Consulate General Donates Books to York University and the University of Toronto
In a significant contribution to academic research, and thanks to the support of the Office of Historical Diplomatic Heritage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Mexico in Toronto made formal donations to two of the most important universities in Canada: the York University library system and the John P. Robarts library of the University of Toronto. The donation consists of a considerable number of books, periodicals, catalogues and other Spanish language documents, concerned with a variety of aspects of Mexican history and culture.
The donation is undoubtedly a far-reaching contribution to the promotion of studies on Mexico by researchers, professors and university students in Canada. When incorporated into an extensive academic book collection, the various publications concerned with a wide variety of subjects, acquire a new value and have a multiplying effect on research synergies.
On October 31, there was a donation ceremony at the archive office of Scott Library, on the Keele campus of York University. Representing the university were Cynthia Archer, University Librarian, María Figueredo, Chair of the Undergraduate Program in Languages and Literatures and enthusiastic promoter of the project; Suzanne Dubeau, Head of the Archives; Jocelyn Lagerquist, York University Communications Officer; and Betty Irving, Information Desk Assistant. Representing the Consulate at the ceremony were the Consul General Mauricio Toussaint and the Cultural Attaché Gerardo Ochoa Sandy, who coordinated the extensive work of the Consulate General on this initiative.
Cythia Archer underlined the importance of the donation for the York libraries. The donation includes hundreds of titles on Latin America and Mexico in particular. Archer also noted that department and program chairs, as well as professors, are reviewing the list of books in light of their specializations, in order to integrate various titles into the mandatory and optional reading lists in their courses.
In his speech, Consul Toussaint placed this donation in the context of the many activities that are held both at the Glendon College campus and at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University, such as coloquia, lectures, film series, and the dissemination of academic cooperation, etcetera.
The books donated to York deal with such subjects as Mesoamerican civilizations, the history of Mexico from the discovery of America to the twentieth century, contemporary art, indigenism, diplomacy, gastronomy, art, Latin American studies, encyclopedias, journals, as well as works translated into Spanish such as Greek and Latin classics, philosophy, contemporary literature, social sciences, and psychology, among others.
The books will be added to the York Library System catalogue with an acknowledgment to the Consulate General, and York University's e-journal, "Y-File," will publish an article on the donation shortly.
On November 12, a parallel ceremony was held at the John P. Robarts library at the University of Toronto. Attending were Larry P. Alford, Chief Librarian; Miguel Torrens, Coordinator of the Spanish Language Section; Andrew Davidson, Head of the Gifts Section; Karen Turko, Director of Donor Relations and Development; the Consul General; and the Cultural Attaché.
Robarts Library is considered to be Canada's national library. It is also one of the most important libraries in the world, and, among the libraries with collections in Spanish and on Mexico, it is comparable to the libraries of the universities in Austin or Chicago, in the United States.
Larry Alford remarked on the growing interest in studies on Mexico from researchers, professors and students at the University of Toronto. Accordingly, he celebrated the Consulate General's initiative, noting that the donation would fill some gaps in the library's resources and would update the material available on various subjects. Miguel Torrens pointed out that although Robarts has one of the most significant collections of books from and about Mexico in the world, the hundreds of books being donated have a considerable qualitative value.
Among other subjects, the donation includes books on anthropology, art, architecture, music, philosophy, political theory, administration, history, film studies, human rights, literature, music, religion and sociology, as well as periodical publications. The John P. Robarts Library will place an inscription in the donated books acknowledging the Consulate General for their contribution.
The Consul General recognized the great work carried out by Robarts Library in the development of studies on Mexico through their collection of books and periodicals and also expressed his appreciation of the facilities provided to the Consulate General to achieve this collaborative effort, through the use of their building to organize the material. Before both universities, Consul Toussaint affirmed his commitment to continue periodically enriching the collections on Mexico.
Photo: Consul General Mauricio Toussaint, Miguel Torrens, Coordinator of the Spanish Language Section; Larry Alford, Chief Librarian at John P. Robarts Library, University of Toronto