Dr. Thomas M. Davies, Jr.

Dr. Thomas M. Davies, Jr., former director for the Center for Latin American Studies, has donated to the University Library his personal collection of Peruvian and Latin American books and serials. Some 10,000 titles comprise this wonderful gift, which Dr. Davies has acquired over his illustrious career as a Latin American historian specializing in Peru.

"This is the largest single collection given to the SDSU Library" says Doug Cargille, Collection Development Librarian. "Added to our already strong Latin American collection, this gift will elevate the SDSU Library to the top ranks of academic libraries specializing in Latin Americana, particularly in materials concerning Peru." Nearly 7,500 items were written in or about Peru, reflecting Dr. Davies' lifelong interest in that nation where he has lived, studied, and worked, and which has been the focus of his research and teaching.

"Several hundred of these Peruvian titles are quite rare, and are not held by other academic libraries in the USA," notes Martha McPhail, Special Collections and Spanish Catalog Librarian, who is overseeing the cataloging of the materials. Due to rarity, fragility, age, and/or beautiful illustrations, some of these titles will be housed in Special Collections, although the bulk of the collection will be located in the circulating stacks. "I am particularly pleased to add the late 19th and early 20th century travel books which are copiously illustrated, and serve as useful comparisons for costumes, architecture, daily life, urban development, and many other contemporary purposes." Making all of the titles available will require months of work; private funding to support processing costs is being sought.

"I am pleased to give my collection to SDSU Library, where all students and faculty may have access to it in pursuit of their studies and research," Dr. Davies notes. "SDSU now will have one of the pre-eminent Peruvian collections outside Peru." SDSU Library expresses its utmost gratitude to Dr. Davies for his generous contribution to its Latin American and Peruvian collections.

Search This Site

Send Feedback

This page http://infodome.sdsu.edu/friends/davies.shtml is maintained by Laura Hudson. Please use our Feedback Form for your questions, comments, and suggestions.

File saved 04/21/06 13:30 PDT