Preserving The Past For The Future

Preserving the past for the future
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66th IFLA Council and General

Conference
Jerusalem, Israel, 13-18 August
Code Number: 045-163-E

Division Number: VIII
Professional Group: Latin America and the Caribbean
Joint Meeting with:
Meeting Number: 163
Simultaneous Interpretation: Yes

Rosa Mara Fernndez de Zamora
National Library of Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Clara Budnik
National Library of Chile
Santiago, Chile
Abstract
"... and the tomes which for eras had dozed in their tombs, awake and amaze us, and those
which were hidden in obscurity are bathed in the rays of an unusual light" (Philobiblon)
Paper
http://archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla66/papers/045-163e.htm[7/26/2010 4:56:05 PM]
Latin America has a rich, varied and extremely valuable bibliographic and documental
heritage. It is an expression of a common past where the cultural, political and social identity
and diversity of our nations converges. A large part of the experience- both good and badand of the collective memory of the inhabitants of the region is found here: the long and
painful centuries of domination by Spain and Portugal, the turbulent efforts to establish
independent governments in the XIX century and the unrenounceable demand for more
justice and a democratic life, which has characterized the XX century.
Latin American libraries are the memory of this collective culture -a culture frequently
forgotten and ignored by the western world- and it is their duty to make known this
inestimable bibliographic and documental heritage. This should be done not only in the Ibero
American community, but also in the globalized world, through projects involving
international co-operation and the use of new information technologies. Only as a result of
this knowledge and its dissemination will our society succeed in appropriating this valuable
heritage, a source of identity of our people and an inspiration in confronting the challenges of
a future full of uncertainties.
1. A common past:
Latin America's particular identity is based upon a past of historical and cultural affinities.
The incalculable value of its bibliographic and documental heritage precisely rests in its
presence as a testimony of this set of shared experiences. Within the plurality and richness of
these cultural expressions, a preferential place is occupied by the written word, the book.
Throughout three centuries of colonization, Latin American countries experienced the
integration of indigenous and Iberian cultures (and in some cases, a mix with African cultures
as well). This mixture resulted in a cultural framework of unique singularity and vitality.
Later, the fight for political and cultural independence made Latin Americans to be open to
European influences - especially French - and to intellectual trends such as Enlightenment
and Positivism. Throughout the current century, our nations have been involved in a process
marked by both hope and frustration, many times in situations of intense conflict and tension,
stimulated by a desire to create a more just, democratic and free society.
The history of the Latin American book is a good record of this passionate history where the
keys and the basis of our identity can be found. And this is not a brief history.
The beginnings of the book in Latin America are found in the pre-Hispanic pictorial
productions - the famous codices, which were notably developed in Mexico: beautiful and
expressive records of the indigenous cultures and their vision of the world. These codices
survived during most part of the Colonization, used by religious authorities as well by the
political power. The attractive Mendocino Codice is an example of a codice used as a means
of communication with the indigenous population.
The introduction of printing in the New World, and its development and expansion is a
fascinating story; not only because printing was quickly consolidated and established in the
precarious Latin American urban centres, despite the distances, but also because, in the midst
of a continent largely unknown, and after only a brief series of decades, printing wove a
collaborative network which produced a significant flow of printed works, many of them
notable for their content and appearance.
The first printing press in Latin America was established in New Spain at the request of the
first viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza and the first bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga. In 1539 the
first American book was printed in Mexico city. The work was carried out by Juan Pablos, a
representative of the principal printer in Seville, Juan Cromberger. Other printers followed,
among them Antonio Ricardo, who printed ten books in Mexico and then moved to Peru in
1580 to establish the printing house of the Ciudad de los Reyes, today Lima. The Jesuits
requested this printing house to satisfy the increasing demand for books in the city, especially
from the University of San Marcos which already existed.
In the XVII century, a printer from the city of Puebla (Mexico), named Jos de Pineda Ibarra,
founded the printing house in Guatemala in 1660. At the beginning of the XVIII century, in
1705, the Jesuits introduced the first printing press in Paraguay so that they could translate
religious works into Guarani, one of the indigenous languages. Almost at the same time, in
1707, printing was established in Habana, Cuba, and in 1720 in Oaxaca, Mexico.
In this way, printing and books accompanied the Spanish through the three centuries of their
domination, in all of their colonies, being used as much for evangelizing the natives as for
supporting the administration. However, towards the end of the XVIII century and at the
beginning of the XIX century, printing and the book began to play a much different role: as a
tool of the learned elites and later, as a mean for the citizens masses to distribute their
independence messages, an activity that broke out with singular intensity in the first decades
of last century.
The book in Brazil has a separate history. When the Portuguese court moved to Brazil before
the invasion of the Napoleonic troops, the royal printing house and the royal library, (later the
National Library of Brazil) were also transferred to the New World.
In all of these cases, the bibliographic production of these centuries expressed the complexity
of the society and the culture that gave it life. Many books reflect the cultural renaissance of
the conquest of America by Spain and later the culture of Europe from the XVII and XVIII
centuries. The majority of the books were of a religious character, promoted by the church,
which on the one hand supported the educational institutions but on the other, rigorously
censored the circulation of printed works that spoke against the Catholic organisation of the
society. But the Latin American press also encompassed many other forms and disciplines.
Among its production are found texts of grammar and vocabularies for indigenous languages,
legal texts, medical and botanical books and literary and philosophical texts.
In general, cultural life in Latin America during the Colony was very active, especially in two
countries, Mexico and Peru. Both countries had prestigious universities from early on, which
required printing services for theses, and literary, musical, scientific and technical works, to
meet the needs of the educated elite. (The Book in the Americas, p.3).
In the XVIII century, printing also served to bring information to a less erudite public with
the start of the publication of gazettes and magazines, a phenomenon, which grew along with
the independence movements in which periodicals played a very important role in supporting
both the insurgent groups and the royalists.
During the XIX century, after the success of independence, the inherited culture of the
Colony was ignored or rejected, which later had seriuos consequences in terns of the
preservation of this cultural heritage, especially the bibliographical and documental
patrimony.
Latin American countries, some more than others, have shared or suffered in the same way
from the exodus and migration of their printed cultural property. It is enough to think of the
numerous collections and other loose works that left the continent, legally or illegally, during
the second half of the XIX century and the first decades of the XX century - works which
can now be found in both public and private libraries in the United States and Europe.
Alfonso Reyes said: "Why tell of the shameful thifts that some of our national collections
have suffered? Why tell of the disappearance and loss, of which we are all aware, of works
that had been patiently and knowledgeably collected by Genaro Garca in Mexico or Oliveira
de Lima in Brazil?" (Reyes, p. 13).
As an example, the pre-hispanic codices of Mexico are found in European libraries, the few
leaves of Manual de adultos, the oldest printed work from America still in existence, is the in
National Library of Spain. The two known copies of the first Peruvian printed work : "La
pragmtica sobre los diez das del ao", are found in the National Library of Spain and in the
John Carter Brown Library of the University of Providence in the United States. In the
Benson Library at the University of Texas in Austin there are more Mexican prints from the
XVI century than in the National Library of Mexico. It is equally surprising that the original
manuscript for one of the most emblematic texts of the emerging mixed culture of Latin
America, the Nueva Crnica y Buen Gobierno by Felipe Guamn Poma de Ayala, was
"found" in 1998 in the Royal Library of Copenhagen.
Paradoxically it was also in the second half of the XIX century, when the interest in the
colonial bibliographic production of Hispanic America increased, that prestigious scholars
throughout the continent dedicated their time and money to the study and rescue of this
heritage. In Mexico, the work of Joaqun Garca Icazabalceta was well known, at the same
time as the Chilean, Jos Toribio Medina was visiting various countries in Latin America and
Europe to collect printed works from Latin America. In this way, and thanks to the visionary
work of these bibliophiles, it is not surprising that the only complete collection so far
identified of El Despertador Americano, first insurgent newspaper of Mexico, is actually kept
in Santiago, Chile and not in Guadalajara, the city where it was printed.
In the XIX century printing presses continued to be established in all of the countries of the
region and the publication of books, magazines and newspapers grew considerably. Official
publications began and modern journalism multiplied the number of informative, political,
literary, scientific and miscellaneous publications, many of these with iconography and
engravings of high aesthetic value.
In the first half of the XX century, vigorous public and private publishing houses were
established, disseminating new books and magazines as well as text books, posters,
brochures, fly sheets and books and magazines for children. In some countries, like Mexico,
the government editorial production began to have great importance. At the same time,
university editorial houses began to appear and the first book fairs were organized. In
Argentina and Mexico important editorial houses were established, some of which still exist
today. A further increase in editorial production occurred, first in Argentina in the 1950's and
later in Mexico in the 1970's, a country that has become the major editorial producer in Latin
America, although in real terms, Brazil produces the largest number of printed books in the
region.
Besides the increase in printed publications, other means of communicating and passing on
knowledge have appeared, especially audio visual materials and films which are of growing
importance. In recent years the region has started to incorporate new resources in terms of
electronic and digital technology, a process which has been intensified in recent times.
2. A similar Present.
As it can be seen, the bibliographic and documental heritage of Latin America is vast, varied
and of great richness. For this reason, the task of preserving and making it know, is
enormous. This heritage is made up of manuscripts, books printed in Europe and America,
newspapers, magazines, photographs, maps, scores, engravings, brochures, videos, CD's etc.
It extends from the pre-hispanic Mexican codices and the first colonial printed works to the
digital publications of recent years. This big reservoir of common cultural heritage is found in
disperse locations: as much in the national libraries, who received bequests from the colonial
libraries, as in the university libraries and the public libraries, big and small, as well as in
private libraries, collections of bibliophiles and other unexpected places.
In all of these locations, this heritage is in constant and permanent formation. The writers of
today will enrich the memory of the future. Cultural memory has a singular vitality, able to
reconstruct and recreate the past in ever different ways, opening up new readings of the past
and the present, offering unexpected perspectives and keys to understanding and reformulating our identity. In the case of Latin America, the amplitude, diversity and richness
of its bibliographic heritage makes the task of preserving and disseminating this patrimony
one of the major challenges that we must confront without delay.
The balance of the state of our cultural heritage, specifically in the bibliographic and
documental sphere, the overall picture is a long way from being satisfactory. In truth, we
must begin with the basics: the heritage which is kept by our libraries has still not been
recognized and valued in its importance, and neither given the priority required and
necessary to preserve such collections, as difference to what is happening, now more than
ever, in the developed countries. There is much left to be done. We must recognise that in
our countries the preservation of this heritage has not enjoyed the level of importance which
is accorded in other latitudes.
For example, the activities related to preservation have increased notably in the developed
countries of Europe; consciousness of the importance and value of these patrimonial
collections has grown, conservation departments have been established in libraries, training
programmes to qualified staff have been implemented and publications about the subject,
both printed and electronic, have increased dramatically. In addition, research work on the
topic, the adoption of standards, cooperative programmes, and seminars and conferences have
been increased in a sustained and intensive manner.(Lyall p.43)
In general, in Latin America, the panorama is much more adverse. Despite the fact that in the
last few years promising initiatives have been developed, both nationally and regionally, the
majority of our countries have not succeeded in formulating and consolidating national plans
for preserving documents. Basically, this is for three reasons: first, the well known lack of
resources that affects a great part of the region, secondly, the lack of professionals,
knowledge and the experience needed to face the challenges posed by the preservation of
bibliographic and documental heritage, and thirdly, the weak and erratic presence of
cooperative projects and programmes, not only in each country but also between the region as
a whole and other countries that have developed successful policies for the preservation of
their bibliographic and documental heritage.
Also contributing to this situation is the fact that the notion of cultural heritage in Latin
America was more associated with archaeological sites, architectural monuments and
museum collections, than with bibliographic and documental heritage.
Nevertheless, the cultural globalization which marks the end of this century, has encouraged
Latin America to acquire a greater consciousness and sensibility with respect to bibliographic
heritage.
Working in this area, the Association of National Libraries of Ibero America (ABINIA) has
developed a series of projects directed towards saving the documental heritage of the region.
These projects include the Catalogue of Heritage Collections of the National Libraries of
Ibero America (Novum Registrum), the Digital Library of Latin America, a project to rescue
the press of the region, the Collective Catalogue of Microfilms, and the Catalogue of
Incunables, among others.
However, despite the importance and significance of this work, the majority of the projects
and other initiatives that have taken place in the region have not had the necessary influence
to translate themselves into permanent institutional and national policies, as much in the area
of preservation and conservation of this heritage, as in the dissemination of the valuable
heritage collections which are kept by our libraries.
The scenario is again more complex when one takes into account the changes that are
currently taking place in terms of different ways of passing on knowledge, not only in Latin
American libraries but also in the rest of the world. As well as the book and traditional prints
on paper, libraries now have to confront the problems of preserving electronic publications,
already a preferred format for a high percentage of reference works and scientific and
technical periodicals which already are in a great number.
In synthesis, at a time of decisive cultural changes, Latin America is facing a huge challenge:
to define and consolidate a coherent, consistent and sustainable policy with respect to one of
its most valuable assets, its bibliographic and documental heritage.
3. A shared future.
The similarity of the cultural development in Latin America, with its attendant strengths and
weaknesses, offers the possibility of devising a common and coherent strategy for preserving,
recognising and making known its valuable bibliographic and documental heritage.
This strategy must uphold three basic working premises. First, take advantage of the strengths
and experiences gained at both a national and regional level in Latin America in regard to the
bibliographic heritage. Secondly, make these strengths and experiences available to others so
that they can be extended, developed and made more dynamic by co-operative actions
between institutions and countries in the region, as well as between the region and more
developed countries. Thirdly, favour the leadership that the national libraries can and must
provide in terms of encouraging and promoting cooperative action, within each country as
well as regionally and inter-regionally.
Even though we know that in each country the development of library science and electronic
mediums follows its own paths in response to cultural habits, and political situation and
economic specific conditios, the national bibliographic and documental heritage will best be
served if libraries are open to co-operative programmes and projects with other institutions
and countries. This will not only optimize professional and technological resources but will
also advance the primary task, that of articulating a national and regional policy for their
bibliographic heritage.
To a large extent this initiative must be led - although not exclusively and certainly not
excluding others - by the national libraries. It is the national libraries that have normally been
in a better position to organize cooperative programmes, professional exchanges and projects
focussed on new technology for information management. Also, the national libraries have a
much better capacity to draw together the necessary people and institutions to establish - in
conjunction with the rest of the libraries of the country - national plans and policies for
preservation, access and conservation of bibliographic and documental heritage.

The leadership of national libraries in forming cooperative networks of national and regional
heritage collections is even more of a priority now that technology offers the possibility of
efficiently accessing heritage collections by means of on-line collective catalogues. This
technology also facilitate the exchange of cataloguing details and information as well as the
use of digital documents.
Starting from the principle that it is impossible to preserve or protect that which is unknown,
it is clear that a catalogue or inventory is necessary to register the bibliographic and
documental heritage of an institution, a place or a country, thus acting as an indispensable
tool in making this heritage known, valued and protected.
However, establishing institutional, local or national catalogues is neither an easy nor an
individual task. For this it is necessary to think of co-operation, of bringing together diverse
efforts. Cooperation is complex: collaboration with the different institutions that work in this
field is not always straightforward. But there are examples of co-operative projects that
confirm the will to create these instruments of knowledge and access so that all the
participants can benefit.
In this context, national libraries can work to set up data bases which function as:
national collective catalogues of bibliographic heritage
source of reference for researchers and the society in general
component for forming other catalogues
standardization of registers in MARC format and the ISBD(A) standard
access to digital documents.
New technology has enabled information to be transferred to mediums which are efficient
and easy to access and consult allowing bibliographic heritage to stop being elitist and
instead be placed at the disposition of all who are interested. This will be a determining
factor in ensuring that this bibliographic and documental heritage occupies an important
place in the society, operating as a dynamic force in the cultural creation in the Latin
America of the present and the future.
With this focus, work on collective national catalogues of bibliographic heritage would lead
towards their integration in an Ibero American data base of information about the
bibliographic and documental heritage of the region.
Entering into the cooperative and electronic world requires the formation of highly trained
personnel in the handling of new technology and specialized materials to do with
bibliographic heritage. This training must be ongoing as the technology is ever changing,
along with techniques of conservation and restoration.
The book has united us throughout our history. Now, the new electronic products and
information technologies will allow us to draw even closer to our valuable heritage, placing
the bibliographic and documental patrimony of the region within the information society.
Without this technology, the UNESCO project, Memory of the World, would not have been
possible. Latin America is keen to fully participate in this project as its memory and past
cannot be disassociated from the memory and past of all the human beings inhabiting this
planet. For this reason we search for new and more efficient ways of recuperating, preserving
and disseminating out bibliographic heritage.
Definitively, what we propose is to confront the challenges that time has presented us with,
so that we can re-appropriate that which most belongs to us: our memory, our past and our
identity, whose most fragile yet powerful ideas are to be found in the infinity of books and
printed works kept in our libraries.
We pointed out at the beginning of this talk that the value and richness of the bibliographic
heritage of Latin America is a reflection of the diversity and eminently pluralistic nature of
the region. It is represented by a huge number of texts, added to over more than five centuries
by men and women in the most varied conditions and positions, recording the creation,
knowledge, experiences, dreams, happiness and pains of all the people of Latin America. The
time has come to rescue this extensive body of forgotten texts so that they can stop being the
frozen property of a certain elite and can at last become the possession of all the inhabitants
of the region, without exception, so that each person can continue creating and giving
meaning to this continent, that constitutes our home. Only when this happens will we be loyal
to our inheritance and to those who have contributed throughout the centuries to the creation
of such an invaluable heritage. As has been expressed in the beautiful and lucid phrases of
Pablo Neruda:
" Cada uno de mis versos quiso instalarse como un objeto palpable, cada uno de mis
poemas pretendi ser un instrumento til de trabajo, cada uno de mis cantos aspir a
servir en el espacio como signo de reunin donde se cruzaron los caminos, o como
fragmento de piedra o de madero en que alguien, otros, los que vendrn, pudieran
depositar los nuevos signos". "Each one of my lines wanted to install itself as a
palpable object, each one of my poems purported to be a useful work tool, each one of
my cantos tried to work in space as a meeting point where roads crossed, or as a
fragment of rock or wood on which someone, others, those yet to come, would be able
to leave new marks".
Works Consulted:
La Biblioteca Nacional miembro de la Asociacin de Bibliotecas Nacionales de
Iberoamrica (ABINIA) http://www.bne.es/esp/abinia.htm
The Book in the Americas, Catalogue of an Exhibition by J.G. Johnson. Providence: J.
Carter Brown Library, 1988, p. 117.
Conway, P., Preservation in the Digital World, Washington: The Commission on
Preservation and Access, 1996, p.24.
Eden, P. et al., Developing Methods for Assessing Preservation Needs in Libraries.
Library Management V. 20, no. 1, 1999 p. 27-34
Fernndez, I., La sociedad de la informacin en Amrica Latina y el Caribe. Estrategia
regional 2000-2001. Talk presented at the International Meeting of CUIB. Mxico,
1999 (in the press)
Fernndez de Zamora, R.M.. El acceso al patrimonio bibliogrfico de Mxico, La
informacin en el inicio de la era electrnica. Mxico: UNAM.CUIB, 1998 p.182-225
Hoch, Ph. La conservation du patrimoine crit, un dfi permanent. BBF v.44, no. 4 p.
92-94
Lyall, J. National Preservation Programmes: Such Stuff Are Made of. IFLA Journal v.
24, no. 1, 1998 p. 42-48
Masse, I. Le cots de la conservation et la valorisation du patrimoine. BBF v.44 no. 5 p.

88-89
Mxico un libro abierto. Memoria. Feria Internacional del Libro de Frankfurt.
Direccin general Eugenia Meyer. Mxico:CNCA, 1992 p. 211
Reyes, A. Imgenes del libro. Bajo el signo del libro. Mxico: 1946. p 11-14
Patrimoine crit. Patrimoine vivant. Rgles lmentaires pour la conservation et
valorisation des documents patrimoniaux. Paris: Fdration francaise de cooperation
entre bibliothques, 1998.p. 48
Smethurst, M. The Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) Alexandria v.
11, no. 3, 1999 p. 149-160
Testimonios. Cinco siglos del libro en Amrica. Caracas- Madrid 1992.
Madrid:Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario.
Latest Revision: July 05, 2000
Copyright 1995-2000
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
www.ifla.org

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Preserving the past for the future

As of 22 April 2009 IFLA has a totally redesigned

66th IFLA Council and General

Code Number: 045-163-E