Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Who you gonna call?

I just saw a draft of the modules I wrote together with Dr. Wilhelmina Borjal on IT commissioned by the NCCA/PATLS and I felt a sense of pride for having accomplished something useful for future librarians.


But I could not say the same for the module I am doing for EDO because I'm making slow progress. See my post in my other blog. I'm working on a module similar to what I did with NCCA/PATLS only I was asked to include a bit of history of computing in the Philippines

And then it occurred to me, why the hell am I worried about resources when I've got lots of librarian-friends. So I e-mailed a kumare and a fellow alumna, and texted a kumpare for help. And they didn't let me down.

I also stumbled upon two books in our library with a bit of history in them. Something I discovered not through searching the library's catalog but out of sheer patience.

Sometimes when I'm in researcher mode, I forget I'm a librarian and do things on my own. But when I suddenly recall that I am one and feel silly and stupid for forgetting, I go for the telephone, the cellphone, the email and ask librarian-friends for help.

In my list, librarians are the top people to befriend because you'll never know when you'll need one. And that's from a researcher's point of view. And I couldn't agree more, says the librarian in me.


Whoever is not against you is for you. (Lk 9:50)

Category: Profession at Large

Friday, September 23, 2005

Category: Potpourri

On blogging
Swan Lake
Dr. Dylan Dizon, a former student library assistant
A post-bookfair reflection
Here, there, and back again

Category: Reviews

The Coach Carter in me
The disturbing subtlety in Coach Carter
Those Oompa Loompas

Category: The Lighter Side

The irony of being a librarian
Under the dressing table

Category: LIS Education

Finally, the LIS Curriculum
Article V Curriculum
Selling a profession
Giving off what they have

Category: Information Literacy & Technology

GILAS
Libraries without books
ATM Literacy
Upgrading our library system
Intro to FOSS for librarians and information professionals
12 pcs. or less
The week that was

Category: Media Librarianship

What I Do
Besides Watching Movies
A Day in the Life of an AV Librarian
Desperately Seeking Filipiniana AV Materials

Category: The Profession at Large

Print on print
Two groups of librarians
Why Google can't replace us
Looking forward to CONSAL
The stuff conferences are made of
Bridging the professional divide before the digital
Who you gonna call?
Establishing and maintaining relationships in the library
The key to library use
PLAI NCR Council & House of Delegates extend term
A day of library work for book theft
What not to expect in the LLE

Bridging the professional divide before the digital

Philippine librarianship is as divided as the archipelago. It didn't help that the Philippine Librarians' Association Inc., the professional association for librarians is now composed of regional representatives, which by the way took years to be realized.

We, as professionals, are divided by differing values, beliefs, and motivation. While we all cry for improving our lot as professional librarians and demand to be recognized as such, we are not guided by a vision on how we want to see ourselves and how we want others to see us.

The malignancy that permeates the bureaucracy also afflicts the profession but who will stand up and admit it? Don't we have a culture of denial; that admitting a mistake is a sign of weakness?

We are such a small group that in a social network analysis, the six degrees theory could be cut down to two. Yet, why are we so divided? What is it with power, with authority that makes us think we are indispensable? We do not have a monopoly of knowledge even if we've been in the profession for ages.

Why is it difficult for us to let go of our titles? Our positions? Our appointments? We cannot move on if we don't let go. Remember the story of the monkey whose hand got stuck in the jar? There was only one way to liberate his hand. That is if he let go of the thing he wanted most in his hand.

But I am the eternal optimist and I know someday whatever divides the profession will eventually be bridged. Who knows, the digital divide might even be the unifying factor?

Oh send out your light and your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your tabernacle. (Ps 43:3)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Desperately seeking Filipiniana AV materials

Filipiniana AV materials are hard to come by. Specifically video documentaries produced for non-commercial purposes and not the books-made-into-CD stuff. Documentaries that are currently available were produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for the Culture and Arts.

What we need more of are historical videos that will chronicle our birth as a nation. Historical movies produced for commerical release are not fit to be surrogate materials because they're too dramatic bordering on exaggeration. Bio-flicks are no better. But since these are the only materials available, we make do with what we have and leave it to the teacher to connect the movie with the historical facts.

Also needed are documentaries on Philippine society not produced by local TV stations who charge prohibitive rates for copies of their stories. I acquired a copy of a week-long segment on retail trade from a local station upon the request of a teacher and was charged 600 pesos per segment. The entire series when put together was only 20 minutes long! And we had to bring our own blank tape!

Net Gen students have taken learning to a different field. They're multimedia and do not have the patience to read. And I fall short of their expectations because of the unavailability of materials.


You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat but do not have enough; you drink but you are not filled with drink. (Hag 1:6)

Monday, September 19, 2005

Under the dressing table

A pile of books, half a dozen manila envelopes, a box of recipes, a handbag, and the box for my laptop. These are the stuff that are under my dressing table. While others have their work table and bedside table to put their reading stuff on, I have the dressing table because it's the one nearer my side of the bed. It has become a sort of "No Trespassing" zone in that corner of our bedroom.

Piled neatly one on top of the other are three books, rather modules on IT I am using as reference for the module I'm doing for EDO; Mind of the Soul, a book on spirituality which I have yet to finish reading; my lesson notebook; a thesaurus; the manual for the laptop; 2 pirated DVDs; 2 CDs containing my documents; my journal; and on top of the heap is the Bible with Didache.

Filed in no particular order on the floor are 6 manila envelopes containing the modules for NCCA and EDO; the materials for my columns; scratch papers or rather recycled papers; and my students' test papers which I have yet to check.

The area may look like a mess but I have strict orders that these are not to be touched unless I say so. The area has to be cleaned but they are not to be rearranged, or else. Looking at my little corner, you'd doubt a librarian actually lives there but I'd always recall this quote, which remains to be my favorite: "A clean table is a sign of a sick mind". Go check your table.


For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that wil not be known and come to light. (Lk 8:17)

Saturday, September 17, 2005

The stuff conferences are made of

I dropped by two separate IT conferences this week, which was a pretty hectic week for the IT industry. To know more about these activities, click here.

I am referring to the IT Security Conference at the Hotel Intercon and the LinuxWorld 05 at the Dusit Hotel. Going around the booths and seeing the participants with plenty of corporate give-aways made me reflect on how we librarians run our own conferences/activities. I admit I was a bit jealous because these conferences were bustling with activities, sponsors, and parallel sessions. I have yet to attend a local conference that offered a myriad of activities that's why I'm so looking forward to the CONSAL in 2006.

I've been to a lot of library-related forums, seminars & workshops and even organized a number of them but much is left to be desired. They're so formulaic bordering on the traditional and on the basics. This is the reason why I haven't been attending any for the past two years for lack of interest. And some of them are but rehash of previous forums/seminars, same dog different collar.

Library associations are afraid to test unknown waters because organizing any activity is supposed to bring in money to these associations to help keep them afloat. Membership fees alone are not enough to sustain an organization. Even the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. is having a difficult time collecting fees from its members.

On the other hand, maybe they should start thinking outside the box and bring in other partners besides book sellers and library vendors. Library associations have long been dependent on them for support that they choose the activities they support on a first come, first serve basis because of limited funds.

See for example the posts of Filipino Librarian Von on his SLA experience. Could we even see something close to this in the near future? I can only guess. But what I know is it's about time we up the ante and engage in library activities that are in tune with the times and bring in fresh ideas. Let's make professional development activities more than social occasions and make it a truly learning experience.

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Lk 8:15)



Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Intro to FOSS for librarians and information professionals

Last Saturday was Software Freedom Day, an event celebrated in 185 countries worldwide including the Philippines. By way of introducing the concept of Free and Open Source Software, here is an article by Edward M. Corrado that explains open access, open source, and open standards as it applies to librarianship.


My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. (Ps 101:6)

Friday, September 09, 2005

Here, there, and back again

Kind of reminds you of Bilbo Baggins, doesn't it? Like Bilbo who left the Shire for an adventure but eventually went back to tell his tale, I, too, briefly left librarianship to become someone else.

On my 11th year of being a librarian, 8 years of which I spent at Manila Bulletin, I sort of grew tired of reading all the company's publications and indexing some of them (some did not have any research value). My spirit grew restless and longed for a change in environs. So when a window of opportunity opened, I took it.

It was a teaching post at a big, private university in Manila and I was to teach English. I knew this was a far cry from what I did since I started working but my undergraduate certificate in English qualified me to teach the subject. I taught Grammar, Technical Writing, Oral Communication, and Composition, which if asked to teach now I'd gladly accept.

No one among my fellow faculty members knew I was a librarian save for my circle of friends. But it was in that same faculty room that I heard a most demeaning remark aimed at the university's librarians. It was CBA season then and the non-teaching staff got a fair deal from the administration after a threat of a strike. The faculty faired better. But during one of the discussion sessions in the faculty room, there was this faculty member who criticized the amount of salary increase the librarians would be getting. I will never forget what he said: "Bakit P20,000.00 ang starting nila, e wala namang ginagawa yang mga p****** inang mga librarian yan!"

I knew he was not referring to me, he who used to be a department chairman, but I was deeply hurt nevertheless. However, I must admit I didn't as much as lift a finger to defend the poor librarians because I was on alien territory and they didn't particularly like me and earning their ire would have been counterproductive. The older ones were wary of me, watching my every move.

I now recall a post I made during the height of the '105 useless' discussion over at the PLAI e-group on salvaging the image of the librarian and why it meant everything to me. This was were I was coming from.

Much as I enjoyed my teaching stint and with students enjoying my subjects in return, it didn't take away the librarian in me. There was a point when I was reading editorials to be used for grammar exercises when I realized that I wasn't taking pleasure in reading anymore. I wanted to read for information and not to look for grammatical errors in the written word. I reached a saturation point when I suffered a two-week migraine attack from reading error-laden book reports.

I may have left the library, but the librarian in me didn't leave. And so at the end of the school year, even before my supervisor told me she didn't want me anymore despite a satisfactory student evaluation, I was bent on going back to the library; back ino the arms of the books and periodicals I have grown to love.

Every year I still get invited to go back and teach at the same university and every year I turn down the offer. I cannot stand the chaos, the hypocrisy, the jealousy, and the envy in the halls of the academe, which is supposedly run by learned individuals, by professionals. I prefer the peace and quiet of the library in the company of the masters, not to mention the unseen souls who always make their presence felt.

"Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?" (Lk 6:39)



Thursday, September 08, 2005

A post-bookfair reflection

The 26th Manila International Bookfair ended last Sunday and left me a few thousands poorer. I just can't say no to my kids who were the ones eager to go. Not that I wasn't interested; I just lost the motivation to go when my colleagues in school went without me.

Before we left the house, I told my kids we will just be browsing and won't be buying anything. But deep inside I knew it was wishful thinking. We got there early and my boys went about their business of browsing the shelves. I wanted to go around and look for materials for our library but thought otherwise and told myself that I wasn't supposed to work on a Sunday and just be with my kids.

Zarah, noted in her post at School Librarian in Action the wider aisles and space to rest tired feet. I attribute them to less exhibitors this year, which is sending us a signal that these are hard times for book sellers. Were it not for the bigger bookstores like NBS, Powerbooks, Goodwill, and Fully Booked, the bookfair would be in Tagalog, kakalog-kalog.

The World Trade Center is also the venue of the Toys & Gifts fair held every December, which I also frequent. But I wish the Center is as packed as this fair as during the bookfair. Alas, I have to accept the fact that the bookfair's attendance is but a reflection of our reading culture.

But my sons couldn't care less about all this because they were both absorbed in browsing the shelves in search of a book to buy. We happened by the Anvil booth and my youngest son Gino saw this storybook Ang Prinsipeng Duwag and must have identified with the title that he handed me a copy and asked me to buy it for him. But even before I could reply, he saw yet another title - Si Pandakotyong - which sounded interesting to him, and gave it to me. My eldest, Nico, however, saw a set wrapped in plastic and gave it to me suggesting that we buy it instead. He then counted the individual titles on display and I counted bundled one. He counted ten, I counted eleven. So I asked the attendant what could be missing in the bundle, but he pointed out the duplicates on display. My sons left me to tend to the books as they both went inside the Anvil booth to look at some more books and after deciding that I'd buy the books, we were invited to stay for a storytelling session.

My boys enjoyed the session especially the give aways that they made me swear that we'd go back next year. I thought we were ready to go but they wanted to browse some more which meant buy some more. Gino found this dino book (again) he so really wanted to buy and add to his collection but I told him I wasn't buying it and to look for a non-dino book instead (he's become some kind of an expert on dinos). So after going around Fully Booked for what seemed a hundredth time, he finally settled for a shark book, which was his nth book on sharks (another one of his favorite). His brother on the other hand, asked me to buy three volumes from the Goosebumps series. I added up all the purchases and it was going to be a few thousands so I told them the books were going to be their birthday and Christmas presents from me. They thought about it and agreed.

While waiting for my husband to pick us up, my boys went browsing some more which gave me time to observe the crowd. I noticed that they were mostly from the A-B class which led me to think where the C,D,and E people would be. Could it be that they couldn't care less if there was a bookfair going on? Or could it be that they have more important things to do than read; attend a rally perhaps and get paid for it? I can only make presumptions and assumptions but I am grateful that my kids love to read and I would happily buy them the books they want even if it bleeds my pocket.

I do have this feeling that my boys knew that I didn't really mean what I said about not giving them any more presents.


And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matt 1:21)



Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Giving off what they have

The Library and Information Science Society of the Philippine Normal University held a career talk this morning and invited me as resource person.

program started later than expected so to keep the audience from getting bored, the emcees decided to call on those who will be providing the intermission numbers. Seated in the front row, I felt nostalgic and recalled the times when I was a student and I actually had to stand up and go to where the registration table was at the back because I was feeling nervous for the students who were about to sing. While they were getting their act together, I paced a small area behind the audience just breathing in and out to relieve the tension. I was mildly surprised to hear their song which added to my nostalgia - Growing Up - the theme song of the movie Bagets, a coming-of-age flick back in the mid-80s.

A student from the audience volunteered to sing acoustic and boy, was he good. With proper training and exposure, he's going to give Paolo Santos a run for his money.

But what was really fun to watch was the storytelling session done by two LIS sophies. I'm sure Zarah, the School Librarian in Action, will be happy to know that there are students who are following her footsteps. I have to hand it to the two girls for animating the heart-wrenching Sandosenang Sapatos into a light-hearted story. I remember shedding a tear or two while reading the book but when I was watching the girls perform, the story took on another dimension.

It came as a pleasant surprise that young as they are, they are already members of Alitaptap. No wonder they were so good at it! They invited everyone to watch a storytelling concert this coming weekend at the National Library of the Philippines.

I'm pretty much excited to see these budding librarians excel!


The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. (Ps 145:10)

Selling a profession

If there's one thing I'm not really good at, it's at selling. Friends and relatives have appoached me in the past to help them sell their wares but I always end up buying from them instead because I really don't have marketing savvy.

But selling ideas is different. This morning I was at Philippine Normal University for a career talk to entice freshies to take up Bachelor of Library and Information Science. The activity was in time for majorship exams which will be held before the end of the semester.

My presentation was entitled Library and Information Professionals:At the Forefront of the Digital World. I thought I was just going to talk to a small group but when I saw the number of chairs at the venue (library lobby), I got nervous. True enough, by the time I started, most of the seats were taken (more than 90 students) but some of them had to leave in the middle of my talk because the had exams. Too bad.

I began the talk with a question on what their idea of a librarian was. From their responses, they had only a vague idea of what we do and that the reason one student was there was because she wanted to know exactly what we do.

Then I asked them if anyone had read the famous and infamous '105 useless librarians' and luckily no one in the audience had read it save for the faculty members present. I used the article as a springboard to sell the course and focused my presentation on the evolving roles of librarians and information professionals in the light of the digital environment with emphasis on the shortage of librarians all over the country. I also saw it as a chance to promote my advocacies: EDO and GILAS; and of course made them aware of blogging librarians and encouraged them to visit these regularly and to leave comments.

It was a brief presentation, really, all of 45 minutes but judging from the feedback I got from the teachers, I have covered the important details. At the end of my talk, I asked the audience if their views of librarians and librarianship has changed. If only for their answers, I felt I have achieved my objective. I just hope it will translate into enrolment.

Librarians should take on the challenge of promoting librarianship more aggressively and with passion. The Philippine Association of Teachers of Library Science are doing their part with campus tours, but I think they need to collaborate with professionals who are in the best position to market the profession. They seriously need to look into bridging the gap between academics and the realities in the field.



As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. (Col 2:6)

Saturday, September 03, 2005

A day in the life of an AV librarian

     Two days after posting about upgrading our library system, it crashed!  nA sign from the heavens?  I suppose so.  Our circulation assistant was supposed to do some maintenance work on the system first thing in the morning when he told me of an error message: System unavailable.  Since I was out for a meeting Wednesday afternoon, I asked if something went wrong when I was away and there wasn't.  It was the first time I encountered the error message so I told our secretary to contact the vendor's tech support.

      To make a long story short, I was on and off the phone with the vendor's systems programmer for a good two and a half hours trying to patch the problem but was unsuccessful in restoring the database.  And by the end of the two and a half hours, I had already spent most of my energy walking from one work station to another and then to the server and then back to the work stations.

     But what has got this to do with AV work?  Nothing really but since I'm the unofficial systems librarian, I'm tasked outside my work as AV librarian to monitor our library system and do troubleshooting.  And they say librarians do not need to study database management system!

     However, what made my day was the feedback I got from a fellow librarian that a faculty member was complaining about the level of service of the AV Center.  Knowing the faculty who made the feedback, I just shrugged my shoulders and brushed off the complaints.  In this line of work, no matter how much effort you put into serving your clients, you just can't please everybody.  I'm thankful, though, to the students who are more understanding of our limitations and who appreciate our efforts. 

     I felt I was hit by a double whammy last Thursday but whatever negative vibes I had that day disappeared when I met up with my girlfriends for dinner.  There's no better way to relieve stress than spending time with friends and sharing some good laugh, even if it were at our own expense.  Laughter is indeed the best medicine.     

 

Behold God is my helper (Ps54:4)

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