The Simón S. Lucuix Río de la Plata Library

Abstract

The circumstances of collection development and use vary wildly. The story of the library created between 1919 and 1963 by Simón Lucuix in Montevideo, Uruguay, and then purchased by the University of Texas in 1963, provides instructive scenarios in which to observe the continually changing needs and desires that impact collection development. The scenarios reveal the complex social relationships that created this library and the tumultuous political events that dispersed it. This account of the altered contexts of the Simón Lucuix Río de la Plata Library intends to challenge readers to research this collection and the history of those they steward.