publishing and libraries in cuba

ht. Lib-. Rev. ( 1982) 14,3 17-334

Publishing and Libraries in Cuba R. W. HOWES*

In September 1980 I made an official visit to Cuba on behalf of the British Library Reference Division. The visit was arranged by the British Embassy in Havana, sponsored and organized by the Cuban Ministry of Culture and financially supported by the British Library. The purpose of the visit was to obtain information on publishing, the book trade and libraries in Cuba, and to visit the British Library’s exchange partners there. The Cuban officials I met were courteous, friendly and efficient. The Ministry of Culture arranged most of the appointments but made it clear that I was free to visit other institutions in Havana as I wished. I was unable, however, to visit other parts of the island as they had no one to accompany me. This report does not therefore claim to be either comprehensive or critical but is an account of the information and impressions which I gained during the visit. Its main purpose is to give an idea of the present state ofpublishing in Cuba and a guide to the sources from which Cuban publications may be obtained, together with some information on libraries and librarianship.

Cuba was the first country in the Americas to have a successful socialist revolution, beginning in 1959, and today the economy is almost completely socialized. Thus all publishing and bookselling are in the hands of state-run undertakings or other corporate bodies. The Cubans are intensely aware that they are only 90 miles from the United States and the US economic blockade is still in force. Cuba is still rather isolated in terms of communications and there are few direct shipping or airline routes to the island, so both air and sea mail are subject to delays, which can run to over a year in the case of sea mail. Nevertheless, since the mid-1970s the Revolution has been institutionalized and the Cubans are now anxious to put relations on a regular and businesslike basis.

PUBLISHING

Although all publishing is directly or indirectly controlled by the State, publications still fall into categories recognizable to British eyes. Books

* Hispanic Section, Department of Printed Books, British Library Reference Division, Great Russell Street, London, WC1 3DG, England.

0020-7837/82/0303 17 + 18 $03.00/O I$J 1982 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited

318 R. w. HOWES

intended for the general public (the equivalent of our commercial publishing) are published by a number of semi-autonomous publishing houses, most ofwhich come under the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Education publishes the main school textbooks, while academic, cultural and scientific institutions act as publishers of specialized works in their areas of interest and there are a certain number of official publications such as the Gace~~ oJiciaZ.

The Ministerio de Cultura was set up in 1976 and absorbed existing bodies such as the Instituto National de1 Libro and the Consejo National de Cultura. It is responsible for all aspects of the arts and culture and its general policy has been set out in a recent UNESCO book1et.l Since the mass literacy campaign of 1961, one of the main educational aims of the Revolution has been to put books within the reach of everyone. Textbooks are provided free of charge to school- children, books are sold at extremely low prices in the bookshops and a network of libraries is gradually being extended throughout the country, while attempts are made to encourage young writers through workshops and competitions.

The Ministry of Culture encourages and controls literary production directly through its Direccibn de Literatura. This promotes literary workshops, national competitions and book fairs and assesses the quality of works for publication. Winners of literary prizes have an automatic right to have their works published but otherwise publication is dependent on the quality of the work. All are subject to the proviso that they must not attack the Revolution, although within it considerable leeway is allowed. There are no royalties (or statistics) on booksales but authors are paid in advance according to a tariff based on the quality of the book and the prestige of the author. Authors receive 60% of the payment when they sign the contract, 20% when printing begins and the other 20% when the book is put on sale. The average payment for a new novel is about 1500 pesos (just under El 000) which is considered a good remuneration but not enough to live on. Most authors work in areas related to literary activities, e.g. as subeditors, and can increase their earnings by writing newspaper articles, reviews and literary criticism.

The literary workshops meet twice a month in workplaces, social centers and military camps, etc., throughout the country. Aspiring authors read their works aloud and each workshop has its own little magazine to publish its members’ work. There are competitions at local and provincial level and a collection called Pluma HZ. r&e which publishes new writers. Established writers visit the workshops to give advice and encouragement and there are scholarships for young writers.

l J. Saruski and G. Mosquera ( 1979). The Cultural Policy of Cuba. Paris: UNESCO.

PUBLISHING AND LIBRARIES IN CUBA 319

The Ministry of Culture’s Direccibn de Editoriales operates eight publishing houses which are grouped together under the control of the quasi-autonomous Empresa de Editoriales de Cultura y Ciencia. Each publishing house has its own editorial and production team and specializes in certain areas of publishing, which have been summarized as follows:

“Puebloy Educucidn publishes books for all levels ofeducation, from the primary to university level. Its output also includes exercise books, reference books, maps and teaching manuals. Students receive these books, like all education services, free of charge.

“Gente N’ueva is responsible for children’s and juvenile literature. There are two ‘children’s sections’: one for chiIdren up to six years of age; the other for children from six to 12. The juvenile category is divided into two: one section specializes in history and literature, and the other in scientific and technical subjects. Both of these sections cater for youngsters from the age of 12 upwards.

“Orbe publishes training, information, popularization and publicity material at the request of State agencies and other institutions. The work of this publishing organization primarily consists of producing training material in scientific and technical subjects for teachers, middle-level technicians and skilled workers throughout the country.

“ Cientz$co- Thzicu publishes textbooks in the fields of medicine, agriculture, biology, geology, mining, engineering, metallurgy, indus- try and the building trade, written by Cuban and foreign experts. These books contribute to the furtherance of scientific and technical thought; they reflect the advances made in these fields and the country’s special requirements. This publishing organization devotes special attention to books by Cuban experts and also produces works of popular science.

“Artey Literutura publishes collections of novels, short stories, plays, poetry and other literary works by classic and modern authors, and also essays on art and literature. . . .

This publishing organization also publishes the winning entries in the literary competitions in which Cuban writers take part each year.

“CienciaS Sociales specializes in books on politics, history, economics, sociology, philosophy and social questions in general

“llretras Cubanas was only recently founded and specializes in the publication of Cuban literature and art in general. Its collections are: Letras Cubanas (Cuban literature), Biblioteca Basica de Literatura Cubana (Basic Library of Cuban Literature), Minima, Repertorio Teatral Cubano (Cuban Plays), Pluma en Ristre (works by young authors), Pintores Cubanos (Cuban Painters), Arquitectura Cubana (Cuban Architecture), Ensayo FotogrAfico, Figuras Cubanas and Coleccion Cubana.

320 R. W. HOWES

“Orients publishes scientific and technical books, children’s and juvenile books, and books on the humanities; it also brings out textbooks and popularizations. This publishing organization operates in the eastern part of the island.“r

The Empresa de Editoriales has a policy of concentrating on new works rather than reprints which only account for about 20% of their titles. The address is: Empresa de Editoriales de Cultura y Ciencia, Calle 14 No 4104 ent. 41 y 43, Playa, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba,

The other main publishing houses are: Uni&z, run by the Uni6n de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) .

UNEAC is the professional association which represents writers, artists, musicians, theatricai performers and cinema, radio and television workers. Membership at present is around 1800 and is only granted to those with recognized artistic and intellectual achievements. Until recently UNEAC’s publishing was carried out through the Arte y Literatura publishing house but in 1978 it became autonomous and set up the Union publishing house which is now in the process of organizing itself Union specializes in contemporary authors whereas Letras Cubanas concentrates on pre-revolutionary writers. Besides the works of its own members, Uni6r-r publishes the works ofother writers which have won its UNEAC and David prizes. Though it formerly published a lot of poetry, Union now concentrates on novels, memoirs, journalism and literary criticism. Besides monographs it also publishes the journals Unioiz and La nueuagaceta (which has just replaced La Gacetu de Cuba). The address is: Union de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, Calle 17 No 35 1 esq. a H, Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

Casa de las Am&icas. This’is described in the section on Exchange. Editor-a Politicu . Another publisher is the Departamento de

Orientation Revolucionaria de1 Comite Central de1 Partido Comunista de Cuba which issues books of general political or historical interest either under its own imprint or that of the Editora Politica.

Other publishers. Some works of general interest are published by the Departamento de Actividades Cutturales de la Universidad de La Habana in their series Coleccion Premios 13 de Marzo. I also found on sale in Havana some municipal bye-laws published by the local authority (Poder Popular) and a booklet with the words of popular Cuban and Western songs (e.g. by Abba, the Bee Gees) with no publisher or printing works named.

According to figures given to me by the Empresa de Editoriales de Cultura y Ciencia, some 1300 monograph titles, including books and pamphlets, are published each year in Cuba. Of these the Empresa publishes about 1200 with the Editorial Pueblo y Educaci6n alone

l Ibid., p. 37.


accounting for 500 titles and the other Editoriales 700. The Ministry of Education publishes 30 titles, mainly textbooks, the Casa de las Amkricas 40 titles, UNEAC 25 titles and the Editora Politica 70 titles. Altogether some 36 million volumes are printed each year, with the Empresa de Editoriales accounting for 13- 14 million and the Ministry of Education most of the rest in the form of textbooks.

The publishing houses each produce an annual catalog and a pre- catalog which list their forthcoming publications. The catalogs list titles to be published in the coming year while the pre-catalogs list works to be published the following year. Because of this time lag, a work listed may in the event never be published. The catalogs and pre-catalogs are used by the Cuban libraries for selection. Some of the publishing houses have issued (e.g. Casa de las Americas) or plan to issue (e.g. UNEAC) catalogs of all their publications which are currently available but there seems to be no direct equivalent of Books in @zt.

BOOKSELLERS

There is a network of some 200 bookshops throughout Cuba run by the Empresa National Distribuidora de1 Libro. The main aim of the Cubans is to make books easily accessible to the general public and in Havana the bookshops are installed in pleasant, convenient premises, sometimes with air-conditioning. Books are not rationed and there is a firm policy of selling at very low prices which everyone can afford. Newly published books are advertized by short reviews in popular periodicals and on radio programs.

The bookshops compare favorably with many in Latin America although to European eyes the stock appears rather limited and lacking in variety, being mostly paperbacks of uniform format, with few hardbacks or illustrated books. There are, however, some attractively produced children’s books. The selection of titles is relatively small-for instance, it is impossible to go into a shop and buy all the main works of modern Cuban classics such as Alejo Carpentier, Jose Lezama Lima or even Nicolas Guillitn, the national poet: this is the result of the policy of concentrating on new works rather than reprints. Books which are in great demand, such as detective stories by Agatha Christie, sell out almost immediately, I was told. The only imports available are Spanish translations of Russian literature published in the Soviet Union and some scientific and technical textbooks. These are generally of better quality and more expensive than the Cuban books. Books in foreign languages are not generally available except for books in Russian. Bookshops can order works not in stock from the publishing houses.

There is a small second-hand bookshop in the Vedado district which

322 R. W. HOWES

has a good selection of both Cuban and foreign works at very reasonable prices. Many of these pre-date the Revolution, being published in the 193Os, 40s and 50s. The shop sells only to personal callers and does not produce lists or send books abroad. The address is: Cuba Cientifica, Calle I, no. 512, entre 23 y 25, Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana.

PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS

Despite the encouragement given to the sale of books, most Cubans, in common with other Latin Americans, prefer reading newspapers and periodicals1 Newspapers can be bought for 54 from itinerant newsboys or from kiosks which also sell periodicals. Newspapers and periodicals are either the official organs of particular institutions or are run by quasi-autonomous editorial boards. There are two daily papers: Granma and Juvenfud rebelde, the thrice-weekly Trabuzadores, and a large number of weekly and monthly newspapers and periodicals. The most popular of the weeklies include B&em& Verde O&o, LPI’ (the sports magazine) and @&a. The kiosks also sell a number of glossy magazines in Spanish from the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. The only non- communist periodical on sale is the Courtier de Z’Unesco.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Before the Revolution in 1959 there were very few public libraries. Since then there has been considerable expansion and a basic network has been established. However, priority in the allocation of resources goes to health and education rather than libraries. Since 1977, all the public libraries, including the Biblioteca National, have been under the overall control of the Direction de Bibliotecas of the Ministerio de Cultura which took over this responsibility from the Biblioteca National.

The Direccibn de Bibliotecas provides guidance on methodology, issuing standards for buildings and fittings, selection and acquisitions, and the efficiency of bibliographical services, but the libraries depend on the local provincial and municipal governments for funds and do their own selection through the catalogs and pre-catalogs of the publishing houses. The acquisition of foreign publications is centralized through the Biblioteca National. The public libraries use AACR and Dewey; they all have reference, lending, music and children’s sections, and some

l R. Rojas Ricardo et al. (1980). HAbito de lectura de la poblaci6n laboral en el municipio La Habana Vieja. Ihcumtro cientz;fico bibliotecoldgico, 67junio 1980, p. 3. [La Habana]: Ministerio de Cultura.

PWBLISHING AND LIBRARIES IN CUBA 323

have separate visual arts sections. All the public libraries created since the Revolution have been housed in existing buildings, although there are some purpose-built school libraries.

In 1980 there was a total of 192 public libraries, comprising one national library, 12 provincial libraries, 82 municipal libraries and 97 branch libraries (housed in factories, sugar mills, social centers, etc.). There is thus a public library in every provincial capital except for the City and Province of Havana, where the Biblioteca National fulfils this function. Some of the provincial libraries have long histories and rich collections dating back to the 19th century, as for example the one in Matan2as.l At the moment not all the municifiios (the equivalent of the British parish or county) have libraries but it is hoped eventually to extend the network to cover them all. In addition to the libraries listed above there are 133 1 minibibliotecas, small collections of books distributed in remote areas, and five mobile libraries (called bibliobuses) with 293 stopping places. There are also 2563 school libraries, 46 university ones and 111 special libraries. The public libraries have 2 883 985 registered users; most go to the libraries for educational reasons, although the majority of the books are fiction.

LIBRARY SCHOOLS

Altogether, there are about one thousand qualified librarians in Cuba. Library schools are divided into two levels: (a) non-professional (t&&o me&) : three year courses for people who have finished secondary school, restricted to women only; and (b) professional or university level. The non-professional courses for public and academic librarians are run by the Ministry of Culture’s Escuela de Ttcnicos de Biblioteca while school librarians are trained separately in what is commonly known as the Escuela de Bibliotecarios Escolares, run by the Ministry of Education. There are also shorter courses for library assistants. Professional library education is given by the Escuela de Informacibn Cientifica y Bibliotecologia which is part of the Faculty of Philology of the University of Havana. Most of the library students receive the Zicenciatura or bachelor’s degree; they either attend as full-time students or go to evening classes if they are already working in a library; the courses last five years. Post-graduate students obtain their qualifications by attend- ing a mixture of undergraduate courses, there being no post-graduate courses as such. There is as yet no specialization between information science and librarianship.

l S. Vento and R. Ruiz ( 1980). La Biblioteca Pu’blica de Matamcas. La Habana: Ciencias Sociales.

324 R. W. HOWES

ACQUIRING CUBAN PUBLICATIONS ABRUAD

(i) Purchase- Ediiciones Cubanas Cuba is the only communist state in the Americas and acquiring its publications abroad presents a number of special features. Cuban books can be purchased for foreign currency through the Ministry of Culture’s Empresa de Comercio Exterior de Publicaciones, which uses the trade name Ediciones Cubanas and is the sole export-import agency for publications. It issues catalogs and offers a wide range of monographs and both general and specialized periodical subscriptions at reasonable prices.

Ediciones Cubanas buys a selection of books from the various publishing houses and lists everything which it has available in an annual catalog, which is updated by supplements issued at intervals during the course of the year. Unlike the publishing houses’ catalogs, which are pre-publication lists, Ediciones Cubanas’ catalogs contain only works which have already been published. Ediciones Cubanas will obtain from the publishers any works listed in its catalog which are out of stock, but is not interested in searching for out-of-print material.

All publications are dispatched by registered air mail because of the delays in sea mail and invoices should be paid within 90 days of dispatch. Subscriptions for periodicals should be pre-paid and sent on separate orders. The address in Havana is: Ediciones Cubanas, O’Reilly no. 407, Apartado no. 605, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

(ii) Exchange Ediciones Cubanas is the sole export agency for cash transactions but publications can be obtained directly from institutions in Cuba by international exchange. Cuban librarians are very keen on exchange as in many cases it is their only opportunity of obtaining foreign publications and most libraries and research institutions keep a stock of material for this purpose. For foreign librarians it is a useful method of obtaining older Cuban material and some academic and research publications which are not on general sale.

The following paragraphs describe the main institutions offering exchange which I visited, the publications they issue and their subject interests. Many of the publications are available for purchase from Ediciones Cubanas and are listed in its latest catalogs but in some cases libraries may find it more convenient to obtain them direct from the publishing institution by exchange.

Incidentally, a useful source on the structure of Cuba’s govern- ment and institutions is the Directorio Telefoizico de la Ciudad de La Habana issued by the Empresa de Comunicaciones of the Ministerio de Comunicaciones and published by Editorial Orbe, which has a section


listing ministries, committees, institutes and bodies of the Communist Party and Popular Power, with their various dependencies.

BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL Josfi MARTY

The Biblioteca National Jose Marti was founded in 190 1 and after leading a precarious existence in the first half of this century moved to its present purpose-built building on the Plaza de la Revolucibn, which was formally opened in 1958. l

The library serves a dual function as the national library and as the main public reference library for the City of Havana. It is a deposit library for all Cuban publications, including official ones, and receives multiple copies, one of which is kept in reserve as an archival copy. In the past it has bought a number of large private libraries, such as that of the anthropologist Fernando Ortiz, and it is also responsible for sorting and disposing of the books of Cubans who have left the country permanently (known as bibliotecas recuperadm or recovered libraries). It has very little foreign currency for purchasing publications abroad and depends heavily on international exchange and donations to obtain foreign publications. It receives many publications from the Soviet Union but it has also maintained its exchange with the US Library of Congress through all the political vicissitudes of the last 20 years. The Biblioteca National’s collections total some 700 000 catalogued volumes together with some 300000 works which are not fully catalogued, mainly from the bibliotecas recuperadas.

I was shown round the library which has sections dealing with selection and exchange, cataloging and classification, conservation and binding, and bibliographical research. For cataloging and classification, they use AACR I and a modified Dewey; they have NUC and use it as their main authority file and source of bibliographical information. They were planning to adopt AACR 2 in January 198 1. The catalogs are card ca,talogs, the Cyrillic books being filed in a separate sequence. conservation presents problems because although the building is light and airy, it is not yet air-conditioned, and the. hot, humid tropical climate is very destructive, particularly of newsprint; the conservation section is, however, able to restore some of the rarer and more valuable documents. The bibliographical section produces the annual Bibliograffa cubana and the hadice general de publicaciones periddicas cubanas, together with various more specialized and individual bibliographies,

Reader services include a general reference section, divided into monographs and periodicals;, collections of gramophone records, photo-

’ I. Echevetia (1973). Sintesis histdrica de la Biblioteca National Jo& Marti. Bibliotecax XI (S), 3-13.

326 R. W. HOWES

graphs and color slides; the Cuban collection of publications on Cuba up to the end of the 19th century; the Centro de Estudios Martianos which aids research on Cuba’s national hero, Jo& Marti; a small lending library for adults; a children’s library; and a special collection of books which used to be lent out to workplaces and study centers in the provinces in the early days of the literacy campaign (this collection is being run down now that most such places have their own libraries). The library has a small number ofincunabula and other early books and prints which are kept with the Cuban collection.

Because the Biblioteca National also has the functions of a public library, admission is open to everyone, although there are plans to issue admission tickets in the near future to improve security. There is a special area where school children can work in groups to reduce the disturbance to other readers. Except for the lending library, publications are issued for reference only, although they may occasionally be lent to institutions, researchers and senior officials, unless there is only one copy.

The system of reserve publications is used mainly for conservation reasons. If the library has only one copy of a publication, it is put on reserve and only issued to accredited researchers. Most foreign publications fall into this category. Evenso, they have problems with readers who mutilate books and a list of names of people banned from using the library for this reason is prominently displayed.

The Biblioteca National’s building is light and spacious, beautifully finished with marble and wood. The furniture is rather old and battered but the public areas are kept clean and tidy. It overlooks the Plaza de la Revolucibn and can often be seen in photographs of the huge mass demonstrations which are held there. The present director is the historian Dr Julio Le Riverend. The total number ofstaff is about 290 of whom some 200 have had some form of training and 72 are university graduates.

The Biblioteca NacionalJos6 Marti issues the following publications: Bibliografiu cubana: this appears annually and covers the years from 1959/62 onwards, with retrospective volumes planned for the years 19 17-1937; hdice general de publicaciones periddicas cubanas: an annual index of periodical articles in the humanities and social sciences, it is at present some years in arrears; Rev&a de la Biblioteca Naciolzal 3osB Mart2 this appears three times a year and contains scholarly articles on Cuban history and culture, and some book reviews; Bibliotecas: a small bulletin published six times a year on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and intended for Cuban librarians, containing mainly technical articles on librarianship; Anuario del C’entro de Estudios Martianos (formerly Anuario Martiano): an annual volume devoted to research on Jose Marti.


The Biblioteca National also publishes a number of individual bibliographies and monographs which are listed in a cumulative catalog.

The Biblioteca National is very keen on international exchange. Besides its own catalog it regularly sends out lists of monographs, serials and periodicals issued by other publishers which it has available for exchange. These include some works not available from Ediciones Cubanas and some official publications such as the Gaceta oJi&Z. It also offers exchange lists of gramophone records and musical scores. The address is: Departamento de Selection y Canje, Biblioteca National Jo& Marti, Plaza de la Revolution, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

CASA DE LAS AM&RICAS

The Casa de las Americas is a cultural institution which aims to encourage interest in Latin American and Caribbean culture and maintain cultural contacts between Cuba and the other countries of Latin America. Its main areas of activity are literature, the theater, music and the visual arts, and it sponsors research, exhibitions, seminars and competitions, as well as conducting an active publishing program. It publishes the works of Latin American writers who have won its various literary awards, bibliographies, anthologies of criticism and gramophone records of writers reading their works. It also publishes the periodicals Cuss de Zus Am&-z& (on literature and culture), Conjunto (on the theater) and Boletin de m&a.

The Casa’s more recent publications can be purchased through Ediciones Cubanas but earlier monographs which are still in print as well as the more recent ones and the three periodicals can also be obtained directly from the Casa on exchange. The Casa issues a catalog of all the publications which it currently has available. In return for their publications, the Casa would like to obtain cultural publications from and about the Caribbean and Latin America, particularly Brazil. The address is: Casa de las Americas, Departamento de Canje, 3ra y G, Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

ACADEMIA DE CIENCIAS DE CUBA

The Academia de Ciencias de Cuba was founded in 1962 and has overall responsibility for 24 specialized research institutes. The headquarters of the Academia de Ciencias is in the former Capitolio National or Congress building but the institutes themselves are scattered throughout the City of Havana. Some produce their own serial publications, others contribute to the hfome cientz;rico-t&~ica, each number of which is devoted

328 R. W. HOWES

to a particular institute, while other have no publications at all. All the periodicals whose titles began Serie are now dead.

INSTITUTE DE LITERATURA Y LINCU~STICA

The Instituto de Literatura y Linguistica was closed for renovation during my visit but I was able to speak with two ofits staff. At present the Institute concentrates on Cuban literature but it is planning to expand to cover the literature of other countries later. It is working on a multi- volume dictionary of Cuban literature, the first volume of which is due to appear at the end of this year, and also hopes to produce a definitive history of Cuban literature. The linguistics section is about to embark on a linguistic atlas of Cuba, beginning with a few selected provinces.

The library of the Institute originally belonged to the Sociedad Econ6mica de Amigos de1 Pais and still includes the original collection of 1793, the first public library in Cuba. It became part of the Institute in lY65 and in December 1979, it had about 6~000 monographs and 8OOQ periodical titles, both Cuban and foreign. Eight hundred of the monographs are held on reserve because of their rarity and value, and include four incunabula, The library also has the archives of Nicol& Guill&r, Fernando Ortiz and the Henriquez Ureha family.

The present building was purpose-built in the mid 1940s. The library uses AACR and Dewey, and has open access except for the reserve collection- It is for reference only, although it occasionally lends to the Institute’s own researchers. The building is not air-conditioned at present but they are going to experiment with air-conditioning part ofit.

The library serves a dual function as a research library for the Institute’s researchers and for university students, and as a public library, although in fact it has few general readers now. Readers need a letter of introduction in order to use the pre-1965 newspaper collection. The library is now in the process of preparing a catalog of its reserve books, arranged by author, title and year of publication, which will be published in 198 1, and also produces indexes of periodicals not covered by the Biblioteca National’s indexes, particularly of nineteenth-century provincial periodicals.

The Institute produces the Anuario L/L containing scholarly articles on literature and linguistics which it offers on exchange together with a list of monographs it has available.

AR~HIVO NACIONAL

I was unable to visit the Archive National. Reports say it is in a bad state but I was told that they hoped to renovate it soon. Its Boletz’~ has ceased publication.


INSTITUTO DE DOCUMENTACI~N E INF~RMACI~N CIENT~FICA Y T~CNICA AND OTHER INSTITUTES

The Institute de Docum’entacion e Informacidn Cientifica y Tecnica is an institute in its own right and also serves as an information center for the whole of the Academia de Ciencias. It has a small library, a large collection of abstracts, mainly Russian, a translating service and a collection of reports in microform. The IDICT produces the Revistu de kformacidn cientz$cu y thxica cubana, a quarterly abstracts periodical arranged according to the UDC system.

Besides the above bodies, the Academia de Ciencias also includes the following research institutions (with their publications listed in par- enthesis) : Centro de Estudios Filos6ficos; Centro de Estudios de Historia y Organization de la Ciencia (Conferencias y estudios de historia y organiZacioiz de la cienck); Direccicin National de Zoolbgicos y Acuarios ( Turreia, nuevva serie); Instituto de Botanica (Ciencias bioZ6gicus; Acta botlinica cubana); Instituto de Ciencias Sociales; Instituto de Geofisica y Astronomia; Instituto de Geografia (Informe cientfzco-tknico); Instituto de Geologia y Paleontologia; Instituto de Investigaciones de Tecnica Fundamental-ININTEF; Instituto de Investigaciones de la Cana de AzGcar; Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales de1 Cerebro- INIFUNCE (B&tin del Centropara el Estudio de Zus Neurosis); Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales de Agricultura Tropical-INIFAT (Ciencias de la agricultura; Infurme cientzjh-thmico) ; Instituto de MatemBtica, Cibernetica y Computation-IMACC; Instituto de Meteorologia; Instituto de Oceanologia (Inf0rme cientzjko-thico); Instituto de Quimica y Biologia Experimental (Informe cientzjLio-tknico); Instituto de Suelos (Ciencias de la agricultura); Instituto de Zoologia (Poeyana; Miscelhea zooldgica; Infmne cientz$co-te’cnico) ; Oficina National de Invenciones, Information y de Marcas-,ONIITEM (Boletin o&al de la ONUTEM); Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias ‘<Jorge Dimitrov”; Instituto de Investigaciones Nucleares.

The IDICT operates a centralized purchasing service for foreign publications for all the institutes of the Academia de Ciencias but at the moment each institute, including the IDICT, maintains its own direct exchanges with institutions abroad. However, the Academy is now considering centralizing its exchanges, and libraries interested in obtaining its publications should write in the first instance to the IDICT. In exchange, the Academy is interested in obtaining publications on botany, sociology, geology, ag-riculture and information science. The address is: Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, Instituto de Documentacibn e Informacidn Cientifica y Tecnica, Calle 15 no. 55 1 entre C y D, Apartado 4017, Ciudad de La Habana 4, Cuba.

330 R. W. HOWES

UNIVERSIDAD DE LA HABANA, DZRECCI~N DE INFORMACION CIENT~FICA Y T~~CNICA

The University of Havana was founded in 1728. Until recently, it had faculties covering all subjects but since a reorganization of the university system in 1977178, it has concentrated on the natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), mathematics, geography, economics, philology (including literature, journalism and information science), law, philosophy, history and psychology. There is also a language school for Cuban students going abroad and for foreign students coming to Cuba, external courses for the general population and upgrading courses for the university’s own teachers. The Universidad de La Habana is dependent on the Ministerio de Education Superior together with the following provincial universities: I

Centro Universitario de Pinar de1 Rio Centro Universitario de Matanzas Universidad Central de Las Villas Universidad de Camagiiey Instituto de Ciencias Agricolas de Ciego i ’ kvila Instituto Superior TCcnico de Cienfuegos Centro Universitario de Holguin Instituto Superior de Ciencias Agricolas de Bayamo Universidad de Oriente Instituto Superior Minero-metalurgico de Moa.

Technology, teacher training, medicine and agriculture are now covered by separate institutes of higher education (Institutos Superiores), each dependent on the relevant ministry, which have the status of universities. Altogether there are some 14 universities and 36 higher institutes.

The Direction de Information Cientifica y Ttcnica provides library and information services for the whole of the University of Havana and is also in charge of the information services in the provincial universities. It has sections dealing with acquisitions (through exchange and purchase)) technical processes (cataloging, classification, translations, etc.), libraries and bibliographical information services, reprography and publishing, and information systems. The DICT runs the Biblioteca Central Ruben Martinez Villena, opened in 1937 and situated at the heart of the campus. This uses AACR and Dewey, is closed access and for reference only, and has special reading rooms for Russian and English books. There are also departmental libraries and information points in each faculty which are run by the DICT.

Since 1978, the system of university publications in Cuba has been


completely reorganized. Under the new system which is still in the process of being implemented, each university will be reponsible for issuing one or more specialized periodicals, which will reflect the subjects in which it is strongest. These periodicals will bear the imprint of a particular university but they will be national in scope, carrying contributions from specialists in the subject from any university, and there will be only one for each subject.

Most of the periodicals will be published by the long-established universities of Havana, Las Villas and Oriente but all the universities will publish something, except Pinar de1 Rio, Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Bayamo. The DICT may be able to supply the other universities’ publications but it is safer to contact these directly.

The University of Havana will publish the following periodicals: InvestigaGiones marinas (replaces Serie de investigaciones marinas) ; Jardin Botu’nica; Economfu y desarrollo; Universidud de La Hubana; Giencias saciales; Ciencias m&em&as; Investigacih operational; Rev&a cubana de f&a; Revista cubana de educacidn superior.

All these will appear three times a year. The University also publishes the Spanish translation of Revista de educacidn superior contemporhzea which appears quarterly like the Russian original.

The DICT is very keen on international exchange because, apart from anything else, it was the only source of publications which continued during the worst part of the US blockade. It can offer the University’s periodicals and some monographs and in return is interested in publications on the humanities, economics, psychology, geography, biology and mathematics. The address is: Direcci6n de Information Ciendfica y Tecnica, Departamento de Selection y Adquisicion, Seccibn de Canje, Biblioteca Central Ruben Martinez Villena, Recinto Universitario, Universidad de La Habana, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

INSTITUTE SUPERIOR POLITBCNICO Jose ANTONIO ECHEVERR~A

The Instituto Superior Polittcnico Jo& Antonio Echeverria, popularly known by the acronym CUJAE (Ciudad Universitaria Jose Antonio Echeverria), is a university of technology started some 15 years ago on a new campus on the land of a former sugar mill in the Marianao district of Havana. It has the status of a university and carries out teaching and research in technological subjects to the highest level.

Until 1980 ISPJAE published a periodical, Ciencias t&z&s, which appeared in 11 separate series. In line with the general reorganization of university publishing in Cuba (q-v.) these ceased publication at no. 5.

332 R. W. HoWES

They will be replaced by separate periodicals, mostly carrying titles similar to the former series, some of which will be published by the ISPJAE and some by other Cuban universities. The periodicals to be published by the ISPJAE are: Trunsjwtey v&s de comunicacioiz; Ingenierzb. hid&ha; Ingenierz’a electroizica, automdtica y comunicaciones; Ingenierz’a es- tructural; hgenieria industrial; Ingenieria energe’tica; Arquitectura y urbanismo.

The following series of Ciencius thzicas will now be published by other universities: Ingenierz’a en geodeszh y geufij-ica: to be published by the Universidad de Moa with a different title; 1ngenierz’u en procesos quzinicos, alimentariosy agucareros: to be published by the Universidad Central de Las Villas with a different title; hzgenieria en construccidn de maquinaria: to be published by the Universidad Central de Las Villas with the same title; Ensegancu de lus ingenierius y la arquitectura: to be published by the Universidad de Camagiiey.

Numbering will start again at 1 and all will appear three times per annum. The ISPJAE’s publications were to start appearing in October 1980 and those of the other universities in 198 1. They should be available through Ediciones Cubanas but can also be obtained direct from the issuing university on exchange.

The library has regular exchanges with 77 institutions in 25 countries and irregular exchanges with another 406. Much oftheir material seems to come from the Eastern European countries and they have almost run out of storage space, particularly for periodicals. In exchange for their publications, they are interested in anything related to technology, particularly electronics, telecommunications, computers, energy (including nuclear energy), construction, architecture, town planning, transport and industrial engineering. They also want material on the storage and retrieval of information and publishers’ ‘catalogs. The address is: La Biblioteca, Instituto Superior Politecnico JOSE: Antonio Echeverria, CUJAE, Calle 127, Terreno de1 Central Manuel Martinez Prieto, Marianao, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

CENTRO DE XNFORMACI~N DE LA CONSTRUCCI~N

This is the information center for the Ministerio de la Construccibn and is housed in the building of the former Colegio de Arquitectos, They have a very go-ahead attitude and use a computer for some of their bibliographical information.

Their principal periodical publications are Arquitectura Cuba, Ingenieria civil, Voluntad hidra’ulica and Revista referativa de la construccidn. They also issue Infoorm~cidn-c~nstrucci~n, which appears in 12 series, six appearing alternately every other month, and Inzformacidn-se&xl, an accessions list which appears in 15 series. The Centerpublishes as well the Cat&go de la

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canstrucciaiz-alemen~os hpicos, a catalog of all the building products available in Cuba and their specifications, which is the Cuban equivalent of trade literature. They are planning to publish computer- produced KWIC indexes of the main periodicals held by the Center; there will generally be a one-volume index for each periodical covering a span of 30 years; this series will appear irregularly and has no title yet. The Center also has available a number of well-produced illustrated monographs on architecture and building issued mainly in connection with conferences.

The CIC is anxious to establish contact with any institutions or libraries in Britain which specialize in architecture and building. They would also welcome information on any such bodies in Latin America. Their address is: Centro de Informaci6n de la Construccibn, Departamento de Canje International, Avenida de Bklgica, 258, Apartado 202, Ciudad de La Habana 1, Cuba.

C~MITB ESTATAL DE NORMALIZACI~N (FORMERLY DTRECCI~N DE NORMAS)

I was unable ta visit this body personally but was given some information on it by the CIC which has close connections with it. The Comitir Estatal de Normalizacibn issues all Cuban standards except building standards, which are issued by the Ministerio de la Construcci6n. The Comiti: publishes: JVorma cubana (the actual standards), Cat&go de Eas normas cubanas and the periodical jVormaliZacz& (formerly Normalizacih, meteorologiuy control de la calidad) . The address for the publications is: Calle 5ta no. 306 e/C y D, Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 4, Cuba.

CENTRO NACIONAL DE INFORMACI~N DE CIENCIAS MGDICAS

I made a brief visit to this information center. It publishes the following periodicals which may be obtained either directly by exchange or by subscription through Ediciones Cubanas: &vista cubana de administracidn de s&d; Rev&a ctrbana de cirugia; Revista cubana de estomatologz’a; Revista cubana de furmacia; Revista cubana de higiene y epidemiologia; Revista cubana de medicina; Revista cubana de medicina tropical; Revista cubana de obstetricia y ginecologia; Revista cubana depediutrz’a. The address is: Centro National de Informaci6n de Ciencias Mkdicas, Calle 23 no. 177, entre N y 0, La Rampa, Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

334 R. W. HOWES

IN~TITUTO DE DESARROLLO DE LA SALUD

This institute trains health service administrators and is pleasantly situated in a former tuberculosis hospital on the outskirts of Havana. It has a small well-appointed library and can offer the Rev&z cubana de administraci6n de salud in exchange (this can also be obtained from the Centro National de Information de Ciencias Medicas, q.v. and Ediciones Cubanas). In return they are interested in publications on demography, fertility, statistics, sociology, psychology and electronic computers.

Forming part of the Instituto de Desarrollo de la Salud although housed separately is the office of the Historian of Medicine, which has a library with a good collection of nineteenth-century Cuban medical periodicals and an archive of newspaper cuttings, photographs, etc. (the library was being moved at the time and so I was not able to visit it). The Historian’s office produces the Cuadernos de historia de la salud ptiblica (formerly Cuadernos de historiu sanitaria), a series originally intended to publicize the achievements of the great Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay, but which later expanded to include biographies of other notable Cuban doctors as well. The Cuadernos were temporarily suspended after the publication of no. 61 but will start again in 1981 with two and possibly three issues a year. The Historian’s office is also working on an index of nineteenth-century Cuban medical periodicals. The Cuadernos can be obtained on exchange through the Instituto de Desarrollo de la Salud. The address is: La Biblioteca, Instituto de Desarrollo de la Salud (Antiguo Sanatorio La Esperanza), Napoles Fajardo, sin, no., Arroyo Naranjo, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.

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