Catherine Marsicek, the Latin American & Caribbean Information Services Librarian, attended the XV Feria International de Libros (FIL) in Guadalajara, Mexico, from Nov. 25 - Nov. 29, 2001. She received funding as a special guest librarian from the American Library Association, FIL, and FIU's Latin American & Caribbean Center.

Initiated by the University of Guadalajara in 1987, each year FIL hopes to promote the publication and sale of books written in Spanish, contribute to cultural development in western Mexico, and encourage a love for reading. As it is one of the largest book fairs in Latin America, it is an excellent opportunity for librarians to network with publishers, book vendors and other librarians, become familiar with recent publications, purchase hard-to-find titles, and attend both professional seminars and literary events. This year the featured country was Brazil, and publications from Brazilian universities, government offices and cultural institutions were well represented. Professional and special events included seminars on Chicano writers, distance education, and contemporary Latin American literature, numerous book presentations and author readings, and a festival of Brazilian and MERCOSUR films. At FIL, acclaimed Mexican author Juan García Ponce received the Juan Rulfo Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Literature. For more information on the Fair, please see the web page at http://www.fil.com.mx/.

With generous support from LACC and Department of Education Title VI funds, Catherine was able to purchase recent publications from Brazil, books from Mexican university and small presses, Venezuelan reference materials, literature and history from the Dominican Republic, Chilean materials on current economics, globalization and gender, and recent publications from Guatemala and Honduras. These new additions to the growing Latin American & Caribbean collection at FIU Libraries will soon be posted on LACIC's New Acquisitions page.