Inclusive Collections

This April, the UVA Library honors National Arab American Heritage Month with selections of books and films by Arab American women, including two works of fiction that won the Arab American Book Award and a SWANA studies primer that offers essays outlining the history and possible futures of scholarship regarding Arab peoples in the Americas.

This year’s Women’s History Month recommendations focus on another big event that happens every spring: the Academy Awards. UVA librarians share books, films, and archival material related to women involved in this year’s Oscar-nominated films and lesser-known women actors and filmmakers through Hollywood history.

Since 1976, the U.S. government has officially observed February as Black History Month, and UVA librarians are excited to offer recommendations for books, films, and even datasets that examine Black culture, history, and creativity.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, UVA Library recommends resources for insight into American Indian culture and history. The books and journals mentioned explore the wide variety of American Indigenous peoples and their contributions to what is now called the United States.

Observed each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. It showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. The U.S. government’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has chosen “Advancing Access and Equity” as the theme for NDEAM 2023. Click above to see books, films, podcasts, and other resources we recommend.

It’s time to celebrate Latinx authors during Hispanic Heritage Month, which overlaps September and the first few weeks of October. Don’t know where to start? This year, we’ve gathered a list of five Latinx authors whose works we recommend reading. And don’t miss our newest Spanish-language databases available for free to UVA students, faculty, and staff.

In June across the country, people gather with parades, events, parties, and other celebrations to honor the history and impact of the LGBTQ+ community. This post highlights podcasts, literature, and archives that document the rich array of lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals. Whether you are exploring your own identity or want to build your allyship capacities, we hope that this month’s materials provide you meaningful ways to learn about our vibrant community.

Librarians recommend seven books (and a movie!) in a recognition of the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.

Since 2006, the United States has observed Jewish American Heritage Month each May. See some of our fiction and non-fiction recommendations in the link, along with picks from students in Professor Caroline Rody’s spring 2023 English class, Contemporary Jewish Fiction.

Help celebrate the many cultures represented by Arab Americans by exploring the wealth of literature and poetry held by UVA Library. Click through to find recommendations from avid UVA readers who are excited to share their reviews of old favorites and new discoveries.

Librarian for African American and African Studies Katrina Spencer presents film and book pairings from the UVA catalog and beyond in celebration of Black History Month. Spencer takes a wide, diasporic view, highlighting actors, writers, and creators from the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and Guyana.

UVA Library staff recommend seven books and a TV show highlighting work created by and about Native Americans to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. Their choices range from crucial contemporary fiction to revelatory works describing forgotten experiences of Native people who encountered European colonialism.

From magical realism master Gabriel García Márquez to exciting debut novelist Xochitl Gonzalez, there are thousands of Latinx authors to celebrate during Hispanic Heritage Month, which overlaps September and the first few weeks of October. We’ve gathered some book recommendations from UVA librarians and Ph.D. candidates from the Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese Department.

Here are just a few of the books, films, and documents by and about queer folks that can be found at the UVA Library. This list only scratches the surface of what is out there, but provides a glimpse into queer history and culture, much of which has been historically ignored by mainstream cultural institutions like libraries, archives, museums, publishers, film studios, and others.

May is Asian American and Pacific American Heritage Month! Celebrate by reading literature, poetry, and more by Asian American and Pacific Island artists. Here’s a list prepared by Undergraduate Student Success Librarian Haley Gillilan to get you started.

UVa Librarians, as well as a few guests, recommend books with a focus on fiction and memoirs written by Jewish American women.

Want to explore Arab American literature but don’t know where to start? UVA Library holds a substantial collection of Arab American fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Amy Hunsaker, Librarian for Music and Performing Arts, prepared the list. Please direct research queries involving Arab American experiences, histories, and lives to Phil McEldowney, Librarian for Middle East and South Asia Studies.

Growing out of the first International Women’s Day on March 8, 1911, Women’s History Month was established when the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress in 1987 to designate March as a month to raise awareness of the full scope of often-overlooked women’s history. If you would like to dig more into women’s history, the Library has an abundance of resources to explore.

The aim of Black History Month is to celebrate the contributions that African Americans have made in the United States. Katrina Spencer, Librarian for African American and African Studies, shares some streaming content that was made by and about African Americans and also titles that represent some broader areas of the African diaspora.

One in five Americans lives with a disability. December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which the United Nations created as an annual observance in 1992. In recognition, Library staff recommended some books they’ve read recently.

November is Native American Heritage Month. Follow the conversation between Librarian for African American and African Studies Katrina Spencer and other Library staff discussing recommended titles from the Library collection about the histories, cultures, lands, and politics of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. For research guidance and queries about Indigenous groups, contact our Librarian for Art, Archaeology, & Indigenous Studies Lucie Wall Stylianopoulos.

Want to know which Hispanic and Latinx titles Library staff are reading? Follow the conversation between Video Collections Librarian Leigh Rockey and Librarian for African American and African Studies Katrina Spencer to discover some titles they recommend from around the world that are available in the Library’s collection. For research regarding represented geographies, peoples, and cultures, please contact Latin American and Iberian Studies Librarian Miguel Valladares-Llata.

Your Librarian for African American and African Studies Katrina Spencer loves graphic novels and comics. So, in keeping with July as Booklist’s Graphic Novels in Libraries Month, she has selected a few titles from a wealth of illustrious (and illustrated!) books.

All year round, but especially in June, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning communities celebrate, remember, and honor the lives of people who have advanced their human rights. Your Librarian for African American and African Studies, Katrina Spencer, recommends a few works as a way of helping you learn more about the peoples represented by the letters LGBTQ, their narratives, their questions, and their lives.

Please enjoy some book recommendations with reviews by UVA Library staff of narratives highlighting the Asian diaspora. The reading list was crowdsourced by Katrina Spencer, Librarian for African American and African Studies. For research queries centered on Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences, histories, and lives, contact the Library’s Director of Research in the Arts and Humanities Chris Ruotolo.