Contents: 1. Why do it | 2. Making the Case | 3. How you did it | 4. Share the docs | 5. Understanding use | 6. Who supports use | 7. Things people should know | 8. Whats next | Tech

About the Collection

In order to provide information about this collection, we follow Collections as Data facets.

1. Why do it

The extensive and diverse literary production of women of Latino and Hispanic origin in the United States remains relatively unknown or overlooked by the general reading public. “US Latina Writers” provides an overview of Latina women’s writing in North America, aiming to enhance its recognition and visibility both nationally and internationally. The digital format and open access facilitate the dissemination, popularization, and engagement with this rich cultural heritage. Additionally, this initiative seeks to support research on the content, themes, and topics of these works, as well as to foster new interpretative approaches using digital tools and methods.

2. Making the Case

The authors and titles included in this digital collection represent a digital adaptation of printed books published by Arte Público Press, the oldest publishing house for Latino authors in the United States. Since its founding in 1979, Arte Público Press has preserved the legacy of nineteenth-century female authors through the “Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage” project and has promoted contemporary women writers. Now, with the support of The US Latino Digital Humanities Center (USLDH) as part of Arte Público Press, a digital exhibition of the female literary legacy has been created.

3. How you did it

This digital project is built with CollectionBuilder, an open source framework developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library following the Lib-Static methodology. The site started from the CollectionBuilder-Sheets template which utilizes the static website generator Jekyll and GitHub Pages to build and host digital collections. During the elaboration of this exhibition, the available information in the CollectionBuilder Documentation was taken into account. Following the steps to create the static page, Dąbrowska compiled the data and objects (images, audio, video), formatted the MetadataSheet, and edited the website. Villaroel curated the data and designed the exhibition, while Baeza Ventura supervised the work and protocols. Special thanks to Devin Becker, CollectionBuilder consultant, for technical support with geolocation (latitude/longitude) data.

People

Monika Dąbrowska, PhD: International University of La Rioja (UNIR), Spain.

Gabriela Baeza Vnetura, PhD: University of Houston, Arte Publico Press and The US Latino Digital Humanities Center (USLDH).

Carolina Villaroel, PhD: University of Houston, Arte Publico Press and The US Latino Digital Humanities Center (USLDH).

4. Share the docs

Throughout the development of the collection, the team followed the USLDH Best Practices. To optimize searchability, metadata incorporates Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Additionally, aiming to facilitate data reuse or migration, we endeavor to incorporate the FAIR and CARE Principles in the Digital Humanities. The collection ensures access to all of its objects and data. Metadata can be downloaded from both the Data menu tab on the site and is available on the GitHub page, enhancing accessibility.

5. Understanding use

The collection aims to serve as a resource for a broad audience including readers, students, educators, librarians, and researchers interested in exploring Latino literature in the United States within the contexts of literary history, women’s studies, gender, and race. The platform encourages reading and study of these works, inviting examination of the literary legacy of Latinas from cultural, philological, and educational perspectives. Users can utilize it as a starting point for future research in Chicano Latino or feminist studies, delving into topics such as the history of Latinos, their values, struggles, family relationships, connections with indigenous heritage, land, language, traditions, and their relationship with the United States.

6. Who supports use

This digital collection was made possible through the collaboration between the US Latino Digital Humanities Center at the University of Houston and the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR). The exhibition is the result of a research grant supported by the Spanish Ministry of Universities (MUNI) through the “José Castillejo” mobility program, project CAS22/00355. We extend our gratitude to Nicolás Kanellos, the founder and director of Arte Público Press, for his many years of dedicated work and his encouragement of this initiative, to the USLDH Staff and Research Fellows for your generous support and to the Spanish Ministry for funding this fellowship.

7. Things people should know

Approaching writers categorized as Latin Americans requires a nuanced understanding of the historical and cultural context of the American Southwest, alongside linguistic and intercultural competency. To facilitate the comprehension of these literary works, conceptual frameworks such as transborder studies, cultural and critical ethnic studies, decolonial studies, analyses of racial and gender discrimination, Critical Race Theory, and intersectional feminism are invaluable.

8. Whats next

The future development of the collection aims to enhance this literary cartography of the American Southwest by augmenting author-related information. This expansion encompasses details regarding their origins, biographical data, principal works, awards, and recognitions. Furthermore, there are intentions to enhance the visualization of geospatial data associated with the collection.