“Historians predict the past. We gather as much information as we can about what happened and then we organize that evidence into understandable stories. Where does this information come from? From the letters, documents, governmental and business reports, newspapers, and yes, even from those shoeboxes full of photos and mementos which the public donates to archives. At NMSU, the Rio Grande Historical Collection (RGHC), in the library’s archives and special collections department, is the best source for information about the past in southern New Mexico and the nearby borderlands.

Over the years, I have donated many boxes of records to RGHC including the community projects about local history conducted by students in NMSU’s Public History Program, as well as photos and letters from friends and family. These records along with the millions of pages of documents and photos preserved by the RGHC allow family members, community scholars, historic homeowners, policy analysts, and many more to get a better understanding of themselves, their families, their communities, and our region. Without such knowledge, the past would be unpredictable.”

Jon Hunner, Professor Emeritus, NMSU

Donor of Research Collections to NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections

“The American Association of University Women – Las Cruces (AAUW-LC) donated its collection to the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections years ago with records dating as far back as 1938. AAUW-LC is a branch of the national AAUW, which is dedicated to equality for women and girls, with a focus on educational parity. We began the collection when we realized that the Las Cruces branch, the first one established in New Mexico in 1923, was playing a significant role in women’s progress in our state and the nation. Our collection documents how educated women worked to move women into higher educational positions, at a time when they had few choices beyond classroom teaching and home economics. We benefit from having our collection at the Archives because we know it will be stored under appropriate conditions, cataloged properly for easy access, and available for public use but kept intact. We take pride in our accomplishments, using the collection as evidence of our work. As we move toward our 100th anniversary, the collection is playing a vital part in showing how women have evolved and serving as an inspiration to continue moving forward.”

Ruth Jaure

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

“The NMSU Archive and Special Collections is an extraordinarily valuable resource for the Native Plant Society of New Mexico, our state, our region, and for our country and world.

Many years ago, when I became president of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico, I discovered that NPSNM had records preserved in the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections. Though no deposits had been made in a long time, I saw what a valuable resource the Archives provide us in not just preserving the history of our organization, but also in providing a basis for further research in promoting our mission of being 'the voice for native plants.' Since transitioning to being an NPSNM board member, my status has been redefined as the Documentarian. During several trips from my home in Santa Fe to NMSU, bringing NPSNM records to the Archives, I have been deeply gratified by the welcoming and professional help of the Archives staff. I was also especially privileged to have been invited to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Special Collections. It gave me a glimpse of the broad reach of the Archives and Special Collections and what treasures they preserve for future generations.

My NPSNM board successor, Kathleen Hall, and I are planning a trip together to the Archives to further explore and develop our archive. We hope to continue to preserve the half-century-plus efforts of people in our region to educate the public, especially in these times of climate change, about the value of native plants in their existence, as well as in helping our society navigate challenges such as drought and land use development. One of our goals is to try to establish a way for our archives to serve as a basis for citizen science and other research by, for example, cataloging plant lists from the numerous NPSNM field trips held by the chapters in these last decades.

The location of NPSNM archives at NMSU could not be more appropriate. NPSNM owes deep gratitude to the Archives and Special Collections for their professionalism and dedication in providing us with a means of giving future generations our experience from the past. Thank you.”

Barbara Fix

Native Plant Society of New Mexico

“I once described my job as a writer as mainly someone 'who looks stuff up.' I learned early on that the best place to go looking is the library. Its storehouse of information -­ the foundation of all good writing - is available to anyone. I've been fortunate to live down the road from New Mexico State University, and its libraries. In addition to its trove of books, the NMSU Library Archives house what I consider the most valuable collection of primary sources for the region. The Archives are where, for example, I had access to a manuscript about turn-of-the-century Hillsboro. The author's first-person account provided key details for a chapter I wrote for Martha Shipman Andrews' book, Out of the Shadows: The Women of Southern New Mexico. Over the years I've used archive sources in writing four books, including Las Cruces: An Illustrated History, Ghost Towns Alive: Trips to New Mexico's Past, and One Book at a Time: The History of the Library in New Mexico. Now, my own papers, including interviews, notes, and business records will be housed in the Archives. It's my fond hope that these papers will help people, such as students and writers in their search for details that bring their work to life. The donation is given in small part with gratitude to the archivists who over the years have given me the gifts of their professionalism and their friendship.”

Linda G. Harris, Author

NMSU ARCHIVES: A Writer's Storehouse

“Our parents, Mary Daniels Taylor and J. Paul Taylor from Mesilla, have been donating archival material to the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections for the past 30 years, so that they can be accessible to the public. With these donations, the Taylor family hopes the history of the Mesilla Valley and the Borderlands can be better understood and appreciated.

The Rio Grande Historical Collections (RGHC) unit within the Archives has received extensive notes and original documents from our mother’s research into Mesilla Valley history, and specifically, the historic town of Mesilla. Much of her research has been gleaned from the Archbishopric of Durango archives that the RGHC, through the efforts of our parents, the Bishop of Durango, and Maria Teresa Dorador Reyes, microfilmed over a 15-year period. This microfilm contains more than one million pages, much of which chronicles the history of what is today New Mexico, and is available to researchers of colonial and Mexican period history. The RGHC continues to receive extensive collections from our 102-year-old father, documenting his work as Town of Mesilla trustee, New Mexico state representative, and board member of many institutions and non-profit organizations throughout the state. The RGHC also safeguards and shares genealogical records and historic photographs from both of our parents. It has always been responsive to requests for research material held in its clean and well-organized holdings that are expertly cared for by its staff.

The Taylor family is very pleased to know that the archival material it has donated will be well cared for and available to the public for future generations. We highly recommend other families consider donating their historic family archives to this venerable institution.”

Michael Romero Taylor

On behalf of the J. Paul and Mary Daniels Taylor Family