Information access for the poor and the role of libraries in the reduction of poverty = El acceso a la información para los pobres y el rol de las bibliotecas en la reducción de la pobreza

To provide an overview of the situation of the general population of Mexico, this article Hill discuss some basic and recent socio economic statistical information including official statistics on library infrastructure and the use of Communication and Information Technologies (ICT’s) – specifically, the use of internet inside and outside of homes. Some significant results of a survey on reading habits of the residents of Mexico City Metropolitan Area included – e.g. citizens’ reading habits and preferred places to read compared to their personal income level. This article will also discuss an analysis of national programmes on poverty. However in relation to the reduction of poverty in Mexico, there exist are many challenges to meet, topics to analyze, and research to do to fully measure the possible impact of libraries in future. [NB: original and unchanged as written from the author. ZMMM]