Latin American Studies

The Washington, D.C. area is home to many rich scholarly resources in Latin American Studies. The following are some of the major libraries and organizations in the D.C. area that have large collections of materials in Latin American Studies.

• The Library of Congress houses the largest collection of Latin American research materials in the United States. The Hispanic Reading Room serves as the Latin Americanist's primary starting point for research in the Library and the Manuscript Reading Room an important division within the Library of Congress for researching primary source materials. The Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress edits the Handbook of Latin American Studies. 

• The Organization of American States houses the Columbus Memorial Library, which includes a collection of over 300,000 Latin American related volumes, over 4,500 serial titles (both current and retrospective) and approximately 150,000 government (primarily OAS) documents. All subject areas are well represented.

• The Inter-American Development Bank which was established in 1959, was created to assist in the economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB's Felipe Herrera Library houses one of the Washington area's three strongest Latin American collections. Its strengths lie in the social sciences, economics, and culture. It includes over 1,200 periodicals and receives numerous Latin American newspapers.

• The Library Network serves the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, also known as the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The collection is strong in the following areas: economics, trade, public policy, international and governmental finance, government statistics, and development issues. For access to early periodicals in the collection see: Economics and Finance: Index to Periodical Articles, 1947-1971 (McKeldin Folio Z7164.E2W34). 

• The National Agricultural Library houses a large research collection in 19th and 20th century Latin America. In addition to the agricultural sciences it includes collections strong in Latin American agricultural economics, rural production (farm, ranch, and forest), rural economic development, land usage, land colonization, rural education, agricultural law, commerce, and trade. Search the Agricola database for materials held in the NAL collection.

• The Oliveira Lima Library located on the ground floor of Mullen library at the Catholic University of America is considered one of the best collections of Luso-Brazilian materials in the United States. It is very strong in Brazilian and Portuguese history, literature and culture.

• The National Archives is the official repository for records of the United States government. Much of the materials in this collection includes documents relating to foreign nations and their dealings with the United States. To begin researching materials on Latin America consult Guide to Materials on Latin America in the National Archives of the United States. For a guide to the full collection consult Guide to the National Archives of the United States.  Search the Online Catalog for materials held in the National Archvies.

• "The Smithsonian Institution network of 21 specialized research libraries that make up the Smithsonian Libraries provide the Institution’s museums and research centers with resources and services that are as diverse and deep as the collections, exhibits, and scholarship they support. They truly span the range of scientific and cultural pursuits of humanity from aerospace, anthropology, and art history to business history and botany, cultural history, design, philately, zoology, and much, much more."  These collections can be searched through various catalogs in SIRIS the Smithsonian Institution Research Information Systems.

• Grow, Michael. Scholar's Guide to Washington, D.C. for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1992. LOCATION: McKeldin Stacks  CALL NUMBER: F1408.G57 1992.  Use this guide to identify other important resources on Latin America and the Caribbean located in Washington, D.C. Included are descriptions of hundreds of collections located in libraries, archives, university research centers, federal agencies and international organizations.