12th Transborder Library Forum (México-USA-Canadá) 'Information without borders' Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua March 9, 2005

1. Understanding
Mexican Libraries : A
Contemporary Overview
12th Transborder Library Forum (México-USA-
Canadá)
“Information without borders”
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua
March 9-11, 2005
Jesús Lau, Ph.D.
Director, USBI VER Library, and Coordinator, UV
Virtual Library
Universidad Veracruzana /DGB
Boca del Río, Veracruz, México
jlau@uv.mx
www.jesuslau.com
www.uv.mx/usbi_ver / www.uv.mx/bvirtual

2. Objectives - Topics
1. Talk about institutions that shape the Mexican
library and information world:
 Library schools
 Associations
 Vendors
 Serials
 Conferences
 Library research centers
2. Evaluate challenges and contributions
3. Discuss transborder cooperation potential
4. Provide subjective comments
5. Data comes from different sources
6. Handouts are drafts, corrections are welcome

3. DemographicsDemographics
 14th in geographical size
 7th in exports
 3rd trade partner of the US
 Largest Spanish-speaking country
 2nd economy in Latin America
 A middle income country
 Literacy 90%
 Ranks with some of the best libraries in
Latin America

4. Library Historical Dates:
900 – 1700´s
 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)

5.  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

6.  1956 Opening of the UNAM Central 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:Library Historical Dates:
1950 - 19801950 - 1980

7.  1983 First release of library software SIABUC (Most popular
free library software) – 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

8. Library Statistics
Type Centers Volumes
School 4,689 17,162,907
Academic 1,133 16,422,598
Special 175 2,576,889
Public 5,313 27,067,572
National 1 1,250,000
Others 5 449,160
Total 11,315 64,179,126

9. Library Education
 9 Library and information science
schools
7 Undergraduate
4 Master´s programs
1 Ph.D
 2 Two distance programs (One is
web based)
 1 Offers achives studies
 Mostly located in central México

10. LIS Schools
 Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
 Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
 Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
 Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua
 Escuela Nacional de Biblioteconomía y
Archivonomía
 Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de
Monterrey
 El Colegio de México, AC
 Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México
 Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara

11. Library Education - Comments
Strengths:
• Faculty (part-time) do their best
• Qualified graduates in technical skills
Challenges:
3. Full-time faculty
4. Professional competencies (English,
management)
5. Do research

12. 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/

13. 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/
 Other: Nuevo León, Baja California, Michoacán,
Sonora

14. Associations - Comments
 Strengths:
 Do their best with low fees
 Hard work of leaders
 Challenges:
 Modernize their management
 Become economically self-sufficient
 Offer relevant services to membership

15. Research Centers
 Centro Universitario de
Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas
(UNAM)
 Centro de Investigaciones
Bibliográficas, Biblioteca Nacional
(UNAM)

16. Library Research - Comments
CUIB:
 Good publishing output
 Cover different subjects
 One of the best centers, if not the best in
Latin America (LA)
 A good source of written materiales for LA
 Publishes a leading library science journal
 Produce the LA library science database
 A good specialized library science library

17. 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)

18. Library Serials
 LIBER: Revista de Bibliotecología
(AMBAC)
 Noticiero (AMBAC)
 Boletín Informativo de ASAR
 Memorias- Jornadas Mexicanas de
Biblioteconomía (AMBAC)
 Infobila – Bibliographic database
(UNAM)
 Other: Conference Proceedings

19. Library Serials - Comments
Strenghts:
 Good number of serials
 One is a journal
 Jornadas proceedings, an excellent source
of monographic information
Comments:
 Eager to get overseas paper contributions
 Need for more journal-type publications
 Create titles with best practices focus

20. 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, 1995?-

21. 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)

22. 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, 19
 Management
– Coloquio sobre Capital humano y Liderazgo en
Bibliotecas, UV, 2003-

23. Conferences - Comments
Strengths:
 Good number of conference opportunities
 Participation of some Latin American
professionals
 Some publish proceedings or best papers
Comments:
 Prepare conference calls ahead of time
 Select theme and location with enough time
 Promote them beyond national borders
 Welcome speakers from abroad

24. 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

25. International Vendors - Comments
Strenghts:
 Good presence in México
 Cover a good number of products
 Have gradually learned about the marked
 They chose the country for LA their operations
Comments:
 Try to sell products the country does not need
 Use pricing schemes of information developed
countries
 Need vision to create local products

26. Mexican Library Software
Companies
1. Janium Technology (Janium)
2. Sistemas Lógicos (Logicat)
3. Universidad de Colima (SIABUC)
Strengths and comments
 Strong library software presence of
Mexico in Latin America
 Need to keep abreast of users´ needs

27. Publishing
Strengths:
 Most big book publishers operate in
country
 México 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

28. 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 the major
cities

29. Universities with the best Libraries
(Holdings, Buildings, Professional Librarians, National Visibility)
 COLMEX El Colegio de México
 ITESM Instituto Tec. de Estudios Sup. de Monterrey
 UACJ Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez
 UANL Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
 UASLP Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
 UCOL Universidad de Colima
 UDEM Universidad de Monterrey
 UDG Universidad de Guadalajara
 UDLA Universidad de las Américas
 UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
 UV Universidad Veracruzana

30. Books Vendors
 CSI
 DOMEXSA
 Educomsa
 GlobalBook
 Grupo Difusión Científica
 Nye Omicron
 Somohano Express
 YBP

31. Transborder NAFTA Cooperation
Relevant to Mexico
 Training
 Visiting professors to library schools
 Conference attendance
 Speaking at conferences
 Web information link exchange
 Librarians visits and stays
 Translation of library
materiales/publications

32. Transborder NAFTA Cooperation
Relevant to Mexico (2)
 Exhibiting in Mexican conferences
 Join library association memberships
 Collaborative preservation of special
collections
 Exchange of best library practices
 Other: Joint digital proyects, joint
borrowing agreements

33. Conclusions
 Important to know NAFTA neighbours, 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

34. 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