Collins Memorial Library: Latina/o Studies: Primary Sources

Primary Sources in Latina/o Studies

What you will use as primary sources in Latina/o Studies will depend on the context of your assignment:

An assignment on some aspect of the Latina/o experience could use art or film as primary sources.
An assignment for a Latina/o literature class would use literary texts as primary sources.
A class on contemporary popular Latin American or Latina/Latino culture could use current magazines or newspapers.

Featured Resource

Social Explorer
A research tool designed to provide access to historical census data and demographic information. It creates maps and reports to help users visually analyze and understand demography and social change throughout history. Social Explorer includes the entire US Census (1790 to 2010) and the American Community Survey (2005 to 2015).

ARTstor

Visual materials, including images, are examples of primary sources. There are many image collections in ARTstor that are pertinent to Latina/o Studies, including the Languages and Literature featured group which "highlights Artstor content related to languages and literature, including images of renowned authors and depictions of literary themes and characters, as well as contextual images that enhance understanding of the time periods and cultures shaping literary production."

Learn more about ARTstor collections relevant to Languages and Literature and Latin American Studies.

Spanish-language Magazines

Collins Library subscribes to the print format of some popular Spanish-language magazines. Past issues are located downstairs in the periodical collection, organized alphabetically by title.

The magazine collection includes:

Proceso
Cuadernos Americanos

Latin American Literature Today
Based out of the University of Oklahoma, and associated with Word Literature Today, Latin American Literature Today is a journal that reflects new realities of Spanish-language literature through a quarterly online publication, circulating in the United States as well as the literary communities of Latin America and Spain. This journal is available in both Spanish and English.

Historical News

Hispanic American Newspapers 1808-1980
Based on the “Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project" at the University of Houston, this collection represents the single largest compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Los Angeles Times Historical Newspaper (1881-1996) This link opens in a new window
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue of the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
New York Times Historical Newspaper This link opens in a new window
Includes full page images of the New York Daily Times (1851-1857) and the New York Times (1857-2017).

La Opinion (Los Angeles) Digital
La Opinión is a Spanish-language daily newspaper and website based in Los Angeles, California. It is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States and the second-most read newspaper in Los Angeles.

Contemporary News

Ethnic NewsWatch
Focus is on ethnic area studies, and related arts, business, education, environment, history, journalism, political science and sociology news. Some Spanish language sources are available.
US Newsstream
Search the most recent U.S. news content, featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format. Offers exclusive access to the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and co-exclusive access (with Factiva) to The Wall Street Journal. US Newsstream also offers one of the largest collections of local and regional newspapers.
Access World News
Find global information on topics related to business and economics, the environment, global issues, health, international studies, literature, performing and fine arts, politics and government, science, social issues, technology and more from a variety of news media featuring newspapers, videos and web-only content.
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic)
Access to news, business, governmental and legal sources.
Los Angeles Times
One of the largest metropolitan newspapers in the U.S. The Times' is the largest news gathering operation in California. Each issue of every newspaper is indexed thoroughly, giving access to top news stories, and detailed information on the arts, sports, business, and popular culture. Even such items as editorials, editorial cartoons, obituaries, and letters to the editor from well-known people are indexed.
New York Times (nytimes.com)
Full and unlimited access to all of the content on The New York Times web site. Users must register and log in. Once you’ve registered for an account, which you must do from within the campus network (i.e. on-campus), you may “log in” to that account from anywhere, anytime.
New York Times (ProQuest)
Includes The New York Times; Late Edition (East Coast), New York Times Magazine, and New York Times Book Review.

Zona Latina -- USA
Links to the websites of Latino newspapers in the U.S. Typically does not include access to archives.

Films

Collins Library has a growing collection of documentaries and Spanish-language cinema on DVD and through streaming video platforms. You can also request DVDs from SUMMIT and other libraries via ILL.

Search by the film's title, by the author/creator, or do a keyword search on your topic in Primo to see which films are available.

Desierto by Jonás Cuarón
Call Number: PQ6703.U29 D475 2017 DVD Collection
ISBN: 9786316707505
Publication Date: 2015
Dolores by Peter Bratt
Call Number: HD6509.H84 D64 2017 DVD Collection
ISBN: 1531704409
Publication Date: 2017
Mi Vida Loca by Allison Anders
Call Number: PS3551.N366 M8 2004 DVD Collection
ISBN: 9780783128375
Publication Date: 2004
Walkout by Edward James Olmos
Call Number: PS3615.L66 .W3552 2006 DVD Collection
ISBN: 9780783142296
Publication Date: 2006
Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation by David Belton and Sonia Fritz
Call Number: E184.S75 L3856 2013 DVD Collection
ISBN: 9781608839735
Publication Date: 2013
Immigrant nation!: the battle for the dream by Esaú Meléndez
Call Number: JV6456 .I46 2010 DVD Collection
ISBN: 1574480766
Publication Date: 2010

Change the Subject
Change the Subject (2019) is a 54-minute documentary film about a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings.

Primary Sources: Subject Collections

The Afro-Latin@ Reader: history and culture in the United States by Miriam Jiménez Román (Abridged by); Juan Flores (Editor)
Call Number: E185.615 .A37 2010 Print Books
ISBN: 9780822345589
Publication Date: 2010
Presents a kaleidoscopic view of Black Latin@s in the United States. It addresses history, music, gender, class, and media representations in more than sixty selections, including scholarly essays, memoirs, newspaper and magazine articles, poetry, short stories, and interviews.
Color: Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest by Lorane West
Call Number: F855.2.S75 W47 2004 Print Books
ISBN: 9780874222746
Publication Date: 2004
Presents a tapestry of poignant conversations with people who have come from various Central and South American cultures and backgrounds, all with the common thread of speaking the Spanish language.
The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature by Ilan Stavans; Edna Acosta-Belén (Editor); Harold Augenbraum (Editor); Maria Herrera-Sobek (Editor); Rolando Hinojosa (Editor); Gustavo Peacute;rez-Firmat (Editor)
Call Number: PS508.H57 N65 2011 Print Books
Publication Date: 2011
A dazzling and definitive compendium of the Latino literary tradition. Includes the work of 201 Latino writers from Chicano, Cuban-, Puerto Rican-, and Dominican-American traditions, as well as writing from other Spanish-speaking countries.

Selected Digital Collections and Primary Sources Online

LANIC: Hispanic and Latino Web Resources
A major directory of topics related to U.S. Hispanics, Chicano, and Latin American Studies. LANIC is part of the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) and the Benson Latin American Collection, in partnership with the University of Texas Libraries. Resource guides are accessible by topic or region.
Library of Congress Hispanic Reading Room
Materials related to the Caribbean, Latin America, Iberia, and Latinos in the U.S. Find out about the collections held within the Library of Congress, view guides for a variety of exhibitions, and explore online collections.
Pew Hispanic Trends Project
Launched in 2001 by the Pew Research Center to improve public understanding of the Hispanic Population in the US, based on public opinion polling and demographic studies on a wide range of topics. Downloadable data sets, statistical portraits, election fact sheets, interactive maps, and reports.
Latino Cultures in the U.S.
The Google Cultural Institute collaborated with more than 35 museums and institutions to develop this platform that brings more than 2,500 Latino cultural artifacts online. The site includes immersive storytelling, 360-degree virtual tours,high-resolution imagery, and visual field trips.
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino
Part of the network of Smithsonian museums, the planned Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino focuses on Latino culture, achievements and contributions. Includes a directory of Latino Museums and cultural collections, in addition to the Latino Virtual Gallery.
Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP)
Hosted by Vanderbilt University and including the AmericasBarometer, surveys of public opinion mostly focusing on democratic values and behaviors. View survey data and designs, studies by country and by year, and a bibliography of studies, articles, and books using LAPOP data.