Contemporary Latin America: Mexico, Central America, and the Andean Region

Spanish 54a -- Fall 2004
Professor Harriet Nittoli

This is a highly selective guide for contemporary Latin American culture. In addition to encyclopedic resources for Latin America as a region, there are encyclopedias for various cultural subjects (e.g., literature, art, music), as well as general Spanish language encyclopedias. There are also a number of encyclopedias for various nationalities, too many to list on a guide of this scope. The Library of Congress call number range for Latin American culture and history is F1201 - F3799 (cf. below). One such example is the 3-volume encyclopedia, Milenios de México, Davis Reference F1204 .M955 1999. There are other important encyclopedias for Colombia, Venezuela, etc.

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I. General Reference Guides	III. Indexes for Latin America
II. Background Resources	IV. Full-Text News Sources
A. Spanish Language Encyclopedias	V. Electronic Journals for Latin American Studies
B. General & Specialized Encyclopedias for Latin America	VI. Indexes By Subject
C. Atlases & Gazetteers	VII. Web Resources
D. Country Background Information	VIII. Library Research Tutorial
E. Encyclopedic Resources for Latin American Art, Literature, Music

Library of Congress Classification Outline
This call number classification holds true for any library in the world using the Library of Congress classification system. For example, Spanish language dictionaries will always be in the general call number range PC4001 - PC4977. The call number range for Latin American/Spanish American history is: F1201 - F3799.

Map of Davis Reference

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I. General Reference Guides

Guide to Reference Books. 11th ed. Ed. Robert Balay. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
A single volume reference work that attempts to cover reference sources for all subject areas. Especially useful for identifying resources in subjects that are outside your areas of familiarity. See pp. 573-583 for Literatures of Latin America.
Davis Reference Desk Z1035.1 .G89 1996

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II. Background Resources
Cultural and historical dictionaries and encyclopedias can provide clarification of specialized terminology and offer overviews of a variety of topics. Most encyclopedia articles will have a brief bibliography.

II. A. Spanish Language Encyclopedias

Enciclopedia Hispanica. 18 vols. 2nd ed. Barcelona: Editorial Barsa Planeta, 2001.
Davis Reference AE61 .E53 2001

Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana. Appendice [serial]. 10 vols. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe. [1930]
Davis Reference AE61 .E6 Appx.

Gran Enciclopedia Larousse. 24 vols. 5th ed. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, c1993.
Davis Reference AE61 .G74 1993

Gran Enciclopedia Rialp, G.E.R. 25 vols. Madrid: Ediciones Rialp, 1971-1989.
Davis Reference AE61 .G75

Potentially Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for Searching the Catalog:

Encyclopedias and dictionaries, Spanish

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II. B. General & Specialized Encyclopedias for Latin America

Biographical Dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean Political Leaders. Ed. Robert J. Alexander. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Davis Reference F1414.2 .B48 1988

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean. Edited by Simon Collier, Thomas E. Skidmore, Harold Blakemore. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 19992.
Davis Reference F1406 .C36 1992

The Cambridge History of Latin America. 11 vols. Ed. Leslie Bethell. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984-
Davis Reference F1410 .C1834 1984

Dictionary of Afro-Latin American Civilization. Benjamin Nunez. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c1980.
Davis Reference F1408.3 .N86

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures. 3 vols. Ed. Daniel Balderston, Mike Gonzalez and Ana M. Lopez. London; New York: Routledge, 2000.
Davis Reference F1406 .E515 2000

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. 5 vols. Editor in chief, Barbara A. Tenenbaum. New York: C. Scribner's Sons; London: Simon & Schuster: Prentice Hall International, c1996.
Davis Reference F1406 .E53 1996

Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics. Ed. Diana Kapiszewski. Westport, Conn: Oryx Press, 2002.
Davis Reference F1410 .E56 2002

Handbook of Latin American Popular Culture. Ed. Harold E. Hinds, Charles M. Tatum. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c1985.
Davis Reference F1408.3 H316 1985

Hispanic Culture of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Ed. Peter Standish. Detroit: Gale, c1996. (Series Title: Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Culture.)
Davis Reference F1234 .H794 1996

Hispanic Culture of South America. Ed. Peter Standish. Detroit: Gale Research, c1995. (Series Title: Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Culture.)
Davis Reference F2237 .H57 1995

Latin America: A Political Dictionary. Ernest E. Rossi, Jack C. Plano. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c1992.
Davis Reference F1406 .R67 1992

Potentially Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for Searching the Catalog:

Caribbean area -- Civilization -- African influences -- Dictionaries
Caribbean area -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Caribbean area -- Civilization -- 20th century -- Dictionaries
Caribbean area -- Encyclopedias
Central America -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Central America -- Civilization -- 20th century -- Dictionaries
Latin America -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Latin America -- Civilization
Latin America -- Encyclopedias
Latin America -- History
Latin America -- History -- Chronology
Latin America -- Politics and government
Mexico -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Mexico -- Civilization -- 20th century -- Dictionaries
Politicians -- Latin America -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Politicians -- Latin America -- Encyclopedias
Popular culture -- Latin America
Popular culture -- South America
South America -- Biography -- Dictionaries
South America -- Civilization -- 20th century -- Dictionaries

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II. C. Atlases & Gazetteers

Atlas Mundial Espasa. Madrid: Espasa Calpe, 1997.
Davis Reference Atlas Case G1021 .A73 1997

The Atlas of Central America and the Caribbean. The Diagram Group. New York: Macmillan Publishing, c1985.
Davis Reference G1550 .D5 1985

Columbia Gazetteer of the World
Article Databases & More
Also: Davis Reference G103.5 .C65 1998 (3 vols.)

The History Atlas of South America. Edwin Early, Elizabeth Baquedano. New York: Macmillan, c1998.
Davis Reference G1701 .S1 E4 1998

Oxford Atlas of the World. George Philip & Son. New York: Oxford University Press, c2002. 10th ed.
Davis Reference Atlas Case G1021 .A7545 2002

The Times Atlas of the World: Tenth Comprehensive Edition. New York: Times Books, 1999.
Davis Reference Atlas Case G1021 .T5644 1999

The Times Atlas of World Exploration: 3,000 Years of Exploring, Explorers, and Mapmaking. Ed. Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. New York, NY: HarperCollins, c1991.
Davis Reference Atlas Case G1036 .T5 1991

Potentially Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for Searching the Catalog:

Atlases
Atlases, Spanish
Caribbean area -- Maps
Central America -- Maps
Discoverers in geography -- History -- Maps
Explorers -- History -- Maps
Gazetteers
South America -- Historical geography -- Maps

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II. D. Country Background Information

Country Studies/Area Handbooks (Library of Congress)
Provides background summaries, maps, socio-economic data. Updated irregularly.
Article Databases & More

EIU Country Monitor
Country Monitor brings to the reader the latest economic and political developments with impact on doing business globally.
Article Databases & More

EIU Country Profiles
Annually, EIU Country Profiles provide comprehensive reports of the current economic, political, and market conditions in almost 200 countries worldwide.
Article Databases & More

EIU Country Reports
The Economist Intelligence Unit provides comprehensive reports on the latest economic, political, and market conditions in 180 countries worldwide. The Country Reports and annual Country Profiles series highlight major business events, analyze recent political and economic developments, provide economic and trade data and give a political and economic outlook for the next 12-18 months. Countries are divided regionally, e.g. the Americas.
Article Databases & More

The Europa World Year Book [serial]. 2 vols. London: Europa Publications Limited, c1989- [Annual]
Excellent resource for country information, updated yearly.
Davis Reference Desk JN1 .E85

Political Handbook of the World [serial]. New York: Published for the Center for Comparative Political Research of SUNY Binghamton and for the Council on Foreign Relations by McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1975- [Annual]
Davis Reference Desk JF37 .P6 (1999 ed.)

South America, Central America and the Caribbean [serial]. [London]: Europa Publications Ltd., [1985-] 11th ed., 2003. (Series Title: Regional Surveys of the World)
Davis Reference Desk F1414.2 .S68

Web Resources for Country & Regional Information (Davis Library Quick Reference)

Potentially Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for Searching the Catalog:

Caribbean area -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Central America -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Latin America -- Handbooks
Latin America -- Economic conditions -- 1945- -- Statistics -- Periodicals
Latin America -- Politics and government -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Political Science -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.

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II. E. Encyclopedic Resources for Latin American Art, Literature, Music

Artists from Latin American Cultures: A Biographical Dictionary. Kristin G. Gordon, Kara Kelley Hallmark. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002.
U.L. & Art Reference N6502.5 .C657 2002

The Cambridge history of Latin American literature. 3 vols. Ed. Roberto González Echevarría and Enrique Pupo-Walker. Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Davis Reference PQ7081 .A1 C35 1996

Diccionario de Autores Latinoamericanos. César Aira. Buenos Aires, Argentina : Emecé, 2001.
Davis Reference PQ7081.3 .A35 2001

Diccionario de la Musica Espanola e Hispanoamericana. Emilio Casares Rodicio. Spain: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 1999-
Music Reference ML101 .S7 D53 1999

Diccionario Enciclopédico de las Letras de América Latina. 3 vols. José Ramón Medina. [Venezuela] : Biblioteca Ayacucho : Monte Ávila Editores Latinoamericana, 1995-1998.
Davis Reference PQ7081.3 .D55 1995

Encyclopedia of Latin American literature. Ed. Verity Smith. London ; Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn, c1997.
Davis Reference PQ7081.A1 E56 1997

Handbook of Latin American Literature. 2nd ed. Ed. David William Foster. New York ; London : Garland, 1992.
Davis Reference PQ7081.A1 H36 1992

Latin American and Caribbean Artists of the Modern Era: A Biographical Dictionary of More Than 12,700 Persons. Steve Shipp. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2003.
Art Reference N6502.4 .S45 2003

Latin American Classical Composers: A Biographical Dictionary. Compiled by Miguel Ficher, Martha Furman Schleifer, John M. Furman. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1996
Music Reference ML105 .F53 1996

Latin American Women Artists, Kahlo and Look Who Else: A Selective, Annotated Bibliography. Cecilia Puerto. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Art N6502.5 .P84 1996

Spanish American Women Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Source Book. Ed. Diane E.Marting. New York : Greenwood Press, 1990.
Davis Reference Z1609 .L7 S6 1990

St. James Guide to Hispanic Artists: Profiles of Latino and Latin American Artists. Ed. Thomas Riggs. Detroit: St. James Press, c2002.
Art Reference N6502.5 .S85 2002

Women Writers of Spanish America: An Annotated Bio-bibliographical Guide. Ed. Diane E.Marting. New York : Greenwood Press, 1987.
Davis Reference Z1609 .L7 W63 1987

Writers of the Caribbean and Central America: A Bibliography. M.J. Fenwick. New York : Garland, 1992.
Davis Reference Z1595 .F46 1992

Potentially Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for Searching the Catalog:

Art, Latin American -- 20th century -- Dictionaries
Artists -- Latin America -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Authors, Latin American
Authors, Latin American - Biography -- Dictionaries
Authors, Spanish American - 20th century - Biography
Composers -- Latin America -- Biography
Hispanic American art -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Hispanic American artists -- Biography -- Dictionaries
Latin American fiction - 20th century -- Biography
Latin American literature - Bio-bibliography
Latin American literature - Encyclopedias
Latin American literature - History and criticism
Latin American literature - History and criticism - Dictionaries
Latin American literature - Women authors
Music -- Latin America -- Bio-bibliography
Music -- Latin America -- Encyclopedias
Women artists -- Latin America

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III. Indexes for Latin America

See also other electronic indexes for International & Area Studies and Latin American Studies

HAPI (Hispanic American Periodicals Index)
HAPI indexes a variety of subject areas in the humanities. Indexing from 1970 - present.
Article Databases & More

Handbook of Latin American Studies
Indexes Latin American topics in the humanities and social sciences, 1935 - present.
Article Databases & More

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IV. Full-Text News Sources

LexisNexis Academic
In the News Category, select Non-English Language News. In the News Source category, select Spanish Language News. Then select Headline or Full Text or Caption or Author. Finally, select a date range or a specific date.
Article Databases & More

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V. Electronic Journcals for Latin American Studies
At this point in time, the majority of journals still exist in print. Print journals will be given call numbers in their respective subject areas just like books in these subject areas, e.g., PQ7000s for Latin American literature journals, F1400s for Latin American history & culture journals. Search the E-Journals page to see if we have individual titles electronically available.

Latin American E-Journals

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VI. Indexes by Subject (not limited to Latin America)

ABI/Inform Global
ABI/Inform Global includes in-depth coverage of business conditions, trends, corporate strategies and tactics, management techniques, competitive and product information, as well as information on advertising, marketing, economics, human resources, finance, taxation, computers, and more.
Article Databases & More

Art Full Text and Art Index Retrospective
Article Databases & More

ATLA Religion Database
Article Databases & More

Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
Article Databases & More

Declassified Documents Reference System Online
Information relating to all major political and military events from every corner of the globe offers fascinating insights into U.S. government views, decisions, and activities.
Article Databases & More

Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management (Environment)
Article Databases & More

Ethnic NewsWatch
Ethnic NewsWatch is a full-text collection of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. This collection of articles, editorials, columns, reviews, etc. provides a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.
Article Databases & More

Historical Abstracts (non-North American history, 1450 A.D. to present)
Article Databases & More

International Index to Music Periodicals
Article Databases & More

MLA International Bibliography (literature)
Article Databases & More

Music Index
Article Databases & More

OxResearch (Oxford Analytica)
Oxford Analytica is an international consulting firm drawing on the scholarship of Oxford and other major universities around the world to provide business and government leaders with timely analysis of world events.
Article Databases & More

PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) International and PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) Archive
PAIS is a bibliographic index to the literature of public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Journal articles; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations; and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world are indexed.
Article Databases & More

Philosopher's Index
Article Databases & More

RILM Music Abstracts
Article Databases & More

Treaties and International Agreements Online
Treaties and International Agreements Online from Oceana Publications is a full-text database containing over 11,000 bilateral and multilateral U.S. treaties from 1783 to the present.
Access: UNC-CH Law Library and School of Law computers only.

UNBISnet
For UN materials, there is access to databases related to United Nations documentation, including the UN bibliographic file; the full- text of Resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council; voting information on resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council; speech citations to meetings of the major UN organs; agenda records; and information on UN Documentation Series. UNC-Chapel Hill receives UN materials.
Article Databases & More

Women's Studies International
This is an interdisciplinary database covering a variety of sources.
Article Databases & More

World News Connection
World News Connection (WNC) is an online news service that offers an array of translated and English-language news and information. Particularly effective in its coverage of local media sources, WNC allows one to identify what really is happening in a specific country or region. Compiled from thousands of non-U.S. media sources, the information in WNC covers significant socioeconomic, political, scientific, technical, and environmental issues and events.
Access: Davis Library only. Ask staff at Davis Reference Desk to enter the username and password for you.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
This database provides indexing and abstracts of the international journal literature in political science and related fields, such as public administration and policy, law, and international relations
Article Databases & More

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VII. Web Resources

LANIC (U. Texas)

Voice of the Shuttle -- Spanish and Portuguese literature (Including Latin America)

Latin American & Iberian Resources (UNC-Chapel Hill)

Latin Americanist Research Resources Project (ARL)

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VIII. Library Research Tutorial for Latin American Studies: Latin American Studies: Approaches to Library Research

Tom Nixon
Davis Library Reference Dept.
962-1151
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
22 September 2004

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