2008

1. Mexican Libraries:
An Overview
Mexican Libraries:
An Overview
Jesús Lau, Ph.D.
jlau@uv.mx
www.jesuslau.com
Director, USBI VER Library, and Coordinator, UV Virtual Library
Universidad Veracruzana /DGB
Boca del Río, Veracruz, México
www.uv.mx/usbi_ver
www.uv.mx/bvirtual

2. Objectives - Topics
Talk about institutions that shape Mexican
libraries:
– Library schools
– Associations
– Vendors
– Serials
– Conferences
Coment challenges and contributions

3. Demographics
 14th in economy and geographical size
 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:
1950 - 1980

7.  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

8. Library Statistics
Type Centers Volumes
School 4,689 17,162,907
Academic 5,000 16,422,598
Special 500 2,576,889
Public 7,211 27,067,572
National 1 1,250,000
Others 5 449,160
Total 17,406 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)
 2 Archives studies programs

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

11. 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/

12. 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

13. 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

14. Research Centers
 Centro Universitario de Investigaciones
Bibliotecológicas (UNAM)
 Centro de Investigaciones
Bibliográficas, Biblioteca Nacional
(UNAM)

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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-

20. 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)

21. 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-

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. Mexican Library Software
Companies
Companies
Janium 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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
 UDGUniversidad de Guadalajara
 UDLA Universidad de las Américas
 UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
 UV Universidad Veracruzana

29. Books Vendors
 CSI
 Blackwells
 Educomsa
 GlobalBook
 Grupo Difusión Científica
 Nye Omicron
 Somohano Express
 YBP

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

31. 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
 Joint digital proyects, joint borrowing
agreements

32. 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

33. 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