We are deeply saddened by the death of our respected colleague, Roberto "Cintli" Rodriguez, Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mexican American Studies.

University Libraries received a $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish a four-year initiative and faculty fellowship program to support undergraduate student research on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, which aligns with the university's Hispanic-Serving Institution initiatives. 

In August, the University of Arizona School of Geography, Development, and Environment hosted an event for the Mapping Racist Covenants (MRC) project which follows the history of institutional housing restrictions in Tucson and the effect on communities of color and marginalized groups.

The Reclaiming the Border Narrative project website is now live and highlights projects that illuminate dignity, joy, resilience, resistance, beauty, sorrow, humor, love, and everything in between and, in the process, expose and transcend colonial narratives and externally imposed perspectives of the U.S.-Mexico border. 

We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) from September 15 to October 15 to recognize the priceless achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans to U.S. culture, history and society. 

University Libraries staff chose these books, resources and pictures to showcase in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Special Collections: Borderlands archives

In early August, Special Collections hosted 55 Udall Foundation Scholars from 46 colleges across the U.S. as part of their orientation. Students were selected by a 20-person review committee out of 384 candidates nominated by 172 colleges and universities.

Juneteenth and the Emancipation Proclamation are important markers in the history of civil rights and racial justice.

June 19 (Juneteenth) is a federally recognized holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Juneteenth has been celebrated in the United States, and in Canada, Jamaica, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and other countries around the world.

2023 celebration

Special Collections will be closed during the summer for two federal holidays and a department retreat.

Monday, June 19th, 2023: Juneteeth Holiday

Tuesday, July 4th, 2023: Independence Day

Thursday, August 24th and Friday, August 25th, 2023: Department retreat/training

Have a safe and relaxing summer!

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising (also called the Stonewall Riots) which galvanized the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City (NYC) police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, New York. This sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement.

We are so proud of our student employees as their years of hard work, dedication and perseverance pay off. We wish them and all graduating Wildcats the best in every endeavor and hope they think fondly of the University Libraries when they think of the University of Arizona.

2023 Spring/Summer graduates