International Contact and Cooperation: The Texas A&M University Libraries and Mexico Thomas G. De Petro, M.L.I.S. Asst. Professor & Engineering Librarian IATUL Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, USA 2-7 June 2002

American Libraries (ALA) October 2001 Theme: World Culture, Librarianship

TAMU and Mexico Mexico City Center CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologìa) Study programs for students Transnational Digital Library Project Faculty Abroad Seminar Transnational Interlibrary Agreement El FORO, the Trans-Border Forum Library Technical Services and Cataloging Joint Activities Faculty Librarians Exchange – Visiting Professorship

CONACYT – Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologìa http://www.conacyt.mx/

INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO AUTONOMO DE MEXICO

Distant Neighbors / Vecinos distantes My first conceptualization of Mexico as a distant neighbor came to me when I was working as a public librarian in Houston and saw this book. I had lived in Mexico for 3 months in 1983 while I attended language school there at the UNAM’s Center for the Instruction of Foreigners. At that time the population of Mexico was only 70,000, 000 people. Today it is over 100,000,000. A U.K edition was subtitled “Inside the Volcano”

The U.S. Mexico border from the U.S. side.

                                                    Mexico – U.S. Border Near San Diego, California

“Maquladora” plant near Tijuana, Mexico. (The term is used for a female worker at border factories.)                                                                             

Factory in San Critobal de las Casas, Chiapas                                                                             

                                                                       Mexico City: A good day & A bad day.

                                                  Paseo de la Reforma Mexico City Home of the Texas A&M University Center.

Mexico: in the State of Chiapas, on the southern border next to Guatemala                                                                             

                                                 Zapatista military leader sub-commander Marcos escorts Commander Ramona, the Tzotzil Indian Commander.

Pyramids of the Sun and Moon near Mexico City                                                                             

                                                         UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico Famous main library building

“Lone Star” : Director John Sayles’ Texas / Mexico movie Also of note: “Men with Guns” by John Sales and “Amores Perros” by Alejandro González Iñárritu