Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Chicano and Latino Studies

Factors Influencing Collection Policies

Chicano and Latino Studies is, by nature, an interdisciplinary field, so there is much overlap between the Cesar E. Chavez Collection and other collections throughout the humanities and social sciences, but also stretching to include agriculture, business, law, and environmental sciences. 

MSU's Chicano and Latino Studies PhD Program is one of eight in the United States, and the only program located in the Midwest. There is strong interest in research surrounding Latino communities in the state and as well as the Midwest region. Research related to first-generation experiences, mental health, migrant student experiences, and the Chicano movement on campus is also of high interest. Scholarship related to issues of ethnicity, gender, identity and social change continues to be appropriately supported through these collections.

While the Cesar E. Chavez Browsing Collection and other general collections support Chicano and Latino Studies scholarship as part of the Main Library, valuable resources are found in the Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections unit. The Latino Collection at Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections is made up of books, journals, and other materials relating to the lived experiences of Latinx communities across the United States. The José F. Treviño Chicanx/Latinx Activism collection, which was founded in 2000 and holds seminal and primary sources relating to the activism and local politics of Michigan communities and several Midwest Latino artists' papers.