Libraries

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Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies Collection

Overview of Middle East -Diaspora


This collection offers resources covering Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean regions and communities. Whether you're a student, faculty member, scholar, or simply curious about these areas, you'll find a wide variety of resources here.

Resource Types:


  • News platforms and sources: Stay updated on current events and perspectives from Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean communities.
  • Open access databases and directories: Access a wide range of scholarly articles, research papers, and other digital resources related to these regions and cultures.
  • Digital archives, libraries, and repositories: Explore historical documents, photographs, and other primary sources that reflect the rich histories and cultures of Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean people.
  • Civil society organizations: Learn about the work of NGOs and grassroots initiatives, highlighting the local communities' perspectives on challenges and their approaches to addressing them.
  • Other resources: Discover additional valuable materials, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs, providing deeper context and insights.

Key Benefits for Your Research and Studies


  • Global Perspectives: Whether you’re looking to understand the history, culture, politics, or social dynamics of Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean communities, this collection offers access to diverse viewpoints. Gain insight into both local realities and the global connections shaping these regions.
  • Diverse Languages: Access resources in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and other original languages spoken within Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean communities.
  • Coverage: Discover materials related to Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean regions and communities, offering a broad view of their historical and contemporary significance.

If you have resources that could add value to this collection, please send them to areastudies@wiu.edu. We'll review them to ensure they fit our collection development policies. Thank you for your contribution!

This section provides information on News platforms and sources with related links.

  • Al Jazeera
  • Qatar-based news organization covering global events


  • RT TV
  • Russian international television network


  • TRT World
  • Turkish international news platform


  • BBC World Service
  • Offers news from around the world with a focus on impartiality and diversity


  • Human Rights Watch
  • International non-governmental organization
    focusing on human rights


  • The Guardian
  • British news organization with a global reach,
    offering diverse perspectives on international affairs


  • El País
  • Spanish-language newspaper covering global events


  • Telesur
  • Offers news primarily from Latin America and global events


This section provides information on open access journals and links to their websites or recent publications.

Archivo Histórico de la Policía Nacional de Guatemala Logo

AHPN (Archivo Histórico de la Policía Nacional de Guatemala)

Description: An archive dedicated to preserving and providing access to historical documents from the National Police of Guatemala.

AmeliCA Logo

AmeliCA

Description: An initiative led by CLACSO, FLACSO, and UNESCO to develop an open infrastructure and cooperative model for scholarly communication in Latin America and the Global South.

Americalee Logo

Americalee

Description: A digital repository focused on the documentation and dissemination of Latin American studies.

BASE Logo

BASE

Description: A multidisciplinary search engine for academic open access web resources.

Biblat Logo

Biblat

Description: Biblat is a specialized portal for scientific and academic journals published in Latin America and the Caribbean. It offers services such as bibliographic references and full-text access to articles and documents, as well as bibliometric indicators.

Bibliotecas Logo

Bibliotecas

Description: A digital library initiative offering access to a wide range of academic resources and publications.

CLACSO Logo

CLACSO

Description: A network of over 700 research and teaching institutions that provides free access to a large repository of social science publications and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean.

CLASE Logo

CLASE

Description: An index of journal articles in the social sciences and humanities published in Latin America and the Caribbean.

DIALNET Logo

DIALNET

Description: A portal that aggregates and provides access to academic content, primarily from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.

El Mundo Digital Archive Logo

El Mundo Digital Archive

Description: A digital archive providing access to the complete historical run of the El Mundo newspaper from Guatemala.

LA Referencia Logo

LA Referencia

Description: A network of national open access repositories in 9 Latin American countries, allowing federated search and access to academic content.

Latindex Logo

LATINDEX

Description: A cooperative online directory that indexes and provides access to academic journals published in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal.

LILACS Logo

LILACS

Description:A comprehensive database of health sciences literature from Latin America and the Caribbean.

PERIÓDICA Logo

PERIÓDICA

Description:An index of scientific journals published in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal.

REDIB Logo

REDIB

Description:A platform that aggregates open access research documents and data from Ibero-American countries.

RedALyC Logo

RedALyC

Description: A platform that provides access to over 1,200 peer-reviewed journals, primarily in Spanish and Portuguese, from several Latin American, Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal countries.

SciELO Logo

SciELO

Description: A collection of over 1,300 open access, peer-reviewed journals from several Latin American, Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal countries.

This section provides information on open access Archives, Digital Libraries and Repositories links to their websites or recent publications.

Archives
Digital Libraries
Repositories
  • Biblioteca Enrique Bolanos
  • The Enrique Bolaños Library was born from the dream of former president Enrique Bolaños Geyer with the objective of collecting, preserving and disseminating historical, cultural and legal information relevant to Nicaraguans.


  • Biblioteca Nacional De Espana
  • Digital Library that focuses on the perserving documents and archives that pretain to Spain. This site offers books, maps, and art that is relevent to Spain.


  • Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes
  • A digital library with books and articles dealing with literature, history, and archives related to Latin American and European Studies


  • Cambridge University Press - Journal of Latin American Studies
  • Open Access Library Archives for Latin American Studies.


  • Centro de Investigaciones Historicas de America Central
  • The Carlos Meléndez Digital Library Repository is a digital archive that custody, preserves and disseminates the bibliographic collection of Dr. Carlos Meléndez Chaverri (q.d.D.g.), which was acquired by the University of Costa Rica and can be consulted in the Documentation Center of the Center for Historical Investigations of Central America. It offers open access to old books, magazines, articles and documents of various kinds that are valuable for historical research. This repository began operating in mid-2013 and is managed by a group of specialists in various fields with the support of students.


  • Digital Library of the Caribbean (DLOC)
  • Digital Library and National Archives for the Carribean.


  • Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services
  • Digital Library and national archives for Brazil and South America


  • Slave Voyages
  • The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.


  • Biblioteca Enrique Bolanos
  • The Enrique Bolaños Library was born from the dream of former president Enrique Bolaños Geyer with the objective of collecting, preserving and disseminating historical, cultural and legal information relevant to Nicaraguans.


  • Biblioteca Nacional Dgital De Colombia
  • Online library focusing on Colombia. This resource offers books, movies, and full collections based on latin america.


  • Biblioteca Nacional De Espana
  • Digital Library that focuses on the perserving documents and archives that pretain to Spain. This site offers books, maps, and art that is relevent to Spain.


  • Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes
  • A digital library with books and articles dealing with literature, history, and archives related to Latin American and European Studies


  • Cambridge University Press - Journal of Latin American Studies
  • Open Access Library Archives for Latin American Studies.


  • Centro de Investigaciones Historicas de America Central
  • The Carlos Meléndez Digital Library Repository is a digital archive that custody, preserves and disseminates the bibliographic collection of Dr. Carlos Meléndez Chaverri (q.d.D.g.), which was acquired by the University of Costa Rica and can be consulted in the Documentation Center of the Center for Historical Investigations of Central America. It offers open access to old books, magazines, articles and documents of various kinds that are valuable for historical research. This repository began operating in mid-2013 and is managed by a group of specialists in various fields with the support of students.


  • Digital Library of the Caribbean (DLOC)
  • Digital Library and National Archives for the Carribean.


  • Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services
  • Digital Library and national archives for Brazil and South America


  • Slave Voyages
  • The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.


  • Biblioteca Nacional Dgital De Mexico
  • The National Library of Mexico offers a full index of historical manuscripts and books. This site offers over nine thousand documents that are open access.

  • Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes
  • A digital library with books and articles dealing with literature, history, and archives related to Latin American and European Studies.


  • Ciencia Latina
  • Online platform that offers academic resourses to users from Latin America. This library is open accessed and focuses on the developent of education in all of all regions


  • Ciencia Latina Internacional
  • Online platform that offers academic resourses to users from Latin America. This library is open accessed and focuses on the developent of education in all of all regions.


  • Dspace
  • Online Digital Repsitoy for all world countries.


  • JSTOR
  • Open Access Repository with journals, books, and articles from every country.


  • Latindex
  • Open access Repository with Scientific Journals about Latin America, Carribean, Spain, and Portugal studies.


This section provides information on civil society organizations and links to their websites or resources.

  • Amenesty International
  • Global organzation that helps fund Civil Society Organizations all throughtout the world. They focus on human rights and ensuring that everyones voice is heard


  • Avina Foundation
  • Organziation that promotes systemic change at a large scale. Their targets are Climate Change, Economic Justice and Democratic Innovation.


  • Ford Foundation
  • Organization that funds CSO's in various countries around the world. They focus on human rights, social justice and economic development.


  • Oxfan International
  • Global group that focuses on funding and promoting civil and social changes to fight poverty and inequality


This section provides information on Hispanic Latinx Caribbean reference materials and other resources.

General
Dictionary
Encyclopedia
Thesaurus
  • Al Manhal
  • Al Manhal is a leading platform for academic publications from the Arab and Islamic worlds. It offers a wide range of Open Access books, journals, and reports in Arabic and English focused on the Middle East region, including topics in humanities, social sciences, law, and more.


  • Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation
  • Al-Furqan provides digital access to a vast array of resources on Islamic heritage, manuscripts, and cultural history in the Middle East and beyond. Their publications on Islamic sciences, history, and culture are freely available.


  • Arab Studies Institute (Jadaliyya)
  • Jadaliyya is an Open Access online publication by the Arab Studies Institute, offering critical analysis on politics, history, and culture in the Middle East. The content includes essays, reports, and multimedia.


  • Arab World Research Source
  • This resource offers a rich collection of academic journals, magazines, trade publications, conference papers, and reports covering the Arab world, with a focus on history, politics, culture, and economy. Some materials are freely accessible.


  • Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME)
  • The DLME provides free access to digital collections of Middle Eastern cultural heritage, including manuscripts, maps, historical documents, and photographs related to the region’s history and cultural practices.


  • Iraq Academic Scientific Journals (IASJ)
  • IASJ provides Open Access to academic journals published in Iraq on various topics, including history, archaeology, economics, and the political landscape of the Middle East.


  • Islamic Manuscripts of Leiden University
  • Leiden University hosts one of the largest collections of Islamic manuscripts, covering topics like Arabic history, Islamic studies, and Middle Eastern culture. The manuscripts are freely available in digital format.


  • Middle East Institute (MEI)
  • MEI offers free reports, research papers, and publications on political, economic, and social issues concerning the Middle East. Many of their articles and papers are available for free download.


  • Open Access Islamic Manuscripts (Princeton University)
  • Princeton University offers digitized manuscripts from the Islamic world, focusing on topics like law, philosophy, science, and Arabic literature, all available for free.


  • Open Access Papers on the Middle East (Brill Publishers)
  • Brill offers a variety of Open Access books and articles, particularly on Islamic studies, Middle Eastern history, and Arabic language research. Their platform features several peer-reviewed academic works focused on the region.


  • Persée (Persian and Middle Eastern Studies)
  • Persée is a French-based digital library providing free access to scientific publications in the humanities and social sciences, including extensive materials on Middle Eastern studies, Persian history, and Islamic culture.


  • Qatar Digital Library
  • This platform provides Open Access to a wide range of documents and multimedia related to the history of the Middle East, with a specific focus on the Gulf region. It includes manuscripts, photographs, maps, and archival records.


  • The Palestine Open Maps Project
  • This project offers free access to historic maps of Palestine, including British Mandate-era maps, alongside modern cartographic data. It is a resource for understanding historical geography and urban development in the region.


  • Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane
  • Lane’s Lexicon is a comprehensive 19th-century Arabic-English dictionary. It provides in-depth meanings of classical Arabic words and is widely used for Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. It’s available online for free.


  • Aratools (Arabic Morphological Analyzer)
  • Aratools is an Arabic-English dictionary and morphological analyzer, making it easier to understand the structure of Arabic words. It is free and accessible online, providing translations and definitions of both classical and modern Arabic words.


  • Babylon (Multiple Middle Eastern Languages)
  • Babylon provides free access to dictionaries in various Middle Eastern languages, including Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Kurdish. It offers translations, meanings, and usage examples for multiple languages in the region.


  • Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language
  • The Academy of the Hebrew Language offers free access to etymological resources and dictionaries of Hebrew, tracing the development of Hebrew words through history.


  • Farhangsara (Persian Dictionaries)
  • Farhangsara offers a collection of Persian dictionaries online, including Persian-English, Persian-French, and Persian-Persian dictionaries. It’s freely accessible and valuable for those studying the Persian language and culture.


  • Glosbe (Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, and more)
  • Glosbe offers a wide range of dictionaries for Middle Eastern languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Kurdish, and Persian. It is community-driven and provides free translations, phrases, and contextual usage.


  • LexicOrient (Middle East and North Africa Dictionary)
  • LexicOrient is a free online encyclopedia and dictionary focused on the Middle East and North Africa. It provides entries on historical, cultural, and geographical topics specific to the region.


  • Lughat Nameh Dehkhoda (Persian)
  • This is one of the most comprehensive Persian-Persian dictionaries, widely used for understanding classical and modern Persian texts. The online version is available for free.


  • Online Hebrew Dictionary
  • Morfix provides a free Hebrew-English dictionary, offering translations and definitions. It is particularly useful for Modern Hebrew learners and scholars interested in the Middle East.


  • Sakhr Dictionary
  • Sakhr offers an Arabic-English dictionary that focuses on modern Arabic, providing translations, definitions, and example sentences. The platform is freely accessible.


  • The Free Dictionary (Arabic-English)
  • The Free Dictionary provides an Arabic-English translation tool, alongside other language pairs. It offers free access to definitions, grammar resources, and pronunciation guides.


  • Turkish Language Association (TDK)
  • TDK provides a free, official Turkish dictionary. It covers definitions, usage examples, and the history of Turkish words, making it a key resource for Turkish language learners.


  • WordReference (Arabic-English Dictionary)
  • WordReference offers a freely accessible Arabic-English dictionary, which includes translations, synonyms, and usage examples. It's widely used for both classical and modern Arabic.


  • Al Islam org
  • Al-Islam.org offers free access to a comprehensive collection of resources on Islamic history, theology, and culture, with a focus on Shia Islam. It includes detailed entries and scholarly articles related to the Middle East.


  • Al Maqal (Encyclopedia of Arab Thought)
  • Al Maqal offers Open Access resources and articles covering Arab history, intellectual movements, literature, and culture. It is an Arabic-language platform that focuses on critical issues in the Arab world.


  • Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • While Britannica offers a paid subscription, a significant portion of its content is freely available. It provides articles on Middle Eastern history, politics, geography, and culture, offering reliable and accurate information.


  • Encyclopaedia Iranica
  • This is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the history, culture, and civilization of Iran and the Persianate world. It provides scholarly articles on a wide range of subjects, from ancient history to modern times, and is freely accessible.


  • Encyclopaedia of Islam (Online Version)
  • Though much of the Encyclopaedia of Islam requires a subscription, many universities and institutions offer access to its content for free. Some articles are open to the public, covering topics related to Islamic history, culture, law, and more.


  • Encyclopaedia of the Orient (LexicOrient)
  • This online resource offers free access to articles on Middle Eastern and North African countries, providing historical, cultural, and political context. It’s an Open Access source for both casual readers and researchers.


  • Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (Brill)
  • This is a comprehensive reference work on the Arabic language, including its history, structure, dialects, and use across the Middle East. Though not fully Open Access, many academic institutions provide free access to its entries.


  • Encyclopedia of Egyptology (UCLA)
  • This Open Access encyclopedia provides detailed scholarly articles on ancient Egyptian history, art, culture, and archaeology, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in Egyptology and the broader Middle East.


  • Jewish Virtual Library
  • The Jewish Virtual Library offers free access to articles on Jewish history, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Middle Eastern politics. It’s a valuable resource for understanding the role of Judaism and Israel in the Middle East.


  • Muslim Heritage
  • This encyclopedia explores the contributions of Islamic civilization to science, technology, and culture. It offers Open Access articles on topics like the history of science in the Middle East, scholars, and inventions that have shaped the modern world.


  • Oxford Islamic Studies Online
  • This platform offers free access to some articles on Islamic history, theology, and law. While not fully Open Access, it provides free entries on major topics related to the Middle East.


  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP)
  • SEP provides Open Access, peer-reviewed entries on a wide range of philosophical topics, including Islamic philosophy and scholars from the Middle East. It's an invaluable resource for understanding Middle Eastern contributions to global philosophy.


  • The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
  • While primarily focused on economics, the Palgrave Dictionary includes entries related to Middle Eastern economic development, oil economies, and regional economic policies. Some entries are freely available.


  • The Zoroastrian Archives
  • This is an online collection of resources related to Zoroastrianism, one of the ancient religions of the Middle East. It includes texts, translations, and commentaries on Zoroastrian literature and history.


  • Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia offers free, user-generated content on virtually every subject, including comprehensive articles on Middle Eastern history, culture, languages, and geopolitics. While it’s not an academic source, it is widely used for general knowledge.


  • Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
  • This free thesaurus offers synonyms and antonyms, which is useful for writing and research.


  • Thesaurus
  • Provides a large collection of synonyms and antonyms for academic writing and better articulation in policy research.