IIBI

What IIBI does

IIBI (Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información) is a public research institute within UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Mexico's largest public university, headquartered at Torre II de Humanidades, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City. Established in 2012 by University Council approval as the successor to the Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas (CUIB), IIBI serves as the primary national research institute for library science, archival science, documentation, and information studies, with a mandate extending across Mexico and the broader Ibero-American region.

The institute employs 29 dedicated researchers plus technical, administrative, library, computing, publications, and diffusion support staff (total headcount band 51-100), organized around 10 main research areas — including information organization, information technologies, information/knowledge/society, information measurement, user studies, reading/writing/orality, information services, library education, epistemological/historical studies, and digital preservation/curation — supported by 20 active research seminars. Core technical outputs include digital library systems, metadata and knowledge organization standards (notably a Thesaurus for Library Science and Archival Studies), linked-data infrastructure, digital preservation frameworks via the InterPARES Trust project, and an internal academic management system (SIGA). The institute publishes the peer-reviewed journal 'Investigación Bibliotecológica' (continuous publication since 1986), operates an open access institutional repository (RU IIBI), maintains a physical bookstore (Librería IIBI), and runs the Archivistica digital preservation portal and the Colección Violeta gender studies collection.

IIBI's business model is structurally non-commercial: operating revenue derives primarily from UNAM federal appropriations, supplemented by Mexican government research grants from CONAHCYT and PAPIIT, plus modest receipts from publication sales and continuing-education programs. Distribution occurs through the open-access digital repository (global reach), the on-site bookstore (domestic), UNAM's graduate programs (Posgrado en Bibliotecología y Estudios de la Información), and continuing-education courses targeting library professionals. Customer segments are almost exclusively academic — researchers, graduate students, UNAM community, CONAHCYT fellows, and international research visitors — with no commercial monetization of the research output.

Name

IIBI

Legal name

Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información

Website

https://iibi.unam.mx

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IIBI is a public research institute within UNAM that conducts library and information science research and serves Mexico's academic community and the broader Ibero-American region through publications, open access resources, graduate training, and seminars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mexico City

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a UNAM research institute, IIBI is funded through federal government appropriations for public higher education and research in Mexico
2. Publication Sales: Books sold through the IIBI bookstore located at Torre II de Humanidades piso 13, and print-on-demand services
3. Education Continua Services: Continuing education courses, workshops, and training programs in library science and information studies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IIBI is a UNAM research institute that conducts theoretical and applied research across ten major areas of library and information science, supported by 29 researchers and 20 active research seminars. It produces a peer-reviewed academic journal (Investigación Bibliotecológica, published for 40+ years), an open access institutional repository, book publications, continuing education programs, and digital preservation research, while training graduate-level human resources for the discipline nationally and in the Ibero-American region.

Product overview

IIBI (Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información) is a research institute of UNAM that focuses on library science and information studies research. The institute operates as a collection of interconnected academic products and services rather than a unified commercial product. Its core offerings include the peer-reviewed journal 'Investigación Bibliotecológica', the digital repository 'Repositorio IIBI' for open access publications, and the 'Archivística' digital preservation portal. Supporting services include the 'Librería IIBI' bookstore, the 'SIGA' internal academic management system, and the 'CInIG-IIBI' gender equality initiative with its 'Colección Violeta' specialized collection. The institute functions as an academic research institution providing scholarly resources, publications, and educational services in the field of library and information science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigación Bibliotecológica: archivonomía, bibliotecología e información Peer-reviewed academic journal covering library science, archival studies, and information science. Published by IIBI for 40+ years and targeted at academic researchers and information professionals.
• Repositorio IIBI Open access digital institutional repository providing access to IIBI's research publications, books, and academic works produced by institute researchers. Targeted at academic researchers, students, and the general public.
• Librería IIBI Bookstore service offering printed versions of IIBI's academic publications, located on floor 13 of Torre II de Humanidades. Provides both walk-in sales and mail-order service.
• Archivística - Preservación Archivística Digital Web portal dedicated to digital archival preservation, featuring documentation from the InterPARES project, ontologies, glossaries, books, articles, and guides on digital preservation best practices. Targeted at archivists, researchers, and information professionals.
• CInIG-IIBI - Comisión Interna para la Igualdad de Género Internal committee dedicated to promoting gender equality policies, preventing discrimination and gender-based violence, and coordinating institutional activities including the Colección Violeta collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous journal publication (Investigación Bibliotecológica)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universidad de AntioquiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Long-term research collaboration including researcher exchanges and joint seminars. Coordinator Dr. Héctor Guillermo Alfaro López coordinates the Editing Seminar at Universidad de Antioquía.
• Universidad Complutense de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Seminario Hispano-Mexicano de Investigación en Bibliotecología y Documentación - joint research seminar promoting academic exchange between the Faculty of Information Sciences and Documentation and IIBI-UNAM.
• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIBI researchers hold leadership positions in IFLA including Board of Governors, Section President for Latin America and Caribbean, and committee memberships on cataloguing, metadata, and intellectual freedom.
• InterPARES Trust ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational digital preservation research project. IIBI coordinates TEAM México contributing theoretical and practical knowledge for digital archival preservation.
• CONAHCYT (Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías)coreOthersMexican national research council providing fellowship funding for IIBI researchers and postdoctoral scholars.
• PAPIIT (Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica)coreOthersUNAM internal research funding program supporting IIBI research projects including individual and collective research initiatives.
• UNESCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward partnership for Latin American Essay Contest on Open Access recognizing research on access to information and inclusion of vulnerable groups.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• OCLC Research: Global library cooperative operating the world's largest bibliographic database, with a research division conducting applied research on library systems, metadata, and information infrastructure. Overlaps with IIBI's research focus on metadata standards and digital preservation but operates at much larger scale.
• American Library Association (ALA): U.S.-based professional association for libraries and information services, with research, publishing, and standards-setting activities overlapping with IIBI's mandate. Operates at much larger scale and serves as a global benchmark for library-science professional infrastructure.
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA): International professional body for library and information services, where IIBI researchers hold leadership positions. Functions as both a peer community and an indirect governing/standards body relevant to IIBI's research dissemination.

Direct peers

• Universidad de Barcelona - Faculty of Information Sciences: Spanish public university faculty conducting research and graduate education in library and information science. Directly comparable to IIBI in scope and disciplinary focus, and is an active research-exchange partner through the Hispano-Mexican research network.
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid - Faculty of Documentation: Spanish public university faculty offering library-science and documentation programs with a strong research profile. Joint host of the Seminario Hispano-Mexicano de Investigación en Bibliotecología y Documentación with IIBI, making it a directly comparable peer institution.
• University of Toronto - Faculty of Information: Canadian public university faculty conducting research in library science, information studies, and knowledge organization. Directly comparable in hosting peer-reviewed journals, graduate programs, and applied digital-humanities research.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - School of Library and Information Studies: U.S. public university school with research strength in library science, information organization, and digital preservation. Comparable in mission, graduate education, and disciplinary focus to IIBI's mandate.
• Indiana University - School of Informatics and Computing: U.S. public university school conducting research across library science, information science, and informatics. Comparable in scale and disciplinary breadth, including digital preservation, metadata, and information-retrieval research.
• Universidad de Antioquia - Department of Information Science: Colombian public university department offering library and information science programs with research strength in editing and scholarly communication. A formal IIBI research-exchange partner with directly comparable disciplinary focus.
• University of Sheffield - Information School: UK public university department conducting interdisciplinary research across information science, library studies, and knowledge management. Comparable in research-output volume, graduate training, and international scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IIBI_UNAM_MX
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CUIB100
• Facebookfacebook.com/IIBI.UNAM.MX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iibi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IIBI