A Distinctive Trajectory: Reshaping Histories at The Latin American Library
This exhibition celebrates one hundred years of scholarship on Latin America at Tulane University through the treasures of the Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center. Spotlighting key collections, the story of the library is cast against the backdrop of changing interpretive contexts. These shifting frameworks have shaped a unique trajectory. A recurring theme is how New Orleans’ historical ties with the Iberian world, as well as with cities along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, have influenced Tulane’s enduring focus on the region since 1924.
The exhibit also invites you to consider the ways in which libraries and archives are at once agents of change and sites of constant transformation. As forms of collective memory, they select and make available the documentary sources with which generations of readers have constructed our histories. As such, libraries and archives are themselves continuously reshaped by emerging technologies, shifting conceptions of shared identity, and social conventions of meaning and value, always subject to revisions and reinterpretations.
To mark the centennial, the Latin American Library was renamed the Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center in 2025, thanks to a generous endowment from the Zemurray Foundation. The gift commemorates one hundred years of Tulane’s foundational collections in Mesoamerican studies and honors the memory of noted archaeologist and ethnologist Doris Z. Stone (1909–1994), whose longstanding support of cultural institutions in New Orleans and Latin America reflects her deep commitment to preserving cultural memory.
Duration: September 27, 2024–June 2, 2025
Curated By: Hortensia Calvo, Christine Hernández, Juan Pablo Gómez, and Verónica Sánchez
Location: The Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center, Tulane University
Acknowledgements: This exhibition was made possible through the collective effort of many dedicated people. We are grateful to Lindsay Cronk, Dean of Libraries and Academic Information Services, and Thomas F. Reese, Executive Director of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, for the support and enthusiasm to carry out our vision. To Christopher Dunn, Penny C. Morrill, and Lawrence Powell, much gratitude for contributions and critiques as the exhibition took shape. A most appreciative thank you to Maurita Poole and Sierra Polisar at the Newcomb Museum of Tulane University for providing timely and very generous materials support. A special thank you as well to the Tulane Libraries Special Collections for generously loaning materials included in the exhibit; and to Christina Bryant at the City Archives & Special Collections, New Orleans Public Library for permission to access the New Orleans Cabildo records. Many colleagues at Tulane Libraries provided support in myriad ways, most especially Rachael Borges, Ann Case, Jillian Cuellar, Anthony Del Rosario, Rawad Nahhas, Maria Pham, Roblynn Sliwinski, Kevin Williams, and special thanks to Andy Corrigan, Associate Dean of Libraries. We also gratefully acknowledge the participation of Marcello Canuto and Ludovico Feoli on opening day. Last but not least, thank you to Elizabeth Etienne for steady guidance through the logistics of the project since its inception and overall coordination of production.