The Role of Libraries in Advancing Research at Mexican Normal Schools: A Qualitative Study

Mexican normal schools (normales), historically dedicated to training teachers within a strong social justice framework, underwent reforms in 1984 that mandated research activity on the science of learning by both faculty and students. Using qualitative methods, this study examines the extent to which libraries support this research requirement as well as the social justice mission at two normales. Findings reveal that libraries heavily rely on free and physical resources and librarians exhibit a strong sense of duty toward student research and community engagement. However, the libraries are challenged particularly regarding faculty research support and providing electronic resources. This study constitutes the first empirical study of libraries within the normales.