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Michael Miller Research Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2024-06-28

Scope and Contents

Unprocessed collection contains material created and collected by Michael Miller during his illustrious career as an archivist, conservationist, preservationist, community activist and historian.

Boxes contain research folders, publications and manuscript material, and videos related particularly to: acequias, acriculture, historical monuments, local histories, oral history projects, youth programs, Soil and Water Conservation, symposiums and presentations, published works, and professional and project activities.

Dates

  • 1981 - 2024

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publications or distribution.

Biographical / Historical

Of special biographical note: Michael Miller was initial along with Rose Diaz in conceptualizing and establishing the Center for Southwest Research at the UNM Zimmerman Library. He was the first Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections director in 1990.

Michael Miller is a writer and poet from La Puebla, New Mexico. He is the author/contributor of thirteen books on New Mexico and the Southwest. He also writes for local, regional, and national publications on a variety of topics. His most recent book contribution is to TAOS: A TOPICAL HISTORY, 2013, which won the Lansing Bloom Book Award from the New Mexico Historical Society. He is a contributor to the book: RIO ARRIBA: A COUNTY HISTORY, 2010. He is the author of MONUMENTS OF ADOBE which won the Texas Publishing Award in 1992.

Since his retirement as Director of Research and Literary Arts at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) he has been active in the preservation of New Mexico's environment and cultural heritage. He was the co-founder and director of the youth education program, El Agua Sagrada y La Tierra Bendita at the Santa Cruz Irrigation District. He was also co-founder and consultant of Jardines del Bosque at NHCC. Michael believes "the traditional values of New Mexico and the rich heritage passed on by our ancestors is one of the most important ways to reach out to youth in our state and help eliminate the social problems which have emerged in the 21st century. Family, culture, tradition, respect for the Earth, spirituality, preservation of our natural resources and traditional knowledge should be preserved and passed on to future generations."

He served on the commission for La Acequia de la Puebla for twenty years, served as a volunteer firefighter for La Puebla Volunteer Fire Dept. for seventeen years, and served as Chair, of the Santa Fe/Pojoaque Soil and Water Conservation District. He has served as a volunteer at the EspaƱola Wild Life Center, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Santa Fe, as a historical research consultant and advisor for the Museo y Convento in EspaƱola, and currently contributes research and writing to the Taos County Historical Society. He has served as a consultant and volunteer at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. He is a contributor to the digital websites Voces de Santa Fe, (Voces de Santa Fe. Michael Miller) the New Mexico Historical website (NMDigitalHistory.com) under State Historian Estevan Rael-Galvez and the Acequia de la Puebla website.(AcequiadelaPuebla.com). He writes a monthly column for the RIO GRANDE SUN newspaper entitled Tradiciones y Historias. He lives on his family farm in La Puebla, New Mexico where he practices traditional agricultural and food production learned from indigenous cultures.

(Source: Biography folder in this collection - Box 1)

Extent

17 boxes

Language of Materials

English

Physical Location

B3-7A

Processing Information

Collection is unprocessed. Materials may be unorganized. No further description is available at this time. Researcher must sign unprocessed collection use form. Ask reference staff for additional information.
Title
Finding Aid of the Michael Miller Research Collection
Status
In Progress
Author
Samuel Sisneros
Date
7/5/2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451