Spain

Venezuela Today: Hope In Uncertain Times Esperanza en tiempos de incertidumbre A virtual bilingual conference at UC Berkeley Library, April 13. 2026

Posted on April 9, 2026April 9, 2026 by Liladhar

All are invited to Venezuela Today: Hope In Uncertain Times
Venezuela: esperanza en tiempos de incertidumbre
A virtual bilingual conference at UC Berkeley Library, April 13. 2026

From 10 am to 12: 30 pm PDT/ 1 pm to 3:30 pm EDT (Caracas Time)/ 7 pm-9:30 pm (Madrid Time)

We remain extremely grateful to UC Berkeley Library’s administration and to our University Librarian, Suzanne Wones, for her constant support and encouragement.

In the wake of 2026’s shifts, Venezuela faces both hope and uncertainty. This virtual conference brings experts together to examine post-crisis realities: rebuilding institutions, managing oil sovereignty, and bridging the diaspora-local divide. Join us for an honest discussion on the transition from authoritarianism to stabilization and its human cost. This conference is free and open to all with prior registration. One must have a Zoom account to attend this conference. First authenticate by signing into you individual zoom accounts and then register.

A Banner of Venezuela Today Virtual Conference at UC Berkeley Library

A banner for Venezuela Today Conference at UC Berkeley LibraryConference Sponsors:
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
UC Berkeley Library, Social Sciences Division
The Daily Journal

Robert H. Merriman Plaque online kick-off event 10/3/23

Posted on September 28, 2023February 12, 2026 by Claude Potts

*Dr. Mark Strauss and Robert Merriman at the Estado Mayor of the Brigade at the Fuentes de Ebro, probably on October 12, 1937. ALBA Photo 11-0766 Tamiment Library, New York University.*

Please join us in celebrating the memory of the UC Berkeley graduate student in economics, who gave his life fighting fascism in Spain as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

Remembering Robert H. Merriman (1908-1938):
From Berkeley to the Trenches of the Spanish Civil War

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Pacific (PST)

Online event (registration required)

Robert Hale Merriman (1908-1938) was a UC Berkeley graduate student in economics and native Californian, who was among the first of some 2,800 American men and women to join the International Brigades to fight for democracy during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). This diverse and racially integrated group of volunteers formed the unit known today as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, in which Merriman was quickly promoted to major, becoming one of the highest-ranking Americans in the conflict. He went missing in action on April 2, 1938, near the Ebro River in the province of Tarragona.

The University of Barcelona’s DIDPATRI research group has offered UCB a second casting of the commemorative plaque that stands today in the village where it is believed that Merriman was held and then executed by the fascists. We are launching a fundraiser to cover the costs of its installation at the center of campus near Memorial Glade, which honors UC Berkeley veterans of World War II.

This memorial will contribute to the educational mission of the University as a readily accessible stop for campus tours, as well as a relatable point of reference for interdisciplinary classes touching on twentieth century history. Its location near The Bancroft Library, where the Bay Area Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Post Records are archived, will also call attention to the research opportunities available there. These records were donated by Merriman’s widow, Marion Merriman Wachtel, who accompanied him in Spain where she was also a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

Project sponsored by the Department of Spanish & Portuguese at UC Berkeley.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit ucblib.link/robert-merriman.

Spring bloom: new ebooks from OpenEdition

Posted on March 19, 2023April 4, 2023 by Claude Potts

It’s that time of year when we choose new ebook titles from OpenEdition. Below you will find a few that have made it to the list. Please send other recommendations to the Librarian for Romance Languages by April 1.

Since 2014, the UC Berkeley Library has supported this initiative based at the Université d’Aix-Marseille to open scholarly content from Europe and France in particular to the world. The Freemium program allows the UC Berkeley community to participate in an acquisitions policy that both supports sustainable development of open access (OA) and that respects the needs of teaching, research and learning communities. With our participation, faculty, students, and other researchers can benefit from greater functionality while making it possible for anyone in the world to view in html and in open access 70% of the ebook catalog of more than 13,000 titles.

Through the Freemium model, UC Berkeley gains access to preferred formats (pdf, epub, etc.) with no DRM quotas and seamless access to the content with UC Library Search.