Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
Staff in the Hispanic Reading Room help researchers find materials on and from the Caribbean, Latin America, Spain and Portugal; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and persons with Portuguese or Spanish heritage in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas—including U.S. Latinos. We provide materials held in the General Collections for anyone with a Reader Identification Card and we assist in finding resources in other divisions of the Library.
El personal de la Sala Hispánica de Lectura asiste a investigadores para localizar materiales en y sobre el Caribe, América Latina, España y Portugal; las culturas indígenas de esas areas, y personas con herencia portuguesa o española en África, Asia, Oceanía y las Américas - incluyendo las poblaciones latinas en los Estados Unidos de América. Brindamos acceso a materiales custodiados en nuestras Colecciones Generales para cualquier persona con un Carnet de Registro de Lector, y a su vez, le asistimos en la búsqueda de recursos en otras divisiones de la Biblioteca.
The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) is a selective bibliography annotated by professors of anthropology (archeology and ethnology), art, geography, government and politics, history, international relations, literature, music, philosophy, political economy, and sociology; and edited by librarians in the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress. It simplifies scholarly research on Latin America by identifying scholarly books, journal articles, conference proceedings and papers, book chapters, maps and atlases, and electronic resources (blogs, websites, online videos, etc.).
El Manual de Estudios Latinoamericanos (HLAS - siglas en ingles) es una compilación de bibliografías anotadas selectas escritas por profesores de antropología (arqueología y etnología), arte, geografía, política y gobierno, historia, relaciones internacionales, literatura, música, filosofía, economía política y sociología; y es una publicación editada por bibliotecarios de la Sala de Lectura Hispánica de la Biblioteca del Congreso. Simplifica la investigación académica sobre América Latina al identificar libros, artículos de revistas académicas, actas de conferencias y ensayos, capítulos de libros, mapas, atlases, y recursos electrónicos (blogs, portales web, videos en línea, etc).
The PALABRA Archive is a collection of audio recordings from Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx poets and prose writers reading from their works. It includes major 20th century writers like: Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Miguel Angel Asturias, Gabriel García Márquez, Octavio Paz, Zee Edgell, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Elena Poniatowska, Jorge Amado, and Nélida Piñón; as well as contemporary writers like José Luiz Passos, Carmen Boullosa, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Laurie Ann Guerrero, and Julia Alvarez.
El Archivo de la PALABRA es una colección de grabaciones de audio de poetas y autores de españoles, portugueses, latinoamericanos, caribeños y latinxs en los EEUU, leyendo sus escritos. Incluye autores reconocidos del siglo 20, tales cómo: Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Gabriel García Márquez, Octavio Paz, Zee Edgell, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Elena Poniatowska, Jorge Amado y Nélida Piñón; así como autores contemporáneos como José Luiz Passos, Carmen Boullosa, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Laurie Ann Guerrero y Julia Alvarez.
Located in the first alcove of the Hispanic Reading Room, the Latinx Alcove is a space and reference collection dedicated to Latino studies, a field of study which centers the histories, cultures, creative expressions, and experiences of Latino and Latin American peoples and their communities in the United States. The alcove offers a selection of books, magazines, periodicals, posters, fine prints, and reference materials that tell the stories of Latinidad, or the various attributes shared by individuals of Latin American or Hispanic heritage.
The reference collection is particularly strong in the E subject class on American History and contributions by Hispanic Americans (E184.S7-.S75). Additional specialization includes contemporary Latino literature, poetry, and creative nonfiction, and reference works such as biographies, directories, encyclopedias, and handbooks. The Alcove also contains the most recent issues of major research and scholarly journals such as Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Journal of Latina/o Psychology, Latino Studies, Latinx Talk, and Nuestras Raíces Quarterly, to name a few. Books and bound periodicals are shelved and organized in A-Z call number order, follow this link to view the full list of resources housed in the Latinx Alcove.
Also found in the alcove are selections of visual and interactive pieces that point to collections across the Library’s Reading Rooms in various formats, including electronic resources such as e-books and digitized content. In addition to its bibliographic holdings, the Library’s Latino collections include artist’s books, manuscripts, ethnographic projects, and prints and photographs.
Learn more about the Library’s Latino collections and resources by exploring the Hispanic American Studies Research Guides.
Localizado en la primera alcoba de la Sala Hispánica de Lectura, el Latinx Alcove es un espacio dedicado a los Estudios Latinos, una disciplina de estudio sobre las historias, culturas, expresiones creativas y experiencias vividas de los Latinos, o sea, personas de descendencia Latinoamericana y sus comunidades en los Estados Unidos de América. El espacio incluye una colección de referencia que contiene libros, revistas, publicaciones seriadas, afiches, impresos, y artículos que narran las historias de la Latinidad, o de los varios atributos compartidos por las personas de ascendencia Latinoamericana o Hispana.
La colección latina de referencia tiene su fortaleza en la clasificación temática de la letra E – Historia de los Estados Unidos, y a su vez, las contribuciones de los Hispanoamericanos (E.184S7-.S75). Ésta también cuenta con áreas de literatura latina contemporánea, poesía, no ficción creativa – crónicas, ensayos, junto a obras de referencia, como directorios, enciclopedias, y manuales. La alcoba Latinx también cuenta con las ediciones más recientes de revistas académicas de la disciplina, entre ellas Aztán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Journal of Latina/o Psychology, Latino Studies, Latinx Talk, y Nuestras Raíces Quarterly, entre otras. Libros y publicaciones seriadas están anaqueladas y organizadas por el sistema de clasificación A-Z, disponible en el siguiente enlace.
Se pueden encontrar, así mismo, selecciones de piezas visuales e interactivas que conectan a nuestros visitantes con las colecciones disponibles en las varias Salas de Lecturas en distintos formatos, incluyendo recursos electrónicos, como libros electrónicos (e-books) y contenido digitalizado. Adicionalmente a los recursos bibliográficos, las colecciones latinas de la Biblioteca del Congreso incluyen libros de artistas, manuscritos, proyectos etnográficos y fotografías.
La Biblioteca is series of podcasts from the Hispanic Reading Room exploring of the collections of the Library of Congress that focus on the cultures of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Hispanic community in the United States. Listen to a sample podcast below.
La Biblioteca es un podcast creado por la Sala Hispánica de Lectura en el que se exploran las colecciones de la Biblioteca del Congreso, enfatizando as culturas de España, Portugal, América Latina, El Caribe, y la comunidad Hispana en los Estados Unidos. Puede escuchar una muestra de un episodio en el siguiente enlace.
The Hispanic Reading Room sponsors a wide range of public programs, research orientations, and literary events throughout the year.
La Sala Hispánica de Lectura auspicia una variedad de actividades, orientaciones para investigación, y eventos literarios durante el año.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1 includes:
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection draws its content from the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project, the largest national project ever to locate, preserve and disseminate Hispanic culture of the United States in its written form since colonial times until 1960. The project functions under the direction of Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, founder and director of Arte Público Press, the oldest and largest publisher of U.S. Hispanic literature, and geographically covers all fifty states of the Union.
Plataforma Democrtica provides a free access virtual library with thousands of texts on issues related to democracy in Latin America and a data-base on research institutions. Plataforma Democrtica develops research in key areas for the consolidation of democracy in the region, producing reports, which are discussed with Latin-American public intellectuals and transformed into widely, circulated texts. Together with the twenty-associated research centers, located in eleven countries, conducts forums to promote dialogue between producers of knowledge and different social and political actors.
Since 1936, HLAS has made scholarly research on Latin America more easily accessible by working with researchers to identify and describe books, journal articles, conference proceedings and papers, book chapters, maps and atlases, and electronic resources
This guide provides access to the PALABRA Archive, a collection of audio recordings of poets and writers from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, and from other regions with Luso-Hispanic heritage reading from their works.
This research guide answers a recent call to action in Haitian studies to engage historical sources in centering Haitian cultural and historical contributions to Black liberation movements in the United States and Latin America.
This guide provides access to an array of resources on language and identity in Puerto Rico, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books, periodicals, and online databases.
Una guía para facilitar el acceso al Archivo de la Palabra de la Biblioteca de Congreso.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching LatinX Studies, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and research strategies.
This research guide provides access to historic photographic and film documentation, as well as related print and electronic resources, illustrating the 20th century efforts to transform Puerto Rico from a plantation to an industrial economy.
This guide explores the work of artists, curators, and collectives on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, focusing on artistic interventions that activate the border itself and make and/or unmake anew what we traditionally consider a “piece” of art.
Borders can be mapped as palimpsests both geographically and linguistically, or as areas that shift ecologically and ideologically. In this guide, explore the histories, belief systems, and landscapes that characterize the U.S.- Mexico border.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Argentina, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Bolivia, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for the study of Brazil, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching British Virgin Islands, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for the study of Chile, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Colombia, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Costa Rica, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Cuba, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching the Dominican Republic, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Ecuador, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching El Salvador, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching French Guiana, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Grenada, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Guatemala, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Guyana, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Haiti, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Honduras, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Jamaica, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Mexico, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Nicaragua, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Panama, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Paraguay, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Perú, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for the study of Portugal, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Puerto Rico, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for the study of Spain, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Suriname, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Uruguay, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Venezuela, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.
This Hispanic Reading Room research guide focuses on 20th and 21st century American court cases, legislation, and events that had important impacts on civil rights in Chicana/o/x, Hispanic, Latina/o/x, Mexican-American and Puerto Rican communities
This guide explores the work of artists, curators, and collectives on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, focusing on artistic interventions that activate the border itself and make and/or unmake anew what we traditionally consider a “piece” of art.
This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching LatinX Studies, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and research strategies.
This research guide provides access to historic photographic and film documentation, as well as related print and electronic resources, illustrating the 20th century efforts to transform Puerto Rico from a plantation to an industrial economy.
Borders can be mapped as palimpsests both geographically and linguistically, or as areas that shift ecologically and ideologically. In this guide, explore the histories, belief systems, and landscapes that characterize the U.S.- Mexico border.
This guide provides access to the PALABRA Archive, a collection of audio recordings of poets and writers from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, and from other regions with Luso-Hispanic heritage reading from their works.
This guide provides access to an array of resources on language and identity in Puerto Rico, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books, periodicals, and online databases.
