Mexican Libraries: An Overview*

Jesús Lau, Ph.D.jlau@uv.mx

www.jesuslau.comDirector, USBI VER Library, and Coordinator, UV Virtual Library

Universidad Veracruzana /DGBBoca del Río, Veracruz, México

www.uv.mx/usbi_ver www.uv.mx/bvirtual

*The first version was presented at Transborder Library Forum, 2005

Objectives - Topics

Talk about institutions that shape Mexican libraries:

– Library schools– Associations– Vendors– Serials– Conferences

Evaluate challenges and contributions

Demographics

14th in geographical size 7th in exports 2nd trade partner of the US Largest Spanish-speaking country 2nd economy in Latin America A middle income country Literacy 93% Ranks with some of the best libraries in

Latin America

Library Historical Dates: 900 – 1700´s

(Fernández de Zamora, 1988)

1400 Amoxcalli – Aztec codex (Amoxtli) libraries

1511 First book to arrive in Mexico from Europe

1539 First Printing press

1555 First book published in Mexico - Alonso de Molina Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana

1788 Opening of the first public library – Turriana Library

1790 First Copyright law

1790 Foundation of the National Achives - Archivo General de la Nación (Original name: Archivo General de la Nueva

España)

1867 Decree to create the National Library – Biblioteca Nacional

1882 National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics (Originally as Dirección Geografía y Estadística, DGE) – Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, Geografía e Informática

1921 First Department of Public Libraries, Ministry of Public Education - Dirección de Bibliotecas Populares

1922 First public library building - Biblioteca Publica Cervantes

1924/1954 Mexican Association of Librarians – Asociación Mexicana de Bibliotecarios, AC

1945 National School of Library and Archive Sciences – Escuela Nacional de Biblioteconomía y Archivonomía

Library Historical Dates: 1800 - 1950

1956 Opening of the UNAM Main Library Building - Biblioteca Central UNAM

1957 First National Library Conference - Jornadas Mexicanas de Biblioteconomía, organized annually since 1974

1970 Foundation National Council of Science and Technology (An early funding body for special and university libraries) –

Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología

1972 Starts first library science Master´s Degree – UNAM

1975 First academic library building of a technological institute – IT Saltillo

1979 Foundation of the National Association of Professional Librarians - Colegio Nacional de Bibliotecarios, AC

1978 First Mexican integral (mainframe) library system – LIBRUNAM, UNAM

Library Historical Dates: 1950 - 1980

1983 First release of library software SIABUC (Most popular free library software in Latin America, Universidad de Colima

1984 Foundation of the National Council for Academic Libraries – CONPAB-IES, Consejo Nacional de Asuntos Bibliotecarios de Instituciones de Educación Superior

1986 First librarian to get a Ph.D (From the US) - Jaime Pontigo

1999 UNAM Ph.D. Program opens - UNAM

2003 Mexican Information Literacy Standards - UACJ

Library Historical Dates: 1990 - 2000

Library Statistics (INEGI, 2008)

Type Libraries Volumes

School 5,428* 17,162,907**

Academic 1,133** 16,422,598**

Special 227* 2,576,889**

Public 7,331* 27,067,572**

National 1** 1,250,000**

Others 5** 449,160**

Total 14,125 64,929,126

* INEGI 2008 **INEGI 2005

Library Education

10 Library and information science schools

• 8 Undergraduate • 4 Master´s programs • 1 Ph.D

2 Two distance programs (One is web based)

1 Offers archives studies

Library Associations

AMBAC - Asociación Mexicana de Bibliotecarios, AC, 1924 www.ambac.org.mx

CNB - Colegio Nacional de Bibliotecarios, AC (CNB), 1979 www.cnb.org.mx

ASAR - Asociación de Administradores de Recursos Informativos, AC (Chihuahua), 1998 www.asar.org.mx

BIBAC - Asociación de Bibliotecarios en Biomedicina, AC, 1976 www.difusion.com.mx/proficsa/

Library Associations (2)

ABJ - Asociación Jalisciense de Bibliotecarios, AC (AJBAC), 1979 www.ajbac.org/

ANBAGRO - Asociación Nacional de Bibliotecarios Agropecuarios, AC, 1983

AMABPAC - Asociación Mexicana de Archivos y Bibliotecas Privados, AC, 1994 www.amabpac.org.mx/

Others: Nuevo León, Baja California, Michoacán, Sonora

Library Serials

Biblioteca Universitaria: Boletín informativo - Dirección General de Bibliotecas (UNAM)

Bibliotecas y Archivos (ENBA) Información, producción, comunicación y

servicios (Infoconsultores) Investigación Bibliotecológica: archivonomía,

bibliotecología e información (UNAM)

Library Serials (2)

Noticiero (AMBAC)

Memorias- Jornadas Mexicanas de Biblioteconomía (AMBAC)

Infobila – Bibliographic database (UNAM)

Other: Conference Proceedings

General Library Conferences

– Jornadas Mexicanas de Biblioteconomía, AMBAC, 1957-

– Coloquio Internacional de Bibliotecarios, FIL-UDG, 1993-

– Reunión Celebración Biblioteca de Ciencia y Tecnología, IPN, 1999-

– Reunión de bibliotecarios de la Península de Yucatán, UADY, 1994-

Specialized Library Conferences

Library Research– Coloquio Internacional de Investigación

Bibliotecológica y de Información, CUIB, 1980-

Information Literacy– Encuentro sobre Desarrollo de Habilidades

Informativas, UACJ, 1998- (Bi-annual)

Cooperation– Foro Transfronterizo de Bibliotecas, Host varies,

1990- (Bi-annual)– Amigos, UDLA, 2000- (Bi-annual)

Specialized Library Conferences (2)

Automation / IT– Interfaces, UCOL, 1983-– Enlínea@2004, ITESM-CM, 1998-

Academic Libraries – Conferencia Internacional sobre Bibliotecas

Universitarias, UNAM, 2000-– Reunión Anual (de bibliotecas académicas),

CONPAB, 1984-

Management– Coloquio sobre Capital humano y Liderazgo en

Bibliotecas, UV, 2003-

Main International Vendors

Brodart CSA EBSCO México Elsevier Grupo Difusión Científica (Thompson) Infoconsultores Infoestratégica (Dialog, EIU, BL) Información Científica Internacional (ICI) ISI Emerging Markets Infolatina Proquest OCLC Swets Information Services

Mexican Library Software Companies

CompaniesJanium Technology (Janium)

Sistemas Lógicos (Logicat)

Universidad de Colima (SIABUC)

Strengths and comments Strong library software presence of Mexico

in Latin America Need to keep abreast of users´ needs

Publishing

Strengths: Most big book publishers operate in country Mexico is a leader in book printing in LA Children´s literature has a good output

Comments: Bookstores are scarce, aproximate figures of

all book outlets is 500

Serial Repository – REDALyC(http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/, 2008)

Major open access multidisciplinary journal repository

543………….Full-text journals

96,427………Articles

70,000 ………Daily articles download

Book Fairs

Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (November)

Feria del Libro de Minería (México City, March)

Feria del Libro Infantil (November, México City)

Feria Internacional del Libro Universitario (Veracruz, September)

Fería del Libro de la Ciudad de Monterrey (September)

Several smaller book fairs take place in major cities

Books Vendors

CSI Blackwells Educomsa GlobalBook Grupo Difusión Científica Nye Omicron Somohano Express YBP

Transborder CooperationRelevant to Mexico

Library training Visiting professors to library schools Conference attendance Speaking at conferences Web information exchange Librarians visits and stays Translation of library materiales/publications

Transborder CooperationRelevant to Mexico (2)

Exhibiting in Mexican conferences Join library association membership Collaborative preservation of special

collections Exchange of best library practices Joint digital proyects, joint borrowing

agreements

Conclusions

Important to know our Northern neighbours, it paves the way to cooperation

Mexican library scene is shaped on North American practices

Libraries date back to several centuries

Good library development in recent decades

Conclusions (2)

Current library challenges are: budgets, visibility, management and technology

Mexican library market is still small

There are opportunities for collaboration across borders

Cooperation is permeated by organization culture, and socio-economic development

References Fernández de Zamora, Rosa María. “Cronología

bibliotecaria mexicana 1900 – 1988”. En: Investigación bibliotecológica: archivonomía, bibliotecología e información, vol. 2, (3), 1987.

Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática - INEGI [Accessed June 26, 2008]. www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.aspx?s=est&c=2393

Lau, Jesús. Directorio bibliotecológico México [Accessed June 26, 2008], www.jesuslau.com