Western European Collections

The French and Italian collections at the University of Texas at Austin include primarily print and electronic material, microfilm/microfiche, and audiovisual material (DVDs, videocassettes, and streaming video). Strengths of the collection include Francophone literature in Latin America/Caribbean and Africa, literary history, film, linguistics, and the Medieval/Renaissance period across the Liberal and Fine Arts. Material in the University of Texas Libraries – Perry-Castañeda Library, the Fine Arts Library and Benson Latin American Collection – is complemented by the French and Italian Collections of the Ransom Center and several collections of the Blanton Museum of Art. A core collection of bandes dessinées in French and in translation supports emerging campus interest in graphic novels and comics generally.

The Iberian collection of the University of Texas at Austin consist of over 78,000 holdings in several disciplines, with a particular emphasis in literature, literary criticism, linguistics and history. Our holdings are mainly located in the Perry-Castañeda Library , the Harry Ransom Center and the Benson Latin American Collection. The priority of the Iberian collections is to provide a comprehensive and complete representation of famous literary work. 

The Spanish collection has a solid representation of all major literary figures and genres of Spanish literature, including medieval drama and poetry, Golden Age literature, the picaresque novel and contemporary fiction and poetry. Our Spanish collection also comprises literary work in Catalan, Basque and Gallegan. Our holdings also have a fair representation of Spanish history. On the other hand, our Portuguese collection covers all literary period and genres of Portuguese literature, with a particular strength in Troubadour poets of the 12th century and literary works of the 20th century.

The Germanic collection of the University of Texas at Austin consists of over 221,000 resources in all formats. Our collection focuses on Germanic literature, linguistics, cinema, history and German sports. We also have an outstanding fiction collection that is frequently used by other universities. Among our most valuable resources is our collection covering German immigrants in Texas beginning in the 1800s.