Curating a History of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at UT
The honorable Delta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. was the first Black Greek-letter organization to be established at The University of Texas at Austin. Sworn in on May 16, 1959, at high noon in the Queen Anne Room, this particular group of women is dripping in legacy, poignant…
"The Benson at 100" Podcast Celebrates Library's Centennial
In honor of the centennial of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, the library’s head of collection development, Daniel Arbino, has teamed up with Pilar Zazueta, historian and senior lecturer at the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS), to create…
Centennial Online Exhibit Celebrates Diversity of Thought in the Americas
A new online exhibition, A Hemisphere of Knowledge: A Benson Centennial Exhibit, explores the implications of Martí’s words across time and cultures, using a wealth of resources available at the Benson Latin American Collection.
Read more about the exhibit at Tex Libris.
In Memoriam: David Block
LLILAS Benson mourns the passing of friend, scholar, and former colleague David Block III, on June 15, 2021. Block was head of the Benson Latin American Collection from 2009 until his retirement in 2014.
Read the complete memorial at: https://texlibris.lib.utexas.edu/2021/06/in-…
Libraries Collaborates for Open Access to Archive of Prominent Urdu Writer and Activist
The comprehensive works of influential Urdu writer, social critic and political activist Sajjad Zaheer are now broadly accessible for scholarship and study thanks to a partnership between The University of Texas at Austin and Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD), with endorsement from the…
Benson Celebrates Centennial with Two New Online Exhibitions
Two new online exhibits expand on this year's celebration of the centennial of the Benson Latin American Collection.
A new online exhibition, A New Spain, 1521–1821, is curated by LLILAS Benson Digital Scholarship Coordinator Albert A. Palacios. The exhibition traces the cultural,…
Diversity Action Committee Releases Statement on Anti-Asian Violence
The Libraries' Diversity Action Committee (DAC) has released a statement condemning anti-Asian violence.
Read the full statement and consider resources provided by Libraries' staff at DAC's blog.
Libraries Joins Transformative Agreement with Cambridge University Press
AUSTIN, Texas—The University of Texas has expanded a partnership with Cambridge University Press that will result in global open access to research published by authors and researchers across the UT System.
The three-year extension of the contract – referred to as a “Read &…
¡A Viva Voz! Returns with Teatro Vivo
LLILAS Benson is thrilled to announce the return of the ¡A Viva Voz! Celebration of Latina/o Arts and Culture. The annual event, usually one of the highlights of the spring semester, was canceled in 2020 due to the recent campus closure for Covid-19.
Now that we’ve got an advanced…
Libraries Eliminate Daily Fines for Most Items
The University of Texas Libraries will no longer impose daily overdue fines, a policy that has been shown to have an inequitable impact across the community of library users.
Libraries have traditionally used fines as a revenue-generating measure and a method to encourage timely…
Confessions of an Archives Convert: Reflecting on the Genaro García Collection
Voluminous lists of banned or redacted books, laced with sanctimonious commentary—or, early modern Spanish “cancel culture.” The illustrated family tree of a womanizing, bald curate named Miguel Hidalgo. Op-eds fawning over every viperous protagonist of the Revolution.
Researchers will…
New Biography Sheds Light on Author María Luisa Puga
“How does one become a writer, and how does she go about building a body of creative work?”* These are questions that author Irma López seeks to answer in her latest publication, a biography of the late Mexican writer María Luisa Puga (1944–2004) titled Extraño no-amor el tuyo: María Luisa…
Interactive Exhibit Examines Spanish Colonial Bureacracy
For almost three hundred years, the Spanish monarchs ruled over an expansive empire stretching from the Caribbean to the southernmost tip of South America. World history narratives situate Spain within a centuries-long clash between major powers over territory, resources, and authority in the…
NEH, UK Grants Fund AI Transcription Project
Game-changing innovations that use artificial intelligence (AI) tools will improve access to Indigenous and Spanish colonial archives. “Unlocking the Colonial Archive: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Indigenous and Spanish American Historical Collections” is a collaborative project led by…
Provost Launches Sustainable Open Scholarship Working Group
In response to recommendations from the Task Force on the Future of UT Libraries commissioned by the Provost’s Office in 2018, the Provost has launched a working group on Sustainable Open Scholarship to address impacts on the effectiveness of open scholarship at UT.
Visit…