March 4, 1999

MEDIA CONTACT: José A. Alvarez (619) 594-2585 jose.alvarez@sdsu.edu

 

SDSU librarian receives Fulbright grant; Fulbright scholar lecturing at SDSU,s Imperial Valley campus

 

Martha E. McPhail, a librarian at San Diego State University, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to catalog rare books in El Salvador.

"I am cataloging rare books and making them available to scholars worldwide," said McPhail, who will be working at the Biblioteca Manuel Gallardo in a suburb of San Salvador, until the end of June. "It,s one of Latin America,s best collections of materials detailing the history and culture of the region."

While in San Salvador, McPhail, a bibliographer for Spanish and Latin American literature at SDSU,s Love Library, will be responsible for cataloguing 500 previously unknown imprints. She is also doing research for an article to be published in American Libraries and will acquire more Latin American literature to enhance the more than 100,000 volumes at SDSU,s library, one of the best and largest collections in the country.

"My work here very directly ties in with what I do at SDSU," she added. Her assignment in San Salvador, where she has resided since January, has been somewhat challenging. Many of the collections were destroyed by the 1986 earthquake as well as by the 12-year civil war. Also, the Manuel Gallardo Library lacks the technology needed to get the job done.

"The tools necessary to complete the project are not readily available. There is very limited Internet access," McPhail said. However, she has been adjusting "poco a poco (little by little)" and is taking advantage of "this wonderful opportunity."

"I have immersed myself in the Latin American Culture and am using the language. It,s an unmatched opportunity," she concluded.

In the meantime, Lucia Lamarque Avilez, an associate professor in the School of Accountancy and Administration at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) in Mexicali, received a Fulbright grant to teach at SDSU,s Imperial Valley campus in Calexico.

Since September, she has been lecturing on the difficulties U.S. business people encounter when establishing a business in Mexico.

"The opportunity to interact with students from another nationality is very challenging. Their desire to learn a little bit more about what,s beyond the border represents an excellent bridge between our cultures," said Lamarque, adding that she is delighted to be able to share her knowledge on the subject and to work with the latest technology. Her class is taught through videoconferencing, allowing management students from SDSU,s main campus to register for it and participate in class lectures.

"I am very pleased to be able to participate in this project," she added. "Hopefully this will help diminish the lack of information there is regarding human resource administration in Mexico."

During the 1998-99 academic year, some 750 U.S. faculty and professionals received Fulbright grants to lecture and conduct research abroad. Approximately 725 Fulbright scholars will visit the United States, primarily as researchers.