Conservation in Latin America:
Current Trends in Cultural Context

Part One: Introduction

As recently as July 1995, the Commission on Preservation and Access published a report entitled Preservation Priorities in Latin America. The result of interviews and discussions that took place during the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Annual Meeting last year in Havana, Cuba, the report summarizes the major preoccupations of those involved in Latin American preservation efforts. From the conference participants emerged three areas of urgent concern: the lack of adequate conservation and preservation training at all skill levels, a shortage of Spanish- and Portuguese-language literature, and inadequate storage environments for collections. 1

The paper that follows examines training, literature and storage environments within the cultural context of Latin America and offers some possible solutions. Although most conservators and preservation librarians the world over meet an uphill battle in their work, be it an inadequate budget or a brittle book problem that threatens to overwhelm, their Latin American counterparts, and to a certain extent, those in other developing countries, oftentimes face greater stumbling blocks that hinder effectiveness. Therefore, before foreign preservation consultants swear by costly or technology-laden solutions for the large preservation dilemmas, these well-meaning individuals should tailor their recommendations to fit the specific challenges Latin America affords.

Naturally, in discussing a region as large as Latin America, with some 7,000,000 square miles of territory and comprising 21 countries, some generalizations must be made.2   The reader is encouraged to remember that the research presented in this paper necessarily deals with broad trends and observations--no statement will be gospel for every situation. However, whenever possible and appropriate, specific examples, especially successful or innovative ones, are given.

Copyright 1995 by Whitney Baker
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Please send comments to wbaker@pop.uky.edu


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