Library Documents Photos of Barrio Life in Pima County

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Among their many roles, public librarians serve as guardians of our cultural heritage.

Such is the case in Pima County, Ariz., where, as this article in the Tuscon Citizen notes, the Pima County Public Library, along with the Arizona Historical Society, is creating a photo exhibit depicting barrio life in Tucson.

The term refers to the predominantly Hispanic historical neighborhoods in Tucson

The exhibit attempts to give a glimpse of the barrios prior to "the urban renewal projects that changed the landscape of the barrios forever."

As the article states, "Before the 1970s, Tucson’s downtown area barrios, or neighborhoods, were similar to extended families. Neighborhoods had their own personalities filled with families that knew one another, and merchants that catered to the particular needs of their customers."

Then, "between roughly 1965 and 1971, the barrios were replaced by urban renewal projects. The Tucson Convention Center now stands near what once were several barrios. Other barrios were impacted too as projects seeking to enhance downtown razed the barrios and caused downtown dwellers to move into new neighborhoods.

In the article, Christine Dykgraaf, the librarian's project leader states, “We hope to attract members of all the different groups that lived in the downtown barrios, so that we can create a truly inclusive and accurate exhibit for our Centennial project. We feel that the people who lived in the barrios, those with cherished memories from that time, are the best suited to select the photos to tell the photographic story we hope to put on display.”

The library's website has a listing of the barrios.

Once selected, the images will be on display at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone, between Feb. 11 and March 11.