*Hours are subject to change without prior notice.*
Brownsville Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday
8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Saturday
Request a research appointment
Sunday
Closed
Contact Us
(956) 882-7968
archives@utrgv.edu
*Hours are subject to change without prior notice.*
Edinburg Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Thursday
8:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.
Friday
8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Saturday
9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Sunday & Monday
Closed
Contact Us
(956) 665-2726
archives@utrgv.edu
UTRGV's Special Collections & University Archives collect and make accessible to researchers primary source (original) materials such as correspondence, business files, maps, and photographs from local people and businesses which illustrate the history of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Northeast Mexico. Our collections consist of over 25,000 books, newspapers, and journals, and over an estimated 1 million archival items.
We are also the archives of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and as such we steward the output of the university: its publications, research, correspondence, and related publicity.
Special Collections & University Archives have two offices; one on UTRGV's Brownsville campus and one on the Edinburg campus.
Anybody can use Special Collections & Archives. We are open by appointment or walk-in, though contacting us ahead of your visit is encouraged. Please call us at 956.882.7968 (Brownsville) or 956.665.2726 (Edinburg), or email us at archives@utrgv.edu for assistance.
Our items are unique and many cannot be replaced if damaged, lost, or stolen. It is our goal to keep these documents safe for you and all future researchers. For this reason, we have guidelines and restrictions on use. Please read our Guidelines for User Access for more information about visiting the Archives.
In general, we can transfer books from our holdings, including rare books, between campus offices, but as a matter of policy we do not transfer archival items (things like photographs, ledgers, correspondences, slides, and other unique items). Researchers will need to visit the campus at which archival items are stored to view those materials.
We do! Special Collections & University Archives have our materials on two platforms: UTRGV's Digital Collections and UTRGV's Institutional Repository. Resources on these platforms can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, and are keyword searchable.
How do I cite materials from your collections in my research?
The Library does not own the copyright in much of the material in its collection and is therefore unable to grant copyright permission to publish those items. It is the researcher's responsibility to determine copyright and other possible restrictions on reuse (e.g. publicity, privacy, moral rights) and to obtain proper permission when publishing or distributing materials found in these collections. Click here for more information on digital collections rights and use.
As a courtesy, we request that whenever quoting material from our collection you cite us as the source of the material as follows:
[Collection name], [Department name (Border Studies Archives) or (Library Archives and Special Collections) or (UTRGV Digital Library)], The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley
Can I reproduce or publish materials from your collections?
If you would like to use one or more of Special Collections & University Archives' resources for publication, whether in print or online, we ask you to must fill out a licensing and reproduction form. Please complete the Agreement for Use of Reproductions of Materials and email it to archives@utrgv.edu. We will consider your request and get back to you shortly. Feel free to contact us for additional assistance, or with any questions that you may have.
