Arnulfo Trejo

Arnulfo Trejo died in his home in Tucson, Arizona in 2002, at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife, Ninfa, and daughters, Rachel, Rebecca and Ruth.

His third wife Ninfa Trejo (married in 1995), continues the work of the Trejo Foster Foundation as President of the Foundation.

In 1992, Trejo, his sister Luisa Duenes Trejo, and his second wife, Annette M. Foster Trejo, created the Trejo Foster Foundation for Hispanic Library Education (TFF) which has sponsored national institutes for library education to serve the information needs of Latinos. The TFF was formed as a “think-tank” to address issues concerning library and information science education.

In 1980 Trejo cofounded Hispanic Books Distributors, a Spanish language book seller aimed at increasing the availability of Spanish-language materials to libraries in the United States.

In 1975 he founded the Graduate Library Institute for Spanish-speaking Americans (GLISA), an American Library Association-accredited master's degree program for training librarians. During the institute's four-year existence Trejo was directly involved in recruiting Latino students into the program and contributed to their education.

In 1971 he and Elizabeth Martinez founded the National Association of Spanish Speaking Librarians in the United States, which would later be called REFORMA; it is today a prominent organization for Latino librarians as well as for librarians serving Latino communities. Trejo was inspired to help start REFORMA after a screening of the film I Am Joaquin, based on the epic poem “I Am Joaquin” by Corky Gonzalez, and exploring the struggles and exploitation of Mexican Americans. He served as president of the organization from 1971 to 1974. In recognition of his importance to the organization, REFORMA's Librarian of the Year Award is named after Trejo; it is the Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the Year (LOTY) award.

Trejo won the Simón Bolivar Award, Colegio de Bibliotecónomos of Venezuela, 1970; El Tiradito Awards, El Tiradito Foundation, 1973 and 1975; annual award from League of Mexican-American Women, 1973; Rosenzweig Award, Arizona State Library Association, 1976; Distinguished Alumni Award, Kent State University School of Library Science. In 2001, the American Library Association (ALA) granted Trejo Honorary Membership, an honor conferred on a living citizen of any country whose contribution to librarianship or a closely related field is so outstanding that it is of lasting importance to the advancement of the whole field of library service. It is intended to reflect honor upon the ALA as well as upon the individual.

When he started his position as a Professor of Library Science at the University of Arizona in 1965, Trejo was one of only five Hispanic librarians in the nation.

Trejo was born in Villa Vicente Guerrero, Durango, Mexico. He moved to the United States at the age of three, gaining American citizenship in 1944 during his service with the U.S. Army during World War II with the 143 Infantry Division in the South Pacific. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He earned a B.A. in Education, University of Arizona, 1949; M.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, University of the Americas, 1951; M.A. in Library Science, Kent State University, 1953; Litt.D. (with honors), National University of Mexico, 1959.

Arnulfo Duenes Trejo (August 15, 1922 – July 5, 2002) was a writer and Professor of Library Science at the University of Arizona. He was a leader in the movement to increase library collections of Latino literature and Spanish-language materials in the United States. He was also instrumental in efforts to train more Latino and Spanish-speaking people as professional librarians.