UT-Austin library liaisons host fundraiser to expand international literature collection
July 18, 2022
Red and blue flags wave in the breeze of an open-air market in Cuba. Old glittering coins, rustic antiques and fresh food crowd the tables. As he walks along the market’s collection, Adrian Johnson spots a revolutionary comic book — part of the Caridad Blanco Collection of Historietas Cubanas, a product of the Cuban embargo — that he knew he must add to UT’s library collection.
Johnson, a librarian of Caribbean studies at the Benson Latin American Collection, is one of UT’s various liaison librarians who document, research and provide access to literary materials for graduate students and staff. Johnson said expeditions like his trip to Cuba offer liaisons the chance to incorporate a more diverse selection of books into University libraries, giving students access to literature they typically wouldn’t have access to. Recently, University liaisons hosted a fundraiser to help offset the cost of their trips to build their collection of library materials, ultimately hoping to reach $30,000 by July 15.
“This is a unique resource that offers a view of Cuban culture that you can’t find anywhere else,” Johnson said. “Many of (these books) are so unique — you can’t find them on Amazon, you can’t get them out of catalogs. You have to actually go walk into bookstores to find them.”
Johnson works alongside other liaison librarians who specialize in various fields to foster the understanding of literature across the world, including Ian Goodale, a liaison librarian for European studies.
“It (is) impossible to stress enough how important it is to document global literature,” Goodale said. “We are able to preserve materials for future generations and allow patrons not only at UT, but from other institutions and the general public, to discover books, zines and other materials they may not have access to otherwise.”
In a continuous effort to expand the diversity of literature available on campus, Daniel Arbino, head of collection development at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, said liaisons seek a broader set of literature that doesn’t solely center around American and Eurocentric culture and history.
“We’re buying books written by Latin Americans, often for a Latin American audience,” Arbino said. “A lot of the books that come to us are by American authors writing about Latin America. The importance of being able to travel is (that) you don’t only have (American) perspectives.”
For these librarians, traveling to collect books for UT libraries is an extension of a lifelong passion for exploring global cultures through literature. During trips to collect literature, Johnson said the librarians build meaningful connections with the materials they gather. These personal connections further benefit students as well — since, as a result, they get to enjoy the addition of these meaningful materials to their libraries.
Planning future international ventures, liaison librarians continue to expand the knowledge of the world for UT and the rest of the country. UT libraries raised $7,001 from their HornRaiser account to support the cost of travel for liaisons so they can continue their work to expand University libraries.
“The things we’re able to buy by traveling are often things that we would just not be able to find,” Johnson said. “A lot of the stuff we’re collecting, buying and preserving here … are things we really would not be able to get without travel.”
