Archives & Special Collections Has Come Home
Hello Friends,
After years of waiting and months of preparation, the University Library’s Archives & Special Collections is excited to announce that we’ve officially moved into our new location, and in many ways, it feels like finally coming home.
Now located inside the University Library, our team is settling into a redesigned space that allows us to better preserve our collections and serve the University community. You may notice that the third floor of the library looks a little different. As you exit the elevator the new archives space is to your right.
Archives & Special Collections will continue to operate on an appointment basis, with services available to faculty, staff, students, and the community by request. Our new location allows for increased availability and improved research opportunities.
Speaking of research opportunities, here are some of the exciting collections we currently have available for research:
Robert H. Thonhoff Collection – Research materials, newspapers, writings, printed items, and published works representing the personal and professional activities of Texas author, South Texas historian, teacher and judge, Robert H. Thonhoff.
La Prensa Collection – Published in San Antonio, La Prensa was the first and longest running bilingual (Spanish/English) newspaper in the state of Texas. Our collection contains quite a few, but not all issues of the daily newspaper from 1923-1944. Also included are copies of Magazin de la Prensa dating from 1930-1959, and issues of ¡Ya Mero! Magazine dating from 1970-1972.
Bert Reyes Collection – Bert Reyes was the last cattleman to office at the Union Stockyards in San Antonio. His collection contains documents, photos, and other material relating to his career as a livestock broker, auctioneer, and ranch manager. Also included are personal and family papers.
Jeff Wentworth Legislative Records Collection -- Jeff Wentworth served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1988 to 1993, and then as a Texas Senator from 1993 to 2013. The papers cover his twenty-five years in the Texas Legislature.
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children Collection – Collection of newsletters, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, audio-visual materials, and digital records documenting the over 75-year-history of the school providing educational and auditory testing services to hearing-impaired children.
University Archives – The history of our very own University.
Our collections are expanding, with more exciting materials being added soon. Whether you’ve worked with the Archives for years or you are exploring our services for the first time, we encourage you to reach out, make an appointment, and see how we can support your work in our new home.
Your archives team,
Leslie Stapleton and Cat Garza
The Archives and Special Collections unit of the University Library at Texas A&M University-San Antonio was officially founded in 2013 with the acquisition of the first private collections, the Robert H. Thonhoff Collection and a collection of newspapers from La Prensa. Archives staff also maintain the University Archives.
Archives & Special Collections contains collections of enduring historical value that are relevant to the academic programs of A&M-SA. Archival programs at academic and public libraries create collection policies that aim to work collaboratively in a non-competitive manner with other archival repositories in the area. Collection priorities include items focusing on San Antonio, South Texas, Mexican American Studies, borderlands, the military, and local political figures.
Book materials are listed in the library's catalog. Guides to the Archival Collections can be accessed via the tab on this page. All materials are available by advance appointment only and must be used on-site. To request materials from Archives and Special Collections, please send an e-mail to archives@tamusa.edu or call (210) 784-1512.
While we are not currently accepting additions to the collection, your monetary gift, in any amount can help support our archives. Donations go directly to the cost of preservation materials.
We are honored to partner with these local heritage organizations to preserve their digital content and make it available to the public. Select the Digital Collections tab above to view these collections.
