NYLARNet Partner:
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro)

Centro is the only university-based research institute in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the Puerto Rican experience and the oldest and largest Latino research and archival institution in the Northeast. Founded in 1973 by a coalition of faculty, students and community leaders, Centro seeks to link scholarly inquiry to social action and policy debates through its network of education, research, archival, advocacy and community-based partners. Centro research bears important implications for the study of Puerto Ricans, Latinos and other racial and ethnic communities in the U.S. Centro is also a founding member of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research [IUPLR] since 1989. The IUPLR, currently composed of 16 affiliate centers, is the most extensive consortium of Latino research centers in the US.

As a university-based Puerto Rican research center, Centro staff and researchers are interested in a comprehensive understanding of the Puerto Rican diasporic experience in the US and in relevant socioeconomic and historical aspects regarding Puerto Rico. Given its history and role within CUNY, the Centro is particularly interested in New York's Puerto Rican and ethnic communities. One of the most important units at Centro is the Library and Archives: the principal Puerto Rican Studies research collection in the United States and the most extensive Latino research and archival facility in the Northeast. It is also the only library and archives in the State of New York exclusively dedicated to Puerto Rican and Latino documentation. Over the years the Library and Archives has evolved to meet the needs and demands of an ever-expanding constituency. It is open to the public and serves diverse users, scholars and the general public from the New York area, from other parts of the U.S. and from abroad.

Visit Centro's website.