A Latin America-wide library coordination project

Abstract

The article we are presenting has two parts: a theoretical introduction reviewing the previous Latín America-wide library coopcration efforts and another describing the actions carricd out ovcr two ycars of continuous work. On thc occasion of thc commemoration of thc Quincenntennial of thc Discovery of America the first far-reaching international library cooperation plan was initiated, cmbracing not only joint projects hut also dealing with thc problems the libraries themselves are currently facing. Plan participants include libraries from countries with a shared history, and with common languages and cultures; namcly, the National Libraries of Latín Amcrica. The specific projccts comprising the plan's priority objc1.:tiw are: crcation of a major bibliographic database spanning the collections of the Latín American National Librarics, and, to he imminently carried out, preparation of cditions on magnetic media, outfitting the Libraries with the means for automating their work, preservation and restoration, training and updating library staft, dissemination of cultural heritage through publication of reference books, facsimiles, and exhibits of the most outstanding pieces. Attaining these goals implies a high degree of coordination, tight-knit cooperation among all participating libraries, and enormous influence, repercussion and projection in international forums inside as well as outside the library world. Within this project, Spain and Portugal are the two countries which belong both to Latin America as well as to Europe, thereby serving as the nexus uniting the two domains through participation in the Asociación de Bibliotecas Nacionales de lberoamérica (ABINIA) and the European Network of Latin American Documentation and Information (REDIAL).