ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


771

Letter

com petencies can have on a student. Vega 
stated, “It’s not just skills, it’s a way o f life that 
we are imparting.”

This theme was reiterated and expanded 
in the keynote speech by Costa Rican librar­
ian Saray Córdoba. She stressed the importance 
o f active, participatory learning in teaching in­
formation competencies. She identified a cycle 
o f information use that begins with young chil­
dren learning to read but not developing a 
habit o f reading. Deficient libraries that do not 
support the educational process are coupled 
with teachers who do not promote resource-
based learning, library/information use, or 
reading. This leads to a lack of knowledge 
about the importance of information. Leaders 
in all areas o f society make important deci­
sions without adequate information, and we 
see in society a lack o f understanding or cul­
ture of information use, which reinforces the 
lack of reading habits in society as a whole, 
both in adults and children. The lack o f read­
ing habits returns us to the beginning of this 
cycle, which may be more or less evident de­
pending on the country being discussed but 
which is unmistakably universal. The role of 
the librarian is to teach the concept that hav­
ing information is having power.

Recognizing that not much research has 
been done in Mexico on the topic of user edu­
cation, Patricia Hernandez, o f the Centro 
Universitario de Investigación Bibliotecológica, 
also noted the need to change the “culture of 
study.” To do this, three important changes 
must take place: students must learn to do re­
search not just study by rote; professors must 
also develop research skills, something not al­
ways required in Mexican faculty; and librar­
ies must be developed to support the educa­
tional level and academic programs of the 
university. Hernandez elaborated on several 
research projects that are underway.

Brainstorm ing solutions
Perhaps the most significant part o f the con­
ference was the evening brainstorming session. 
All participants were asked to identify three 
problems and three possible solutions to reach­
ing the goal of developing programs for teach­
ing information competencies. The animated 
discussion that followed generated lists, which 
included many concerns we share with our 
Mexican colleagues. These were then com ­
piled, and a committee was chosen to draft a 
declaration. This statement, demanding action

to address the needs o f libraries in Mexico and 
support for information competency programs, 
was reviewed on the following evening and 
adopted by the participants. It will be sent to 
numerous public agencies and university ad­
ministrators and posted on the UACJ Web site.

Sessions aimed at sharing experiences in­
cluded discussions o f specific libraries, recent 
developments, and programs they are imple­
menting. These included descriptions of addi­
tions to the library collection, Internet work­
stations, CD ROM’s, and additions or renova­
tions to library buildings. Many cited the need 
to provide continuing education opportunities 
to their library staff. Worth noting is the pro­
gram developed at the Universidad Autónoma 
de Quintana Roo, which includes strong and 
active learning with hands-on components. Re­
inforcing the concept of team teaching, an ex­
cellent presentation on how to prepare and 
implement a quality instructional session was 
one o f the five sessions explaining the impres­
sive UACJ instruction program.

Of special interest were the exhibits that 
displayed instructional programs, handouts and 
pamphlets, and videos produced by the vari­
ous institutions represented at the conference. 
On Saturday, participants were taken on li­
brary tours at the University of Texas at El Paso 
and the University o f New Mexico, Las Cruces 
libraries. More information about the univer­
sity, the library, and this conference can be 
found at the Web site: http://www.uacj.mx/ 
dirinfo. ■

To the editor:
Cynthia Coccaro’s article on Career Development 
CC&RL News, Nov. 1997) is a very nice overview, 
but I was disappointed to see that she missed 
one very important site: mine!

My career and job-hunting site has many great 
features, including expert advice on writing dy­
namic cover letters; writing powerful resumes; 
links to other expert advice on topics such as 
interviewing; a “Marketability Test”; the “Domino 
Effect”; and links to many job sites.

The name: Quintessential Career and Jo b -
H u nting R e so u rce s G u id e. A c c e s s: http:// 
w w w .s te ts o n .e d u / ~ r h a n s e n / c a r e e r s .h tm l. 
— R a n d a ll S. H ansen, Stetson University; e-m ail: 
R a n d a ll.H an sen @stetson .ed u

http://www.uacj.mx/
http://www.stetson.edu/~rhansen/careers.html