Section on Regional Activities: Latin America and the Caribbean

Annual Report 1994-1995

Ms Maria Elena Zapata (Direccion de Redes Estadales, Biblioteca Nacional de Venezuela (Casa de Bellard), Final Av. Pantéon, al lado del Pantéon Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela (fax: +(58-2) 5641219) was re-elected Chair of the Section of Regional Activities: Latin America and the Caribbean. Ms Miriam Martinez Crespo (Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Cuba;(fax: +(53-7)816224; e-mail: serbnjm@binanet.cu) was elected Secretary, succeeding Ms Estela Morales Campos (Mexico).

Standing Committee and Section Membership

The Standing Committee has 12 members from 11 countries, one observer, and one special advisor. Ms Elizabet Ramos de Carvalho (Brazil), Manager of the Regional Office, is an ex-officio member. There are 102 IFLA members registered for the Section.

Projects

Seminar on Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World. From 5-8 March 1995 the seminar was held in Managua, Nicaragua. Its purpose was to help identify and assess library needs in Central America and to familiarize participants with the drafting of projects. The seminar was sponsored by the ALP Core Programme, and the Standing Committee, and supported by local authorities through the Ministry of Culture and the National Library of Nicaragua. It was the first time that an IFLA meeting was held in Central America, and it was also the first time that a Central American project was sponsored by ALP. The seminar was directed at the library situation in Central American countries and the identification of the main barriers to library development; the drafting of projects in order to send applications to international organizations; and providing information on the availability of sponsorships offered by international organizations. Because of UNESCO's role in supporting counties in Latin America and the Caribbean, Isidro Fernandez Abballi, PGI/UNESCO Advisor, presented the requirements of project proposals to UNESCO. The seminar was conducted by the Nicaragua organizers, headed by Teresa Granados, sub-Director of the National Library Rubén Dario, Nicaragua. Among the papers presented were those that dealt with the procedures for requesting funds with emphasis on the forms used by UNESCO and the ALP Core Programme. There were also papers on the formalities to be observed when requesting funds. The seminar also conducted exercises on drafting and presenting projects. The five final projects, which were the outcome of the exercise, will be sent to the ALP Core Programme office for funding. Presentations of the state of the library profession in Central America were also given. After a round of national papers, work followed on the identification of common needs through international teams, pointing out that the needs for preservation and conservation management of new technologies and education and training were areas deemed important by funding agencies. Representatives from the following countries participated: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico and El Salvador. Members of the Standing Committee from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Peru and Venezuela also attended the meeting. The seminar was characterized by the active and enthusiast participation of its members who expressed the desire to see this kind of meeting repeated in other countries in Latin America.

Standing Committee Meeting, Managua

The Standing Committee met following the Managua Seminar. On the agenda were the development of the programme for the Istanbul Conference; preparation of a shortlist of papers to be considered for the contributed paper competition for the Istanbul Conference; the functioning of the Regional Office; the preparation of a first draft of the Section's Medium-Term Programme for 1998-2003; development of projects to be carried out during the next MTP; the functions of the Standing Committee and the involvement of its members with the work of other IFLA Sections; and continuity of the Standing Committee.

Projects

Association of Library Schools in the Southern Cone. This project covers a region comprised by Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. During the Medium-Term Programme 1992-1997 the Section decided to concentrate on: 1) increasing activities in support of cooperation between libraries in the areas of professional education and training; and 2) introducing means of communication that facilitate a broader knowledge of the development of libraries in the region. An analysis concerning the training of human resources in the region showed the existence of the following common problems:

lack of a basic and flexible professional profile in keeping with the quantitative changes that take place at the
international level;
great dissimilarities in the contents of study programmes, leading to differences in standards of training for professional staff. This causes problems for them in the labor market, not only in relation to internal transfers or transfers to other countries. In some of these countries the disparities between standards and titles makes it difficult to establish salary tariffs and hinders the development of hierarchical structure for the profession;
need for further specialized eduction of teaching staff
lack of common standards concerning the terminology within the specialty;
inefficient use of human resources and material (lack of exchange of specialists and of implementation of common experiences, with experts from outside the region).

When the project proposal was formulated, it was deemed essential to have access to a centre for analysis, discussion, and solutions to the problems that had been identified, as well as for a precise and coherent definition of the emerging labor market. For this it was also necessary to strengthen the existing infrastructure and propose common strategies through an interest group. Thus the library schools of the Southern Cone were provided with a forum for an exchange of experiences as well as for coordination and planning of joint activities. The general objective of the project is to allow, through the Association, the carrying out of cooperative actions. The specific objectives are to diagnose the present situation of the education for librarians and archivists in the sub-region; exchange experience concerning design, evaluation and feedback of different study programmes; formulate a basic professional profile which makes it possible to establish unified study programmes; design a flexible programme for postgraduate training in LIS; facilitate access to international literature in the subject area and promote the production of such literature in Spanish, particularly in the countries of the region; promote the exchange of experience of teachers and experts; support the development of standard terminology; promote research in the area and implement cooperative means of control and circulation of information on research in progress.

Evaluation of Pre-Session Seminars. This is a joint project of the Regional Sections. Maria Elena Zapata (Venezuela) designed the questionnaire to be used in tracing the impact of IFLA pre-session seminars on librarianship in countries from which participants came. Donita Simmons (Fiji) will carry out the project.

Seminar on New Technologies and Long Distance Education. The Standing Committee set up a planning committee including representatives from ACURIL, FID, and Latin American archives associations to organize this seminar.

Follow-up on Managua Workshop. The Section plans to promote a series of workshops on the topics pursued at the Managua Workshop.

Indigenous Communities in Venezuela through Public Library Services. Maria Elena Zapata and Elizabeth Monascal, Director de Redes Estales de Bibliotecas Publicas, are responsible for the project.

Publications

Newsletter. The Section's Newsletter is sponsored by Imprensa Oficial do Estado SA, IMESA, which bears the full costs for composing and printing. It was published twice during the report period by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. Its Editorial Committee was composed of Elizabet Ramos de Carvalho (Brazil), Ivone Talamo (Brazil), and May Brooking Negrao (Brazil), with assistance from Blanca Hodge (Netherlands Antilles) and Stella Maris Fernandez (Argentina). The Newsletters were issued in 500 copies, and distributed among members, officers, and relevant libraries.

El progreso de la Biblioteconomía: Un seminario para la identificación y evaluación de las necisidades bibliotecarias de Centroamérica y la elaboración de proyectos. Memorias del seminario en Managua, Nicaragua, 5-8 marzo, 1995. The title, edited by Teresa Granados and Birgitta Bergdahl, ALP Core Programme Director, was issued before the Istanbul Conference.

Istanbul Meetings

The Section contributed the paper by Stephney Ferguson to the open forum of the Division of Regional Activities and held its own open session with the theme, "The Future of Bibliographic Materials". It also contributed to the Regional Workshop with the theme, "Networking and Virtual Libraries", organized by Maria Elena Zapata and Jesus Lau (Mexico).

Papers presented

The Changing Formats of Library Materials: Implications for Developing Countries
by JOHN A. AARONS

Abstract:
Increasingly, information is being "published" in electronic format and available through online searching of databases, most of which are situated in the developed countries of the world. The use of optical disks is also becoming more popular. In order to use these new formats, substantial costs are involved, not only for the purchase and maintenance of a computer and peripherals, but on an on-going basis for access to this medium. In addition, a country must have in place the infrastructure to support the sophisticated technology involved. All of this poses a number of problems for libraries in the developed countries which are often hard pressed to keep up with these comparatively recent changes which have revolutionized information processing and delivery.

Enhancement of the Library Profession in the Caribbean and Latin America: A Paradigmatic Shift
by STEPHNEY FERGUSON and RAMNAUTH SOOKRAJ

Abstract:
Librarianship in the Caribbean and Latin America faces several challenges which must be addressed if the profession is to achieve an enhanced status for itself in society. Challenges identified include the image problem, coping with the new technology, tailoring of services to suit the socio-economic environment in which libraries operate, qualifying the value of libraries in national development, and reorientation of professional education for relevance. Meeting these challenges successfully will require librarians to adopt a new paradigm characterized by increased visibility, adoption of modern information technology, enhanced fund-raising skills, sensitivity to the socio-economic environment, demonstrating the impact of information on development, and curricular changes at regional library schools. The paradigmatic shift will require Caribbean and Latin American information professionals to be willing to accept change and be adaptable to the changing environment in which they operate.

Los medios alternativos a la industria editorial para obtener informacion
by ESTELA MORALES

Abstract:
The paper analyzes the technical challenges of the publishing industry and the production of electronic options which offer information, and the relationship between academic users and information technology. Information is provided about Mexican production of CD-ROMs, databases, electronic journals with Latin American coverage. The author concludes that academic libraries in Latin America have a huge challenge, particularly since faculty knows that information is available from sources outside the library.

Virtual Libraries: Their Potential for Less Developed Countries
by JESUS LAU

Abstract:
Virtual libraries are the new vision of libraries of the future. They are still taking shape in computer and electronic laboratories, but there are some applications that provide an insight of what is coming in the next years. The development of virtual libraries will take place when libraries transform themselves into three dimensional electronic information centres. It will be possible when data storage, data representation and image processing technologies mature to cope with the great amounts of data graphically represented required by virtual information systems. In this paper, the upcoming virtual information systems are discussed, defining the general concepts related to the topic and assessing the potential benefits for less developed countries.

La nueva sede de la Biblioteca Nacional Venezolana: Proyecto arquitectónico para la preservación y conservación de la memoria colectiva nacional y universal
by ELVIRA MUNOZ GIMENEZ

Abstract:
This paper focuses on the architectural project and the construction of the new headquarters of the Venezuelan National Library, conceived to preserve and conserve the national patrimony by the collection of library materials. The transition to the new headquarters, the basic design criteria, the major architectural considerations, financing costs and present situation are also covered.

Los nuevos materiales bibliotecarios y la gestión de la información: libro electrónico -- biblioteca electónica
by MARCIA ROSETTO

Abstract:
Huge changes have been carried out in the procedures of production, transmission and use of knowledge, disregarding traditional supports such as printed books, journals and serials. Electronic publications enhancement has produced other supports and possibilities of access, requiring that libraries review their management patterns in order to include these new products. On the other hand, information relevance in planning, management and development have to be considered. In Latin America and the Caribbean these tools are increasingly being purchased, despite financial and social restraints. Consequently, library managers should concentrate on this situation to be prepared to deal appropriately with this challenge.

Latest Revision: July 8, 1998