Earlier this month I had the privilege to participate in the annual conference of La Asociacion Mexicana de Bibliotecarios (AMBAC) in Chihuahua, Mexico.  I learned that the issues librarians in Mexico face are, for the most part, the same issues librarians in the United States face today–continuing education, funding, preservation, development of digital collections, education for librarianship, adequate staffing, advocacy, and getting their communities’ attention so that those they serve can know about all they can receive from their libraries.  The biggest challenge appears to be adequate staffing and educational preparation for public libraries.  Only about 10 percent of the public libraries in Mexico have a staff member who has a license in librarianship and only about one percent hold a degree equivalent to the American MLS.

I thank AMBAC’s officers, its members, and the people of Chihuahua for their hospitality.