National newspaper archive: 80 years of preserving Mexico’s memory

Have you ever imagined holding a 300-year-old newspaper in your hands? Reading how news was told in the past or knowing what magazines from the last century were about? This is possible thanks to the National Newspaper Library of Mexico (HNM), which in 2024 celebrates 80 years of preserving and providing access to periodical publications that make up the testimonial history of the territory.

“It is a living institution, ready to share the hemerographic memory. The pulse of the information generated in the country is protected with great precision and care within these walls,” says María Andrea Giovine Yáñez, director of the Bibliographic Research Institute (IIB) of the UNAM, of the National Newspaper Library and Library of Mexico.

With eight million printed copies – equivalent to 32 linear kilometers – and nearly 20 thousand in digital format, it is one of the most important entities for the Mexican Republic.

“This is a heritage that is a source of pride. Here we investigate and acknowledge what happened three centuries ago, what the main events were and how, from them, knowledge has been generated that helps us improve as a society and seek democracy and truth,” explains Ana Laura Peniche Monfort, coordinator of the HNM.

Protecting the past and looking to the future

The history of this facility dates back to November 1867, when the presidential decree was issued for the creation of the National Library of Mexico (BNM). At that time, there was already a collection of press material.

In 1929, the BNM came under the administration of the UNAM. Later, in 1944, when José Vasconcelos was its director, the HNM was founded as an institution in charge of preserving, distributing and lending newspapers and magazines to the population.

“In other countries, newspaper collections are included in national libraries as a section. In Mexico, it has its own space and has been given special prominence, which has given rise to a series of highly specialized studies,” says the director of the IIB.

Over its eight decades, the HNM has been renewing itself to adapt to the needs of an increasingly technological world. This is how, in 2012, the project: National Digital Newspaper Library of Mexico (HNDM) was born.

“It was proposed to digitize the collection of microfilms “We had around 12 thousand. We obtained a large number of publications in their electronic version. Starting in 2016, we embarked on a path that will lead us to start uploading color images in 2022, with high resolution, metadata and embedded OCR,” explains Ana Laura Peniche.

Its more than eight million digitalized images, corresponding to more than a thousand titles, have positioned HNM as one of the most relevant press platforms in Latin America. This allows society, both inside and outside of Mexico, to have access to a large amount of information.

The coordinator emphasizes that these 80 years have given rise to constant adaptation and “a new way of understanding the news, studying it and making it available to the general population.”

The work carried out in this facility is divided into five departments:

The first is Acquisition, where they receive around 100 thousand copies a year via legal deposit, which requires all editors in the territory to deliver two printed materials and one digital one of any publication made (“this is vital for us, because it safeguards everything related to intellectual property and copyright,” says María Andrea Giovine). Cataloging records are also generated there, that is, descriptions of the main characteristics of each publication.

Cataloging is another area, where a rigorous inventory is drawn up and the documentation is specifically detailed. Preservation and Reprography, on the other hand, carry out conservation processes, stabilisation of deteriorated copies and their subsequent digitalisation.

In Information Services, a department distributed throughout the main building and annex of the HNM, they are responsible for bringing the content of the publications closer to the needs of the population.

Finally, in Hemerographic Systematization, thematic collections and compendiums are made, or indexes that involve a defined analysis to find precise data on topics of interest.

Access 300 years of history

The HNM is made up of two collections: the Reserved Collection, which covers the period from 1665 to 1916, and the Contemporary Collection, which covers the period from 1917 to the present. Each collection is divided into collections that respond to a documentary typology (such as newspapers, magazines, official journals or comics) or a territorial typology (from all the states of Mexico and more than 50 countries around the world); both are organized in chronological order. The diversity of topics available for consultation ranges from politics and science to art and sports.

“We have publications, for example, from Spain and the United States, with which we have a relationship in various ways. But we also have an important collection of international organizations that reflect, through bulletins, magazines and brochures, all bilateral agreements or agreements between many territories,” says Ana Laura Peniche.

The HNM also preserves one of the largest and most important collections of national and foreign comics in Latin America. Among the Mexican titles are: The Burron family, The Supermachos y Memin Penguin. Foreign comics translated into Spanish, about Marvel or DC superheroes, also make up the collection. “Today we are trying to put together a sub-collection of manga, mostly from Japan.”

One of the aspects that make the need and relevance of the HNM evident is that in this space both current news and news from three centuries ago can be reviewed. The oldest national publication corresponds to the first newspaper in the country: La Gaceta de México, in digital version since 1722, and in printed original, from 1728. Among the foreign documents, the oldest dates from 1665, it is the French scientific journal Journal of scholars.

Another of its virtues is that it has developed tools that facilitate access to information and save time for users. On the one hand, there is the NAUTILO catalogue and the new PRIMO platform, with newspaper descriptions to quickly find publications, and on the other hand there is the Newspaper Index System (SIHENA), which compiles the main news from the national press organized in thematic collections that help to locate topics, periods and allows to locate titles or specific information.

In the HNDM you can search by word, topic, time period and geographic location to then request specific titles or days.

Eight decades of work

On the occasion of its 80th anniversary, María Andrea Giovine calls on society to recognize the value and legacy of the National Newspaper Library, which each year has the satisfaction of receiving more than 30 thousand people in person and serving nearly 130 thousand virtually.

“At a time when information is volatile and often superficial, the funds safeguarded here and our commitment to the right to information and heritage are of the utmost importance. We are passionate about working on this to pass it on to you.”

The director ends by inviting the public to the activities and exhibition held to commemorate the HNM, with which they hope to highlight the importance of its history, validity and future projection. To learn more about these events, visit the IIB’s social networks: @BiblioNacMex_HemeroNacMex_IIBUNAM or @IIBUNAM.

For her part, Ana Laura Peniche reaffirms the pride that comes with having completed eight decades of work and dedication, which have been possible thanks to UNAM. “The University shelters this institution and, together with the knowledge of the academic and administrative staff, helps us to continue moving forward and to produce everything we need.”

(Information from Ilse Valencia/UNAM)