Oklahoma State University recently expanded its collaboration with Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla, a private university in Puebla, Mexico, to include a reciprocal interlibrary loan agreement. The two institutions have a longstanding partnership that includes student exchanges, dual-degree and bridge programs, and faculty collaborations across multiple academic areas.

Director of Global Partnerships Vivian Wang and Associate Dean of Libraries Matt Upson coordinated OSU’s role in this new agreement. Whitney Vitale, head of Library Access Services, and Abby Albert, coordinator of Interlibrary Loan, provided expertise in developing the partnership and will oversee its implementation at OSU.

“Our goal is to develop sustainable global partnerships that support our overall global engagement strategies,” Wang said. “Those partnerships also help us make a global impact that fulfills our land-grant mission.”

The new agreement strengthens efforts to foster international understanding and academic cooperation. Now, users at either university can borrow digital materials from both institutions. This can include already digitized material as well as items that can, within the bounds of copyright, be digitized upon request.

“We view this as an opportunity to connect with colleagues internationally and mutually expand access to resources for both parties,” Upson said. “This is just one more way to break down some barriers to information access.”

This exchange of educational resources benefits both institutions and expands this important partnership beyond the existing student mobility programs. The OSU Libraries are exploring ways to share expertise on topics such as information literacy instruction, open access, open education and more.

To learn more about this and other global partnerships at OSU, visit global.okstate.edu. To explore materials available through the OSU Libraries, visit library.okstate.edu.