2015-theme
LX Annual Conference of the Seminar
on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials
— SALALM LX —
Brazil in the World, the World in Brazil:
Research Trends and Library Resources
June 13-17, 2015
Princeton University
Over the last two decades, Brazil has emerged as an influential state on the international scene. A stable democracy; economic growth; and active international leadership in South-South cooperation, health, and environmental affairs have contributed to making Brazil a recognized global actor. An agricultural and industrial powerhouse, Brazil currently ranks as the seventh largest economy in the world. Not coincidentally, its selection as the host of two major international sporting competitions (the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic games in 2016) attests to the country’s increasing international influence.
Brazil’s rising global prominence is also reflected in other important dimensions, mainly in the realms of education, creative and cultural industries, and information access rights. Brazil is a world leader in the field of scholarly communications, promoting open access through pioneering initiatives such as the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). A new, diverse, and cosmopolitan generation of writers is transforming the landscape of contemporary literature. Many of these emerging voices were represented in “Brazil: A Land Full of Voices,” the literary program at the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair. Since 1994, Brazil has twice been the guest of honor at Frankfurt, the most important book fair in the world. Most recently, Brazil broke new ground by passing a law that protects the privacy of Brazilian users and guarantees equal access to the Internet.
The artistic, cultural, and intellectual effervescence taking place in Brazil today has captured the attention of institutions of higher education in the United States. There is a flurry of activity on North American university campuses regarding Brazil, from the creation of signature exchange programs to agreements that have been signed with leading academic institutions throughout Brazil. Optimism is high about the impact these institutional developments will have on university campuses, with the aim of fostering stronger engagement with Brazil-related topics by faculty and students.
For SALALM, the moment is ripe to reflect on the opportunities that lie ahead for sustainable practices of collection development and the library services that support learning and research in higher education. Taking Brazil as the core theme, SALALM LX will explore how the research library inserts itself into the current internationalization agenda of North American universities. The conference program will include the examination of topics such as:
- the strategic role of research libraries in overall internationalization initiatives of North American universities;
- the impact of current trends in scholarly research, teaching, and publishing on academic library collections and services;
- collaboration and partnerships between U.S. academic libraries and libraries, research centers, cultural and educational institutions throughout Brazil, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Hosted by Princeton University Library and the Program in Latin American Studies at Princeton, SALALM LX will take place on June 13-17, 2015. The deadline to submit paper proposals is January 30, 2015.
Interested participants and panel organizers should contact Luis A. González, SALALM President, with proposals for papers or general questions about the conference.
Luis A. González, PhD
Librarian for Latin American, Spanish & Portuguese, and Latino Studies
Herman B. Wells Library E660 • Indiana University • 1320 E. Tenth Street • Bloomington, Indiana 47405
Phone: 812-855-7416 • Fax: 812-8558068 • Email: luisgonz@indiana.edu
For queries on local arrangements and book exhibits, please contact Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez, Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee.
Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez, MA, MLS
Librarian for Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Studies
Princeton University Library • Princeton University • One Washington Rd. • Princeton, NJ 08544-2098
Phone: 609-258-3193 • Fax: 609-258-6950 • Email: facosta@princeton.edu
