As of October 24th a new re- search library will officially be open to the public in Oakland, California. NACLA-West has turned over its research data base to the newly created DataCenter located in the same building as the NACLA offices in downtown Oakland. In addition to NACLA's collection of books, clippings and documents collected over the last 11 years, the Data Center also houses other specialized collec- tions. The focus of the Data Center is on the political economy of the Americas - the U.S. and Latin America- with emphasis given to the following areas: Individual corporations, in- dustries, banks and other finan- cial institutions. Labor Labor force statistics, working conditions and union activities. Government Especially military, police, in- ternational aid, trade and mone- tary agencies. Non-Government Human rights organizations, foundations, lobby groups and others. Personalities Biographical data on corpor- ate, labor and government offi- cials. The Data Center's resources in- clude: * A complete, indexed collec- tion of over 50,000 news articles on Latin America organized by Information Services on Latin America (ISLA) dating from 1970. * 300 file drawers of news-clips, magazine articles, research re- ports and other documents. "* More than 300 periodicals. "* Corporate information on more than 1,500 U.S. firms. * A reference book collection exceeding 3,000 volumes. The Data Center will also publish a bulletin on its activities, sponsor workshops and seminars and pro- vide specialized research services. It is not a lending library. All materials are for use on the premises. There is, however, a self-service photocopier available. Much of the organization and maintenance of the Data Center is done by volunteers. While initial- ly the bulk of the Data Center's funding will have to come from foundations, individuals, and sponsoring organizations, users of the library are being asked to contribute to its support. Fees range from a donation for one day's use to $10 for an individual annual membership and $100 for an institutional annual member- ship. Fees may be reduced in consideration of material contri- butions and/or voluntary work. No one will be denied access because of inability to pay. The Data Center is open Monday- Thursday 1-5 p.m. Visitors are requested to make appointments in advance by calling (415) 835- 4692. Special requests and con- tract research inquiries should be addressed to the Center's Direc- tor, Harry Strharsky. Write to the Data Center, 464 19th Street, Oakland, CA 94612 for a bro- chure.
