Ben:
Thank you for your informative e-mail. ARLIS/NA, the Art Libraries Society
of North America (that includes Mexico) has had some discussions of the
possibility of having a future conference in Mexico and maybe in conjunction
with FIL. It would be interesting to explore this possibility with
interested ARLIS/NA Members, REFORMA members, and with Mr. von Ziegler and
Mr. Cabrera. :-)
Miguel Juarez, Assistant Librarian
Art, Art Education, Art History, Photography
Center for Creative Photography Library
University of Arizona Library
P.O. Box 210103, Tucson, AZ 85721-0103
Phone: (520) 626-9434/FAX: (520) 621-9444
-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Ocon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 10:44 AM
To: Reformanet Listserv
Subject: REFORMANET/REFORMA Meeting with Mexico's Director General of
Libraries
At the recently held Public Library Association Conference (PLA) in Phoenix
(Mar.12-16), I was privileged to represent REFORMA President Susana Hinojosa
and REFORMA in a meeting with Jorge von Ziegler, Director General of
Libraries in Mexico (Consejo Nacional para de Cultura y las Artes,
Conaculta) and Jorge Cabrera Bohorquez, Director of Library Operations. I
would like to take this opportunity to share a brief overview of the
meeting.
The meeting was arranged by Michael Dowling, Director of ALA's International
Relations Office. Attending the meeting was Sara Martinez, Coordinator of
the Hispanic Resource Center of the Martin East Regional Library (Tulsa
City-County Library System) [Note: The week before in early March, Mr. von
Ziegler and Mr. Cabrera met with former ALA President Barbara Ford and the
REFORMA Midwest Chapter members in a meeting in Chicago].
Mr. von Ziegler was recently appointed to his position by Mexican President
Vicente Fox and was in the U.S. to find out more about public libraries in
the U.S., lay the foundation for firming up relations with the library
community (ALA, PLA, and REFORMA), and in securing technology grants from
the Gates Library Foundation's international program (which has pledged
technology support for Mexican libraries and schools at the level of $30
million). Both Mr. von Ziegler and Mr. Cabrera shared insight to public
libraries in Mexico. Here is some of the points raised in that discussion:
* In 1983, there were approximately only 350 public libraries in Mexico
* Today, there are approximately 6,260
* In the next five years, there are plans to add another 1,150 libraries
* While there has been a marked addition in the number of public libraries,
there is still a considerable way to go in building the necessary
infrastructure to adequately support and maintain these libraries.
* Public libraries in Mexico are initially started at the federal level
(Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Conaculta); state and
municipal entities are then responsible for ongoing governance and
maintenance.
* There is a strong need for better access and connectivity to technology
for Mexico's near 100 million inhabitants.
There are efforts in Mexico to increase an awareness of the inherent value
of libraries. This is best exemplified by the recent kickoff (on Apr. 9th)
of the Campaign for Libraries in Mexico (Campaña por las Bibliotecas
Mexicanas) utilizing the "@ your library" theme and logo ("en tu
biblioteca") by the Mexican Association of Librarians (Asociación Mexicana
de Bibliotecarios, AMBAC). First Lady of Mexico Marta Sahagun de Fox
assisted in launching the campaign and was accompanied by Mexican
celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Adal Ramones, and Jorge Campos. For
additional information, refer to articles appearing in the Mexican media:
www.reforma.com/cultura/articulo/184499/
or www.milenio.com/mexico/nota.asp?id=4857 or the ALA news article
www.ala.org/news/v8n4/mexico_japan.html
In terms of relations with REFORMA, Mr. von Ziegler and Mr. Cabrera were
very supportive of projects that would strengthen ties with REFORMA through
mutual invitations to each other's conferences, open lines of communication
involving resource sharing and advisory support, possible internships and
staff exchanges, and tours of public libraries in the Guadalajara area
during the Feria Internacional del Libro (Guadalajara International Book
Fair). It will be important for REFORMA to formalize follow-up efforts so
that some of these and other ideas can come to fruition.
For more information about public libraries in Mexico, please visit the
Conaculta website
http://www.conaculta.gob.mx (select link "Bibliotecas, publicaciones y
librerias")
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this meeting; you may
contact me directly at [log in to unmask] It is also important to
acknowledge once again the outstanding coordination of the REFORMA booth at
the PLA Conference by Maria Hernandez of the Mesa Public Library and
REFORMA's Central Arizona Chapter; and special thanks to all who assisted in
staffing the booth during the conference.
Ben Ocón
Vice President/Pres. Elect
URL for REFORMANET info page:
http://lmri.ucsb.edu/mailman/listinfo/reformanet
URL for REFORMA web page:
http://www.reforma.org/
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