California State University San Bernardino, John M. Pfau Library-Latino Baseball History Project

Initiated in 2004 as a collaboration between the California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) John F. Kennedy Library and The Baseball Reliquary, the Project resulted in the creation of the first baseball exhibit, “Mexican American Baseball in Los Angeles: From the Barrios to the Big Leagues”. The inaugural exhibit was received an overwhelming public response, several awards and recognitions, including the Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for Public Humanities (December, 2007). In 2007 the co-founder of the project at CSULA, Cesar Caballero, accepted a new position as University Librarian and Dean of the John M. Pfau Library at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). Based on the success and interest that was generated from the initial exhibit, Dean Caballero and Terry Cannon, the other Project co-founder and Executive Director of The Baseball Reliquary created a plan to expand the project. Toward this effort, the Project was re-launched in May 2009 as “The Latino Baseball Project: The Mexican-American Experience,” with an opening reception that attracted over 200 guests from the community, including a wealth of former baseball players and their families. In July 2009, we hosted a “Latino Baseball Reunion” that was also well attended and was a success in that numerous ball players and their families brought artifacts for scanning and cataloging. In July 2010, a second Reunion was convened with more artifacts being donated and significantly, a more diverse response from community participants, including students. All the events have been carefully planned and hosted in a manner that welcomes the general community to the campus, builds ‘ownership’ of the Project from the veterans, so that they are valued as key to the success of the endeavor, and fosters a greater interest from the at large public to take note and interest in the ongoing activities and impact of the Project.