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Arizona State University is reviving its Bilingual Press, which has been largely dormant since the 1970s.

The press launched its initiative by reissuing short literary works known as the "librito" series.

Anita Huizar-Hernandez, associate director of the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State, said the books will help rebuild cultural connections which have been lost.

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"What we are seeing today is lack of understanding of the complexity of not only Chicano and Latino communities but also the places that they've lived and the interconnectedness of those communities with all other communities," Huizar-Hernandez explained.

The Bilingual Press was created in the 1970s to give more authors an outlet for their work during the Chicano movement. The first librito, "Día de los Muertos: A Chicano Arts Legacy," by Mathew Sandoval, was released in early October.

Huizar-Hernandez pointed out while the literary works are important, the press's real goal is to make content accessible to as many people as possible, across all cultures.

"We know some people in our communities are more comfortable in English, some are more contactable in Spanish," Huizar-Hernandez acknowledged. "How do we talk to each other both internally, to the Latino community, as well as people beyond that community? Because we know that no community exists in isolation. We are all connected to one another and that's something that should be of interest to many people."

Huizar-Hernandez added the Bilingual Press is exploring opportunities to publish books in more than just English and Spanish, including some making some publications available in indigenous languages.