication:
No restrictions. The bulk of material is published in Latin American and Caribbean countries, the United States, Great Britain, and Western Europe.
III. Collection Responsibility by Subject Subdivisions with Qualifications, Levels of Collecting Intensity, and Assignments
Below is a table that lists specific subject subdivisions within the collection. Each row in the table lists a specific subject subdivision, followed by three columns noting: Collection Strength, Primary Assignments and Secondary Assignments. The Existing Collecting Strength column notes how well the existing collection covers that topic on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being very strong. The Primary Assignments column lists departmental libraries that have the greatest collection intensity of subject materials, respectively. In the case of 2 or more libraries listed, the collection intensity is comparable. The Secondary Assignments column list departmental libraries where additional materials may be found.
| Latin American Collection | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| SUBJECT SUBDIVISIONS | EXISTING STRENGTH | PRIMARY ASSIGNMENTS | SECONDARY ASSIGNMENTS |
| LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES: | |||
| Latin America – agricultural economics | 2 | Agriculture | |
| Latin America – anthropology | 4 | Anthropology | |
| Latin America – art | 2 | Art | Latin American |
| Latin America – economics | 3 | Latin American | |
| Latin America – education | 3 | Education | Latin American |
| Latin America – geography | 3 | Latin American | |
| Latin America – history | 4 | History | Latin American |
| Latin America – labor relations | 2 | Latin American | |
| Latin America – philosophy | 2 | Philosophy | Latin American |
| Latin America – political science | 3 | Latin American | |
| Latin America – religion | 3 | Religion | Latin American |
| Latin America – sociology | 3 | Latin American | |
| Latin America – urban planning | 2 | Latin American | |
| LATIN AMERICAN LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS: | |||
| Portuguese | 3 | Portuguese | Latin American |
| Spanish | 4 | Spanish | Latin American |
| Quechua | 3 | Latin American | Linguistics |
| LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE: | |||
| Portuguese (Brazil) | 4 | Latin American | Portuguese |
| Spanish | 4 | Latin American | Spanish |
| French | 3 | Latin American | French |
| English-speaking Caribbean | 3 | Latin American | Afro-American |
| Dutch-speaking Caribbean | 2 | Latin American | German |
| Hispanic communities in the U.S. | 3 | Latin American | Spanish |
Version Date: November 2005