Cataloging and Classification History in Mexico

This article discusses cataloging and classification history in Mexico and how cataloging and classification have evolved according to the changes that libraries and library science have experienced on both a national and international level. The first part of the article refers to the first half of the twentieth century, detailing the origins of cataloging and classification history. The second part presents discussion of the development and consolidation of both cataloging and classification during the second half of the twentieth century. The article also discusses subject headings, automation, centralization, and union catalogs in Mexico. It discusses past difficulties in creating a union catalog at a national level and the advantages of automated systems in helping to develop this needed union catalog. The article discusses the need to resume publication of the Bibliografía Mexicana. One of the main problems that Mexican libraries have faced is a scarcity of librarians adequately prepared to perform cataloging and classification of their collections. This lack of librarians is even more acute in the Mexican states. There are insufficient numbers of students in library schools to providethe staffing that libraries demand not only for cataloging and classification but also for many other library activities. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]