SALALM 2010

SALALM LV (Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials) took place this summer in Providence, Rhode Island, hosted by Brown University Library with several other sponsors. The conference panels and informative sessions were exceptional. I particularly enjoyed learning about the long-standing collaborative efforts between and among several universities' Latin American collections such as UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke. These two collections have divided up Latin America and focus collection efforts on those countries. They do not hesitate to send a researcher to their neighbor's collection depending on the researcher's need. In fact, during orientation the respective curators explain this collaboration agreement to their patrons. Because the two universities are only 8 miles apart and there are buses running frequently between the two schools, these curators have worked out an extremely convenient and fluid arrangement.

SALALM is the best time for me to speak with the libreros (vendors) of Latin American law material as well. And I did. This spreadsheet contains information about all the vendors whom attended the conference and with whom I spoke regarding law purchases. It will tell you if they can handle approval plans, will ship MARC records, and prepare shelf-ready books. All vendors were eager to help and invite contact from anyone whom is in need of obtaining law material from Latin America and the Caribbean.