Latin American Collections Concepts

Williams, & Krentz, J. L. (Eds.) (2019). Latin American Collection Concepts: Essays on Libraries, Collaborations and New Approaches. McFarland & Company, Inc.

Jana Krentz and Gayle William’s edited volume showcases some of the specific trends, themes, and challenges that shape the work of librarians collecting materials from Latin America and about topics in Latin American Studies. The volume grew out of conversations facilitated by the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM) meetings and aims to share models of collecting and collaboration that can be applied both within and beyond Latin American collection work. Krentz and William’s introduction notes that while the group “acknowledged that within their respective institutions, their work may be viewed as anachronistic and out of step when viewed against academic library practices bent on streamlining collection development practices,” it can also be “ground-breaking” and that their work has been “used as models for other branches of information sciences, especially other area studies disciplines" (p. 1). 

One through-line of the individual chapters is how geopolitical changes after the Second World War, particularly increased interest in and funding for area studies during the Cold War period, shaped the growth of Latin American collections across several decades. Multiple chapters discuss some of the challenges and legacies of the 1942 Farmington Plan for collaborative collection development as well as some of the agreements that preceded this plan and shaped its implementation. Several chapters discuss changes in Latin American publishing industries, particularly the role that eBooks have (or have not yet) played. Additional chapters focus on collection development for specific kinds of collections, for example music or legal materials.

This volume is indispensable not only for librarians building Latin American collections but also librarians initiating collaborations with colleagues at other academic institutions and those building collections in area studies with a strong print materials focus. Given that it was published a year before the beginning of the 2020 pandemic – and the significant changes in publishing and collections practices that it produced – the editors’ and contributors’ ongoing reflections and analysis would further add to scholarship on collections development.