Posted by Unknown User on September 28th, 2021
Here at the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library circulation desk, we serve as a home base to the James E. Rogers College of Law students and public patrons. As some of the first faces you see when you walk in, we are the first to answer any questions you may have on course textbooks, locating resources, or most importantly Lost & Found. However, rarely do we get questions about our additional resources and collections here in the library. As an LIS professional and advocate of continual learning, I’m often eager to encourage students to take a moment to explore all that our Libraries has to offer. That is why in recognition and celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, we at the circulation desk are going to take a moment explore the rich history of why we celebrate as well as highlight some of the exciting stories and collections we have available on campus.
National Hispanic Heritage Month, which originally began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 under President Johnson, was expanded by President Reagan in 1988 to a 30-day period beginning September 15 and concluding on October 15. Often, I wondered why Hispanic Heritage Month began in the middle of one month and ended in another. What I learned is that the dates of Hispanic Heritage Month are intentional as September 15 happens to be the anniversary of independence for several Latin American Countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua). Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on September 16th and 18th and Dia de La Raza falls on October 12th. Hispanic Heritage Month is not only an opportunity to celebrate the independency of several countries, we also use this time to recognize and appreciate achievements and contributions made by Hispanic Americans. Below are some of the collections the University of Arizona Libraries have chosen to highlight in recognition of our Hispanic alumni.
History Through Yearbooks
The University of Arizona’s first yearbook was published in 1903 under the title the Burro and was dedicated to “the students and faculty of University of Arizona and to all those who have lived and loved a college life.” The University of Arizona Yearbooks Digital Collection offers an opportunity to see previously published yearbooks that have been scanned from original copies. In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, you can use the digital collection to learn about the first Hispanic sorority (Kappa Delta Chi) on campus in 1995 or read about how the university’s cultural student groups worked to raise awareness around Chicano affairs in 1996.
Raul Castro Papers
It wouldn’t be a Law Library blog post if we didn’t highlight one of our own graduates! Raul Castro was born in Mexico and raised in Douglas, Arizona. After graduating from University of Arizona Law he began his law career and was eventually appointed by Lyndon B Johnson as the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador and Bolivia. Castro served as the 14th governor of Arizona and ambassador to Argentina before he resigned and resumed his law practice which focused on international and immigration law.
Paper documenting his successful career are available in our Main Library’s Special Collections here. The collection contains correspondence, news clippings, subject files, governor files, law practice files, photographic material, audiovisual material, objects, and scrapbooks.
Borderlands
The University of Arizona’s Special Collections happens to have one of the nation’s finest collections of archival materials as well as printed texts on the Borderlands of the Southwest and Northwest of Mexico, from Baja, California to Tamaulipas, Mexico. Be sure to explore the Historic Mexican & Mexican American Press which features publications published in Tucson, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonora, Mexico from the mid-1800s to the 1970s.
There are several other Hispanic contributions and achievements to note throughout our history and one of the university’s strategic initiatives is to create an interdisciplinary curriculum of border studies. If you are interested in learning more about National Hispanic Heritage Month and the work the University is doing, please go here. I encourage you to take the time to continue to learn about our country’s rich and cultural history. With all the exciting things we have to offer at the University’s Libraries, the opportunities and stories are endless and simply trying to understand others, not like yourself, can go a long way in your studies, careers, and lives. Here at the circulation desk, we work to highlight and bridge the collections and services we offer throughout our libraries. Be sure to come by with any questions on all the exciting work we are doing. I look forward to hearing about all the things you learn and discover here on campus, so be sure to stop by and say hi.
Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!
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As always, if you have any research related questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We are happy to help here at the law library.
You have 24/7 access to the library via your CatCard. Librarians and Fellows are available for reference questions Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. The Circulation desk is staffed from Monday-Thursday 8am-9pm, Friday 8am-5pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm. We also have Law Library Team! every Wednesday at 1pm. More information here.
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