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Chilean Librarians Visit Columbia University Libraries
New York, NY, June 21, 2002 The Area Studies Division of Columbia
University Libraries hosted Chilean
Librarians, Sandra Lara Vilches, head of technical
processing at the Universidad Católica del Norte in
Antofagasta, Chile, and Maria Antonieta
Calabacero Jiménez, Director of Libraries at
Universidad de La Serena, for meetings and a tour of the Columbia
University Libraries on May 16, 2002.
While at Columbia, the visiting librarians met with University
Librarian James Neal, along with Latin American Studies Librarian
Pamela Graham, and Catalog Librarian Gladys Markoff-Sotomayor.
Ilona Bicsak, head of monographs processing services and Rick
Block, head of original and special materials cataloging, provided
tours of their departments and shared information about the
Libraries' bibliographic control processes.
"The level of interaction between library
professionals in Latin America and the United States is far below
what it should be, and it is encouraging to see programs that can
open new avenues of contact and communication," said
Graham.
Maria Antonieta Calabacero said that her visit
to Columbia "was a very enriching experience." She
explained "it was the first visit I have made to places where
there are so many resources and where the work of the librarian is
recognized as a fundamental tool." She continued,
"Unfortunately in my country, librarians must struggle to be
recognized and to obtain from our administrators the resources
necessary for developing university libraries that will satisfy the
needs of our users and at the same time make available information
technologies like databases and digital libraries." Ms.
Calabacero concluded, "The visit has served well the process
of self-evaluation that we will begin soon at Universidad de La
Serena."
After visits to the New York Public Library
General Research Division and the library at New York University,
Ms. Lara and Ms. Calabacero concluded their program in the United
States by attending a three day symposium at Harvard
University.
Ms. Lara and Ms. Calabacero spent the week of
May 12 in New York City as participants in the Higher Education
Quality Improvement Program (MECESUP), sponsored by the World Bank
and the Chilean Ministry of Education, and coordinated by Harvard
University and LASPAU, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
fostering professional exchange in the Americas. The goal of
MECESUP is to benefit libraries and librarians in both Chile and
the United States by facilitating linkages and collaborative
opportunities and by providing learning opportunities for
librarians in both countries.
Area Studies is a division of Columbia
University Libraries responsible for reference and research
support, and for collection development in all subjects and
languages on the following world areas: Africa; Latin America and
Iberia; Middle East; Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe; and South
and Southeast Asia. More information is on-line at:
http://www.columbia.edu//cu/lweb/indiv/area/index.html.
For more information contact:
Pamela Graham, Librarian for Latin American Studies
(212) 854-3630
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