Professional Organizations
Belonging to professional organizations and attending conferences are excellent ways to connect with community and keep abreast of innovations and key issues in the field.- Modern Language Association (MLA)MLA is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature.
- Latin American Studies Association (LASA)The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional Association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. There are over 12,000 members, nearly 60 percent of whom reside outside the United States.
- Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA)BRASA is an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars who support and promote Brazilian studies in all fields, especially in the humanities and social sciences. BRASA is dedicated to the promotion of Brazilian studies around the world in general, and in the United States in particular.
Journal Alerts
A good way to keep current is to monitor key journals in your field. Most databases will allow you to sign up for email alerts, including alerts related to your keywords.
- JournalTOCsis the biggest searchable collection of scholarly journal Tables of Contents (TOCs). You can create a free account and receive alerts when new issues of the journals you are interested in are published.
Resources in the DC area
Take advantage of libraries and archives in the DC area:- The Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC)The WRLC was established in 1987 by some of the major universities in the Washington D.C. area to share library collections and information technology in order to enhance the resources available to their students and faculty. Georgetown participates in the WRLC through its Consortium Loan Service (CLS) and through cooperative collection development. You can request consortium member books through the WRLC catalog and they will be sent to Lauinger Library for pickup.
- Dumbarton Oaks Library & ArchivesDumbarton Oaks Research Library exists to advance scholarship in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies. If you meet the guidelines, you can request access to these collections.
- Library of Congress Hispanic DivisionThe Hispanic Reading Room is the primary access point for research related to the Caribbean, Latin America, Spain and Portugal; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic heritage, including Latinos in the U.S. and peoples of Portuguese or Spanish heritage in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
- Columbus Memorial Library (OAS)The Columbus Memorial Library is responsible for the Archives and Records Management Program of the OAS General Secretariat, and for preserving and indexing the OAS official documents, as well as carrying out the functions of a traditional library.
- Smithsonian LibrariesThe Smithsonian Libraries system is comprised of 20 branch libraries, which serve Smithsonian Institution staff as well as the scholarly community and general public with information and reference support. Its collections number over 1.5 million volumes including 40,000 rare books and 2,000 manuscripts.
Many of these important organizations post research, data and publications on their websites. You can also subscribe to their newsletters to find out about upcoming events.- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)Established in 1959, the IDB is the largest source of development financing in Latin America and the Caribbean. On the IDB website you can access their research publications, subscribe to their mailing list, and find out about upcoming events.
- Organization of American States (OAS)The OAS is an international organization that promotes regional collaboration and cooperation, among member countries regarding issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence. They promote economic, social, and cultural development. Their website provides access to: organizational information; official documents and reports; national legal resources; publications; organizational events
- Pan-American Health OrganizationPAHO is the specialized international health agency for the Americas, working with member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes, to strengthen health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters. On the website you can access publications and data, which includes national health profiles and reports.
- World BankThe World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.
You can access World Bank Open Data, Open Learning Campus, Research and publications on their website. - Inter-American FoundationThe Inter-American Foundation, or IAF, is an independent agency of the United States government that funds development projects undertaken by grassroots groups and nongovernmental organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Wilson Center - Latin American ProgramThe Wilson Center’s Latin American Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere.
