We have one of the nation's finest collections of archival materials as well as printed texts on the Borderlands of the Southwest and Northwest of Mexico, from Baja, California to Tamaulipas, Mexico.
These collections document the region's culture and history, from the colonial period to the present. Accounts of Native Americans and their ancestors, the impact of Spanish and Mexican settlement and the influx of people into the region during the 19th century are also included.
Regional and local history will always be a focus of our collections. Special Collections is the repository for printed texts and manuscripts on Arizona and its Borderlands.
These collections document the region’s culture and history, including accounts of Native Americans, the impact of Spanish and Mexican settlement, and the influx of other groups into the region starting in the 19th century.
The entire population of Tucson in 1950 could fit, with plenty of seats to spare, in today's University of Arizona Stadium.
Tucson grew by orders of magnitude in the second half of the twentieth century. With growth, of course, came change. The change occurred so quickly that many of yesterday’s stories, landscapes, people, and lifestyles are invisible to today's Tucsonans.
This is why we record history.
Archive Tucson is the University of Arizona Libraries’ ever-growing collection of interviews about life and change in Tucson and Southern Arizona. As part of a Land Grant institution, we believe that one of the most important ways to serve our community is to preserve the stories of today for the people of tomorrow.
We invite you to browse our collection and start seeing Tucson in four dimensions.
"The State of Arizona Research Library collects preserves and provides access to information for Arizonans about their government their state and their world in a variety of formats."