Costo Library of the American Indian and Costo Archive
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| Commemorative Plaque located in
Costo Reading Room. |
Rupert Costo, a Cahuilla man, and Jeanette Dulce Costo, an
Eastern Cherokee, initiated this library
when they merged their private collections after their marriage
in 1954. The material was collected over a period of fifty
years. Founders of the American Indian Historical Society
in 1964, the Costos worked tirelessly for the rights and opportunities
of all peoples. Confident in the value of historical scholarships
to establish truth and promote justice, they wrote and published
Native American books, newspapers and journals.
The Costos had long sought a suitable place to house their
collection for research and study. In 1986, they gave their
library to the University of California, Riverside. A special
ceremony marked the installation of this library as well as
its rededication in
the year 2002. The library is one of the most important collections
of research materials relating to the Native Americans in
the United States and the world.
The Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian comprises
over 7,000 books and thousands of
documents collected over a fifty year period including: tribal
records, treaties, water rights agreements, litigation briefs,
and other papers of legal significance; the complete records
and inventory of the American Indian Historical Society Press,
founded by the Costos, and a number of artifacts,
including rare Indian baskets and paintings by Native American
artists. The rarer items, which include old books, art albums,
and scarce booklets issued by individual tribes and researchers,
are shelved in Special Collections.
The Costo Library is of great
significance to scholars and researchers in American Indian
history and supports the chair in American Indian History
endowed by the American Indian Historical Society and the
Costos.
The Costo Collection Is Seeking
Classics of Native Native American History as Donations
Special Collections Staff and Map of
Location.
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