The library collections for Hispanic Studies include an estimated 19,080 titles, of which some 90 are currently-received serials, all housed in the Rockefeller Library. These titles include mainly material supporting the study of language and literature. However, these titles are supplemented by another 13,000 titles in Spanish and Latin American history, which also support Hispanic Studies. Because the interests of Hispanic Studies are broader, it benefits also from materials purchased for Political Science, Linguistics, Modern Culture & Media, History of Art & Architecture, Women's Studies, Comparative Literature, and other fields distributed over a range of classifications.
The table below show the expenditures for the past three years:
| Library Support | 1992/93 | 1993/94 | 1994/95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line Item Allocation | $4,015 | $4,532 | $5,294 |
| Approval Support | 1,313 | 1,500 | 1,700 |
| Serial Support | 4,848 | 5,414 | 5,399 |
| Total Support | $10,176 | $11,446 | $12,393 |
According to the Collection Development Policy Statement (attached) prepared for Hispanic Studies in 1983, the desired coverage in many aspects of the discipline is RESEARCH. A RESEARCH level collection is one which includes the major source materials required for dissertation and independent research, including primary sources and specialized journals. It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as the major indexing/abstracting services. In other parts of the field, the Library seeks to maintain a STUDY level collection. A STUDY level collection is one which supports undergraduate and graduate course work, but which may not hold the specialized primary sources and journals necessary for graduate or faculty research. The Library has endeavored to maintain its Hispanic Studies collections at RESEARCH or STUDY levels, as indicated in the policy statement. This statement, however, needs revision to bring it up to date with current interests of the Department.
The research interests of the Hispanic Studies faculty are quite diverse, ranging from medieval Spanish women writers, to the Golden Age of Spanish literature and theater, to contemporary Latin American poetry. The Library's collection reflects this breadth of subjects. The real strength of the collection, however, lies in the 18th and 19th centuries. While the Library does contain scattered pockets providing strong coverage of, for instance, works by and critical texts about major literary figures, there is a need to develop a greater consistency of coverage, and to provide a smoother collection in which fewer gaps exist between major authors or literary periods. At present, there is a pressing need to build a stronger collection in Spanish medieval literature and in the literature of post-1960 Spain.While the representation of standard texts is generally strong, there are still titles we own in English only. While several regularly taught courses examine literature in translation, titles in the original language would add to the strength of the collection
Lastly, two other areas in which improvements could be made. First, to supplement the journals and periodicals currently received to better reflect the broad interests of the Hispanic Studies faculty. There have been several requests to add to the number of international journals the Library receives. In addition, there have been requests to augment our newspaper coverage to include Peru and Venezuela. The Library also lacks newspaper backfiles which have not been purchased due to their high price. While the Library's membership in the Latin American North Eastern Consortium and in the Center of Research Libraries helps resolve this problem by providing reliable sources for interlibrary loan, a goal for the future could be to selectively purchase backfiles. The second area that could be developed is the acquisition of more secondary critical texts. In many cases, the Library owns the primary work, yet lacks sufficient secondary material for students to critically contextualize and analyze the text.
Overall, while the Hispanic Studies collection generally meets the needs of students and faculty, additional funds coupled with the selective purchase of materials, would transform the collection into a consistently strong one.
Jenny Fierro Wallace and William S. Monroe
Department of Hispanic Studies
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