Search Help

DOCUMENTS

How can I look for a book?

The Instituto Cervantes of Chicago recommends looking in our library catalogue, as well as searching other catalogues which we have included below:

• RED DE BIBLIOTECAS DEL INSTITUTO CERVANTES: http://bibliotecas.cervantes.es
• BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL: http://www.bne.es
• BASES DE DATOS DEL CSIC: http://www.bddoc.csic.es:8080/index.jsp
• AGENCIA ESPAÑOLA DEL ISBN: http://www.mcu.es/comun/bases/isbn/ISBN.html
• RED DE BIBLIOTECAS UNIVERSITARIAS (REBIUN): http://rebiun.crue.org
• CATALOGO COLECTIVO DEL PATRIMONIO BIBLIOGRÁFICO: http://www.mcu.es/bibliotecas/MC/CCPB/index.html
• BIBLIOTECAS PÚBLICAS ESPAÑOLAS: http://www.mcu.es/bibliotecas/index.html
• REBECA: http://www.mcu.es/bibliotecas/MC/Rebeca/index.html
• DIALNET: http://www.dialnet.unirioja.es  
• ARCHIVO CENSO-GUÍA DE LOS ARCHIVOS ESPAÑOLES: http://aer.mcu.es/sgae/index_censo_guia.jsp

How can I look for a magazine?

The Instituto Cervantes of Chicago recommends looking in its catalogue, as well as searching other catalogues which we have included below:

• RED DE BIBLIOTECAS DEL INSTITUTO CERVANTES: http://bibliotecas.cervantes.es
• BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL: http://www.bne.es/esp/colecciones/publicacionesperiodicas.htm
• BASES DE DATOS DEL CSIC: http://bddoc.csic.es:8080/index.jsp
• RED DE BIBLIOTECAS UNIVERSITARIAS (REBIUN): http://rebiun.crue.org 
• BIBLIOTECAS PÚBLICAS ESPAÑOLAS: http://www.mcu.es/bibliotecas/index.html
• REBECA: http://www.mcu.es/bibliotecas/MC/Rebeca/index.html
• DIALNET: http://dialnet.unirioja.es

How can I find a dissertation?

The Instituto Cervantes recommends looking in the following information resources:

• Depósitos o repositorios de tesis, tesinas, y trabajos de fin de carrera activos en España:
  - Red TDR (Tesis doctorales en red): http://www.tesisenred.net/
  - Universidad Complutense de Madrid: Archivo Eprints: http://www.ucm.es/eprints
  - Universidad de La Coruña, UDCDspace: http://dspace.udc.es
  - Biblioteca digital de Tesis de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: http://bdigital.ulpgc.es/digital/visualizar/previo.php?accion=tesis&dsplegable=0
• Depósitos o repositorios a nivel internacional:
  - Red NDLTD: http://zippo.vtls.com/cgi-bin/ndltd/chameleon
  - Cybertesis: http://www.cybertesis.net
  En estas dos están integradas las españolas que agrupa la red TDR (en cybertesis no están todas).
• Base de datos TESEO, del Ministerio de Educación: http://teseo.mec.es/teseo/jsp/teseo.jsp
• Finally, if you have the necessary data, you should direct your search to the university where it was read.
  

How can I find a bibliography for Spanish as a second language?

We suggest that you consult the database for Spanish as a second language. This database is an electronic resource for information regarding Spanish teaching methods, Applied Linguistics books, supplementary materials for teaching Spanish, specialized magazine articles, and lectures dedicated to learning how to teach Spanish.

The database also offers a collection of materials for Spanish as a second language from our central headquarters in Madrid, and it is possible to request copies of articles and lectures in electronic form.

To obtain a list of Spanish editorials that have published teaching methods, you should choose “book” in “type of document”. If you wish to know more details about the materials (address, phone number, website, etc.) you should complete your search in the Agencia Española del ISBN database:
http://www.mcu.es/comun/bases/isbn/EDIT.html

The Spanish as a second language database is available through the following link:
http://absysnet.cervantes.es/abnetopac02  

INFORMATION ABOUT LOANS

How can I check out a book that is at another library?

Queries can be done by telephone, mail, fax or email. The library has several databases for Spanish and Latin American bibliography and documentary information. Also, through the inter-library loan service, we can request available materials for you from the worldwide Instituto Cervantes library network, as well as from other libraries in Spain and Chicago.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSTITUTO CERVANTES

How can I find out about the curriculum at the Instituto Cervantes?

You can consult the document titled “La enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera” (teaching Spanish as a second language). Plan curricular del Instituto Cervantes, which contains the teaching methods of the Instituto Cervantes, explains the general guidelines of the institute in relation to teaching Spanish in its various centers.

You can find more information about this book at the following URL:
http://www.cervantes.es/seg_nivel/lect_ens/Marcos_lengua_principal.jsp, or search all of the Instituto Cervantes libraries, or request it using the inter-library loan service.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF SPANISH SPEAKERS

How can I obtain information about the demand for Spanish and the number of Spanish speakers in countries where the official language is not Spanish?

We have at your disposal a digital file, Situacion del español, which is accessible on the Instituto Cervantes website. 

This file contains references to various documents which you can request a copy of through the application form for documents.

Among the documents that are available, the file emphasizes the electronic edition of Yearbooks, which contains the collection, El español en el mundo, which the Instituto Cervantes has been publishing since 1988.  This collection includes reports about the reality of the Spanish language and its current diverse manifestations.

According to the database of Hispanicism of the Instituto Cervantes, Spanish or Castilian, which is spoken in all of the Spanish territories such as Guinea Ecuatorial, Western Sahara, Central and South America (except Brazil and las Guayanas), and in part of the United States and the Philippines, is among the four most spoken languages in the world after Chinese and Mandarin, even with English and Hindi, in reference to the number of speakers.  It is the mother tongue of some 360 million people or 450 million people if you include those that use it as a second language.