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| Latin American and Caribbean Archives Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Latin American and Caribbean Archives Network |
| Abbreviation | LACAN |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Network |
| Headquarters | Port of Spain |
| Region served | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Languages | Spanish, English, Portuguese, French |
Latin American and Caribbean Archives Network is a regional consortium that connects archival repositories, research libraries, cultural institutions, and university archives across Latin America and the Caribbean. It fosters collaboration among institutions such as the National Library of Argentina, Biblioteca Nacional de México, Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí, Arquivo Nacional (Brazil), and National Archives of Jamaica to preserve documentary heritage related to figures like Simón Bolívar, José Martí, Getúlio Vargas, Benito Juárez, and Frida Kahlo. The network engages with international organizations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Council on Archives, the World Digital Library, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Smithsonian Institution.
The network traces roots to cooperative meetings among archivists at the Organization of American States headquarters and conferences such as the International Council on Archives Congress and bilateral initiatives between the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile and the Archivio di Stato di Firenze. Early catalysts included disaster responses following events like Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and floods affecting the Amazon River basin and institutions such as the Archivo General de la Nación (Peru), the Archivo General de la Nación (Colombia), and the Archivo General de Indias. Founding partners included university archives at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and University of the West Indies.
Governance models mirror consortia such as the International Council on Archives and the Council on Library and Information Resources with steering committees, working groups, and rotating secretariats hosted by institutions like the National Library of Venezuela or the Biblioteca Nacional de Puerto Rico. Advisory boards have included representatives from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Vatican Apostolic Library. Funding partnerships have involved the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the European Union cultural programs.
Membership encompasses national archives such as the Archivo General de la Nación (Mexico), Archivo General de la Nación (Ecuador), Archivo Nacional de la República de Cuba, and regional centers like the Cuban Heritage Collection, the Centro de Estudios Martianos, the Taller de Restauración de Documentos Históricos (Peru), and university-based archives at Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Harvard University Latin American Library, Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Princeton University Library, and the New York Public Library. Cultural institutions include the Museo Nacional de Colombia, the Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico), the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina), and the Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen (El Salvador).
Activities include training workshops modeled on programs at the Getty Conservation Institute, digitization initiatives aligned with the World Digital Library and the Digital Public Library of America, disaster preparedness informed by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions guidelines, and exhibitions in partnership with the Museum of the Americas and the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico). Capacity building draws on expertise from the British Council, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Organization of American States cultural divisions. The network organizes biennial conferences similar to the Latin American Studies Association meetings and joint seminars with the Caribbean Archives Association.
Notable projects include regional digitization consortia modeled after the Proyecto PALABI and collaborations with the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress to digitize collections related to Miguel de Cervantes, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, Alejo Carpentier, Jorge Luis Borges, and César Vallejo. Conservation initiatives have engaged laboratories like the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional and the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Documentos (Cuba). Oral history projects have worked with archives holding papers of Evelyn W.**, Luis Muñoz Marín, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Haiti independence leaders, and collections on the Cuban Revolution. Collaborative grants have been secured from the Mellon Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.
The network produces newsletters, technical guides, and cataloging standards informed by the International Standard Archival Description and training materials that reference methodologies from the Society of American Archivists, the Association of Caribbean Historians, and the Latin American Studies Association. Digital repositories mirror platforms such as the Digital Library of the Caribbean, Europeana, and national portals like Memoria Chilena and Biblioteca Digital de la Real Academia Española for metadata harvesting. Publication outlets include collaborative journals inspired by the Revista de Indias, the Hispanic American Historical Review, and proceedings comparable to those of the International Council on Archives.
The network has enhanced preservation across institutions from the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago to the Archivo General de Puerto Rico, supported research on figures such as Che Guevara, Diego Rivera, Mariana Grajales, Antonio José de Sucre, Rubén Darío, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and strengthened ties with libraries including the Biblioteca Nacional de España and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Its initiatives have influenced cultural policy dialogues at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and regional heritage strategies adopted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The network's work supports scholars at institutions such as King's College London, University College London, Universidad de Salamanca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and El Colegio de México.
Category:Archives in Latin America Category:Caribbean culture Category:Library consortia