BUSINESS PRACTICES IN MEXICAN LIBRARIES Talk to OCLC Staff Ohio Computer Library Center (OCLC) Dublin, OH, April 8, Jesús Lau, Ph.D. Director, USBI Veracruz Library, and Coordinator, UV Virtual Library Veracruz, México / Personal: Institutional:

Topics to discuss Introduction to the country Overview of libraries Environmental factors influencing libraries Library culture in academic institutions Library business practices Focus on academic libraries

Mexican Demographics 14th in geographical size 7th in exports 2nd trade partner of the US Largest Spanish-speaking country 2nd Economy in Latin America Middle income country Literacy 90% Ranks with some of the best libraries in Latin America

Library Statistics TypeCentersVolumes School4,68917,162,907 Academic1,13316,422,598 Special1752,576,889 Public5,31327,067,572 National11,250,000 Others5449,160 Total11,31564,179,126

Environmental Factors Authorities have a vague concept of libraries Government “transparency” affect acquisitions Library budgets come mainly from grants / PIFI Budgets are erratic Planning span influenced by institutional and government elections Hierarchical management centralizes decision- making

Library Cultural Factors Number of librarians is limited (3,000) Most library directors are not librarians Library education is mainly at undergradate level Library management posts are short-term Few library directors have the opportunity to travel abroad

Librarians: Cultural Factors Time is a flexible concept Planning is basically short term Written replies take time Personal interactions are more effective

International Sales/Pricing International vendors use US/European schemes: number of students and faculty MX universities focused on teaching Universities have limited research activity Professors/lecturers do little research Science inquiry is done by researchers not professors English is a barrier for information demand Pedagogy is teaching-centered

Library Business Practices Deals take longer than in the US Paper work is complex “Early political” years are the best Patience and respect are important People are more important than business Social relations and family are also important Avoid discussion of politics, religion and binational history

Conclusions Mexico is a middle developed and large country Libraries/information are part of latter socio- economic development Mexican libraries need international services / products Free trade policies opened the Mexican library market to international competition Environmental and cultural factors play a crucial role to succeed in sales

Websites on Mexican Business Practices Cultura de negocios en México ess.html ess.html Hacer negocios Información y orientación: información para hacer negocios México: guía de negocios df MEXICO Información de negocios. Prácticas de negocios en México