Independent Mexican Publishing in the 21st Century: Legal Deposit and Coverage in the Nautilo Catalog of the National Library of Mexico

ABSTRACT

Objetivo:

this article presents the research results of the coverage of independent publishing (IP) production in Nautilo’s catalog from Biblioteca Nacional de México (BNM), and the role of legal deposit as a fundamental figure for preservation and visibility of national bibliography.

Methods:

mixed methodology (documentary analysis, catalog analysis, survey) based on a sample of 83 independent publishers.

Results:

it is evident that in Nautilo the records of a large number of works produced by this type of publishers do not appear, which is mainly due to the fact that their legal deposit has not been made. From on the above, a survey was carried out on the editors with the aim of studying the reason for so few records, which clarified that: 1) there is a medium-high assessment of the importance of legal deposit and the registration of their works in Nautilo; 2) however, there are multiple difficulties that IP face to comply with this figure, which means that the importance they give to legal deposit does not correspond effectively to the deposit of their works; 3) there is an important characteristic of some IP that makes it difficult to trace their works to incorporate them into the collection: not having an ISBN.

Conclusions:

it is necessary, firstly, to optimize communication between the BNM and IP so that there is more information on the role and functions of the legal deposit and, secondly, to draw up strategies that encourage compliance with it, taking into account the particular characteristics of this type of publishing.

KEYWORDS:
Nautilo catalog; National Library of Mexico; Legal deposit; Independent mexican publishing