Stephen Abram showed the slides above at the Forum on Planning for the Future: Developing Librarians’ Leadership Skills, which was held at the Rizal Library on 15 April 2013.
Leadership and Librarians
Labels:
Leadership
Stephen Abram showed the slides above at the Forum on Planning for the Future: Developing Librarians’ Leadership Skills, which was held at the Rizal Library on 15 April 2013.
ICoASL 2013
Labels:
Conferences
In 2006, I wrote "SLA, Toronto, and PhD, or How a Conference Changed My Life." Now I realize that it should have been subtitled "How a Conference and Blogging Changed My Life."
I haven't won any blogging awards, but I think a lot of opportunities I've had since I started this blog in 2005 may be traced directly to the blogging I've done. For instance, I doubt that I could have become an official SLA conference blogger from 2006 to 2009 if I had not had this blog. [The only reason I stopped blogging for the annual conference was that I stopped going, largely so that I could finish my dissertation.]
So I think it's quite appropriate that I just set up a blog for what is essentially an SLA event: ICoASL 2013, or the International Conference of Asian Special Libraries, which is being held in Manila this year, 10-12 April 2013. Take a look. Tell your friends. Register for the conference =)
Libraries Need Librarians
Labels:
Libraries
The video below from "State of the Nation" is the latest feature on Hernando Guanlao, whose "Reading Club 2000" has been the subject of local and foreign news articles since mid-2012.
Whereas previous features have focused almost entirely on Guanlao and his "library," Jessica Soho introduces the video by alluding to Republic Act No. 7743, which provides for the establishment of "public libraries in every congressional district, city and municipality, and reading centers in every barangay throughout the Philippines." In addition, Marisol Abdurahman interviews Martin Julius Perez, a licensed librarian, and solicits his views regarding the significance of Guanlao's library.
There are many things that can be (and have been) written about Guanlao's laudable efforts and the good will he has gained, but I will focus on just one aspect that I have previously written about in "Amending the Law on Public Libraries." In her "Postscript," Soho ends by saying that more Filipinos would probably be reading books "kung wala lang tayong kakulangan sa mga pampublikong aklatan" (if only there were no shortage of public libraries).
There is, in fact, a shortage of public libraries, but an even bigger problem, to which Perez alludes in the video, is that the importance of librarians is taken for granted. While it is true that Guanlao's "Reading Club 2000" is not run by a licensed librarian, Guanlao himself may be considered a librarian. Although there are no rules in his "library," and there is no need to catalog books, he is still the one who receives books, classifies them, and puts them on the shelves. A building full of books and computers with no librarian, as I have said before, is a warehouse, not a library.
I have been critical of previous attempts to amend R.A. 7743, and even of efforts to build libraries for poor communities, because they do not include the need for librarians in their plans. I applaud the vision and generosity of those who want to improve Filipino lives through the establishment of libraries, but well-intended legislation or philanthropy that does not acknowledge the need for licensed librarians or committed volunteers (like Guanlao) will result in what many public school libraries are today: dusty and rarely opened, with new books locked away, because there are no librarians to manage them.
As Guanlao has shown, a passionate volunteer does not really need money to get Filipinos reading. And as licensed librarians I know have demonstrated, it is not necessarily the libraries with the largest budgets that make the biggest impact on readers.
Board Games, Libraries, and Breaking the Rules
Labels:
About Vonjobi,
Libraries
Board Game Day was held at Matteo Ricci Hall of the Rizal Library last Friday. I was asked to deliver the opening remarks, which I wrote in a hurry that same morning, and literally finished at the last minute. It's not as polished as I would have hoped, but if any of you have been wondering what kind of library director I hope to be, you're going to get more than a few clues here.
Opening Remarks
Board Game Day
25 January 2012
Good morning! And thank you for joining us today for Board Game Day.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal published an article about events being held in public libraries in the United States that are designed to encourage people to check out what's new at the library. The events mentioned included Zumba classes, seminars on landscaping, and even hog-butchering, blacksmithing and fly fishing.
Some have questioned the relevance of such events to the mission of libraries. I would not be surprised if some in the Ateneo community are also wondering, "What do board games have to do with the mission of the Rizal Library?" The best answer I have for this question is to state that our mission is not limited to providing access to books, journal articles, and the Internet. We are here to facilitate learning.
We do this not only by continuing what has already been done in the past, but also by exploring newer, proven ways of enhancing the educational experience. Today, we hope to identify board games that will not only be fun to play and build community, but can also help our university achieve its mission of producing men and women for others. Now, that's a big leap in logic, but let me explain by discussing just one reason I think playing board games can help facilitate learning.
One thing common to all board games is that there are rules. And each game has its own rules. You have several choices. Most play the game according to the rules. Some try to change the rules and see if their fellow players will continue to play with them or throw them out of the game. Some choose not play at all. But you cannot play one game using the rules for another. You cannot play chess, for example, using the rules of Monopoly.
Here at Matteo Ricci and the library, we have lots of rules. For example, you can eat on the second floor, but not the first floor. Most students abide by the rules, but a few try to get away with eating their merienda or lunch, and risk getting reprimanded with a warning or even an official sanction. Some might ask, "How come we can eat on the second floor, but not the first floor?" And there is a good reason for that—ask me later—but the point I'm making is that there are different rules for different places, and different occasions. In the real world, unlike board games, some rules are written, many are not.
The same is true for Ateneo, the companies you hope to work for, the businesses you'll be setting up, Philippine society in general. But the rules are not always the same. As you very well know, sometimes the rules that are announced in public are not followed in private. You can choose to abide by the rules, break the rules, or refuse to play the game. But first you need to know the rules, and that the rules change depending on the game you're playing. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but when I started working after graduating from Ateneo, I learned that what I got used to in school is not necessarily also what happens outside. Or, as Dorothy told Toto in The Wizard of Oz, "We’re not in Kansas anymore."
This is probably getting too heavy for the opening remarks at Board Game Day, so allow me to just thank a few people, and share a little prayer. I’d like to thank:
Karryl Sagun, who organized this event,
Hans Fernandez and Adrian Manahan of Gaming Library, who provided all the games,
Diane Santos of Book Bench, who designed the poster for this event,
The various librarians and staff who helped Karryl prepare for Board Game Day, especially Manny Concepcion, who is the person in charge of Matteo Ricci Hall,
The volunteers, who will be helping you learn all the rules later, and
Mrs. Lourdes David, Director of the Rizal Library, who approved the proposal and made this day possible.
Finally, allow me to end with a familiar prayer with a few amendments…
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the rules I cannot change,
The courage to break the rules that should be broken and deal with the consequences,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
What was the first book printed in the Philippines?
Labels:
About Vonjobi,
Book History,
Filipiniana Online
Click on the photos above to learn more about each book
and/or download their digital versions.
Earlier this week, I received a text message asking if the essay mentioned by Ambeth Ocampo in his latest column was posted on my blog. Since I had no idea that any publication of mine had been cited in a newspaper recently, I checked out the column. And there it was at the very end of a discussion on "First book(s)" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 January 2013): "For a more recent take on the old issue see Vernon Totanes’ 2009 essay 'What was the first book printed in the Philippines?'"
Since I've never actually posted a link to the journal article on my blog, I thought I'd share it now, along with the abstract, in case someone wants to read it. Click on the title to download the pdf =)
Note, however, that the title is misleading because the article is essentially an introduction to the discipline of book history, and asserts that the two books printed in the Philippines in 1593 are significant in ways that have yet to be fully appreciated.
"What was the first book printed in the Philippines?"
Vernon R. Totanes
Journal of Philippine Librarianship 28:1 (2008), 21-31.
This paper will show that the importance of the imprints lies in the fact that they effectively communicate the idea that printing in the Philippines—and Philippine history—is inextricably linked with the non-Filipino. The first books printed in the Philippines, though not strictly "Filipino," are a physical reminder of the plurality of the nature and culture of the Filipino and the Philippines.
Libraries as Buckets
Labels:
Conferences,
Libraries
Photo by zzzmarcus.
For this first post of 2013, I thought it would be good to start with a metaphor for the role of libraries in today's world. In his introduction to participants at the 5th Rizal Library International Conference (RLIC), which was held at the Ateneo de Manila University last 25-26 October 2012, Jose M. Cruz, SJ, likened knowledge to drinking water at the bottom of a well. Libraries, he says, are "the buckets that allow us to draw the water from the well."
I'd like to think that this blog, though not a library, has also served as a bucket that has helped librarians and other readers to draw knowledge from the large—and sometimes misleading or confusing—well that is the World Wide Web. It is in this spirit that I resolve to continue updating this blog at least once a week.
The full text of Fr. Joey's introduction is reprinted below with his permission. Thanks to Teng Montejo for the transcription.
Incidentally, pdfs of the presentations shown and/or papers delivered at the RLIC may now be downloaded at the conference website.
Introduction
Jose M. Cruz, SJ
On behalf of the Ateneo de Manila University, I welcome you to the campus and to the conference.
You may occasionally have heard the expression "thirst for knowledge," referring to the need and desire of human beings to know more so that they and their communities can have more and be more. Libraries, archives, and museums can play a crucial role in satisfying this thirst.
Although the surface of our planet is mainly water, water for drinking and planting cannot be the salt water of the seas. There is, thus, a need to search and draw plain water, that is, water without the heavy dose of minerals and other elements that make it undrinkable.
This reality points to the task and responsibility of repositories of knowledge and culture to be selective in their holdings. We seek then drinkable water: water that is clean, fresh, nourishing and life giving. If you want an image, we find this kind of water at the well. At the bottom of the well is much of the knowledge that human beings and societies need to survive, to sustain their way of life, and to advance.
Libraries, archives, and museums are the buckets that allow us to draw the water from the well. Needless to say it is thus an absolute necessity that these be in good shape: no leaks, sufficiently large in size, and always ready to serve. For while available information is enormous, access to it is still quite limited. At this conference you have decided to look for better ways to provide access.
You honor the university by choosing it to be the venue for your conference. Know that you are welcome here. Thank you and good morning.
1992 Librarians' Licensure Exam... 20 Years Later
Labels:
Licensed Librarians
From Philippine Star, 30 October 1993, p. 38.
Please click on photo to read the text.
Twenty years ago, the first Filipinos to take the Librarians' Licensure Examination (LLE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) went home after two days of putting pen to paper. But unlike most examinees during the last two decades, those from that first batch had to contend with various types of tests (not just multiple choice), and results were released not after a few days, but after ten MONTHS. The passing rate was 36 percent. Elvie Lapuz, the first ever LLE topnotcher, graciously agreed to recall her experience to mark the twentieth anniversary of the most visible manifestation of the effort to professionalize librarianship in the Philippines:
The very first Licensure Examination for Librarians (LEL) was held 3-4 December 1992 and I belonged to the first batch of hopefuls. The popular Filipino saying suntok sa buwan very much described what every one of us examinees must have been feeling when we trouped to the University of the East, as per instruction of the PRC. Since that was the very first time that the LEL was being held, we examinees had no idea whatsoever on what was going to happen, what types of exam we were going to take, or even how the questions were formulated. It was very much like a surprise long, long test and even though we knew that it was something that we just have to hurdle, we did not have the slightest inkling on how we were supposed to tackle it.
From August to November of that same year, I sat through twelve Sundays of review classes. I remember trying to recall the more important concepts for the seven core library science subjects to be covered in the examination, namely: 1) selection and acquisition of library materials; (2) cataloguing and classification; (3) indexing and abstracting; (4) reference, bibliography and information services; (5) organization and management of libraries and information centers; (6) information technology; and (7) laws on librarianship and ethics. Before the scheduled dates of the LEL, I had to deal with securing various documents including college credentials and certifications. I also had to make sure that all the details about my existence as a person, i.e., birth and baptismal certificates, were consistent with the details stated in my other records. I never realized until then that there are just so many papers I need to work on and it was a good thing that I did not procrastinate in making sure that I have all of them in my file before going to the PRC to apply for a permit to take the LEL.
What greeted me on the first day of the examination was something I would rather not think or even write about. Suffice it to say that it was something totally unexpected! Sure, I had dealt with all types of exams back in college, but I was a bit shocked when I saw how the test questions were presented and how we examinees were supposed to answer them. It was a smorgasboard of an exam, essay questions included, and very much unlike the Multiple Choice type that examinees after us and until the present have had to take. While trying to come up with what I hoped then were the most acceptable answers to essay questions, there was that nagging fear of not making it after all. At some point I was even tempted not to complete the exam because of that fear. I even heard about the other examinees opting not to come back for Day 2 of the exam. We also had to wait ten (10!) months for the results! Why ten months? I believe it was because there was no way that the BFL could have checked answers to essay questions of more than 600 examinees within two days. So, finally on 26 October 1993 the names of the first batch of LEL passers came out. The very first oath taking was held at Ilustrado in Intramuros with the then BFL Chair Dr. Irene Amores and members Ms. Suzima Gonzales and Ms. Belen Angeles present.
Books for Camiguin
Labels:
Libraries: Public Schools
I can only hope that some of this blog's readers will donate not only books, but also money for the "I-CARE Reading Program" alluded to in the photo above, which I took at a public elementary school in Bug-ong, Mambajao, Camiguin. In case you would like to help, please call or text +639089742613 or send an email to blessed.woman1@yahoo.com.
I am featuring this appeal on my blog, however, for another reason: as an example of what persons assigned to public school libraries in the Philippines should NOT do. Please don't get me wrong. I am not blaming the blessed woman for her lack of marketing savvy. She is, after all, a school property custodian, not a licensed librarian.
She did a few things right. The most significant was a big sign saying "READING PARK," which caught my eye as I rode past the school several times on my way to and from the resort where I was staying. I kept wondering what a reading park was, so I finally asked the driver to stop on one trip, and knocked on the school's gate.
The following photos indicate what I saw before I actually encountered the sign above:
So what's the problem? Even though the "READING PARK" sign could be seen from the road, I did not see the banner asking for book donations—even though it was written in big, bold letters—until I had entered the school and approached the unfinished structure.
Question: Are you sure that your requests are being seen by the right people?
Director, Rizal Library
Labels:
About Vonjobi
One more post. This one is for those who are wondering what I plan to do now that I'm done with my PhD. The memo below also reveals a little about my background and why blue is my favorite color =)
Director, Rizal Library
Again, for those who have difficulty reading the document above, I am reproducing its text below:
12 November 2012
Memo to: The University Community
Subject: Director, Rizal Library
Upon the recommendation of the Search Committee headed by Dr Maria Luz Vilches, and endorsed by Dr John Paul Vergara, I am appointing Dr Vernon “Von” R Totanes as Director of the Rizal Library effective 1 April 2013. He succeeds Mrs Lourdes T David whose term ends on 31 March 2013. As part of the transition process, Dr Totanes will assume the position of Assistant Director beginning 16 November 2012.
Dr Totanes holds a PhD in Information from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Library and Information Science from UP. He obtained his license as professional librarian in 2004, topping the licensure exam. As a researcher, he has published in books and journals locally and internationally.
Von is no stranger to our school, having graduated from the Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Management Engineering (1995), High School (1991) and Grade School (1987). From 2003 to 2004 he did volunteer work at the Rizal Library and at the Gehring Library of the Loyola School of Theology.
His career history includes working as a librarian for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the Asian Development Bank as well as teaching in Sacred Heart School in Cebu, the UP Institute of information and Library Science, and the University of Toronto. Immediately after college, he was employed as Service Quality Officer for CityTrust Banking Corporation and as Assistant Manager for the Total Quality Office of the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
I thank Dr Vilches and the members of the Search Committee for their commitment and generosity in conducting the search process. The members of the Committee are: Dr Filomeno V Aguilar, Mr Eduardo Jose E Calasanz, Dr Jonathan O Chua, Dr Edna P Franco, Dr Ma Celeste E Gonzalez, and Dr Ma Louise Antonette N de las Peñas.
Let us welcome and support Dr Totanes as he assumes this new assignment.
On behalf of the Ateneo de Manila, I would like to express our profound gratitude to Mrs Lourdes David who has led Rizal Library to where it is now. By her vision and dedicated work, Rizal Library's dynamism has been exemplary in terms of infrastructure, resources, and its networking relationships with our academic community and outside. Mrs David shall continue to serve as Consultant for the Rizal Library beyond her term.
Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President
Director, Rizal Library
Again, for those who have difficulty reading the document above, I am reproducing its text below:
Ateneo de Manila University
Office of the President
Office of the President
12 November 2012
Memo to: The University Community
Subject: Director, Rizal Library
Upon the recommendation of the Search Committee headed by Dr Maria Luz Vilches, and endorsed by Dr John Paul Vergara, I am appointing Dr Vernon “Von” R Totanes as Director of the Rizal Library effective 1 April 2013. He succeeds Mrs Lourdes T David whose term ends on 31 March 2013. As part of the transition process, Dr Totanes will assume the position of Assistant Director beginning 16 November 2012.
Dr Totanes holds a PhD in Information from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Library and Information Science from UP. He obtained his license as professional librarian in 2004, topping the licensure exam. As a researcher, he has published in books and journals locally and internationally.
Von is no stranger to our school, having graduated from the Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Management Engineering (1995), High School (1991) and Grade School (1987). From 2003 to 2004 he did volunteer work at the Rizal Library and at the Gehring Library of the Loyola School of Theology.
His career history includes working as a librarian for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the Asian Development Bank as well as teaching in Sacred Heart School in Cebu, the UP Institute of information and Library Science, and the University of Toronto. Immediately after college, he was employed as Service Quality Officer for CityTrust Banking Corporation and as Assistant Manager for the Total Quality Office of the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
I thank Dr Vilches and the members of the Search Committee for their commitment and generosity in conducting the search process. The members of the Committee are: Dr Filomeno V Aguilar, Mr Eduardo Jose E Calasanz, Dr Jonathan O Chua, Dr Edna P Franco, Dr Ma Celeste E Gonzalez, and Dr Ma Louise Antonette N de las Peñas.
Let us welcome and support Dr Totanes as he assumes this new assignment.
On behalf of the Ateneo de Manila, I would like to express our profound gratitude to Mrs Lourdes David who has led Rizal Library to where it is now. By her vision and dedicated work, Rizal Library's dynamism has been exemplary in terms of infrastructure, resources, and its networking relationships with our academic community and outside. Mrs David shall continue to serve as Consultant for the Rizal Library beyond her term.
Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President
History of the Filipino History Book
Labels:
About Vonjobi,
Book History
In case you haven't heard, I successfully defended my dissertation last 22 June 2012. And now I'd like to share its abstract, acknowledgments, and table of contents here on my blog to publicly thank everyone who helped me get to this point, and perhaps inspire other Filipino librarians to obtain their own PhDs.
History of the Filipino History Book
For those who have difficulty reading the document above, I am reproducing the abstract and acknowledgments below:
Abstract
Studies of Philippine historiography often trace the emergence of history books written by Filipinos—or, more simply, Filipino history books—to the influence of Spanish and American colonialism, and the rise of Filipino nationalism. In most cases, the names of historians and the titles of their works figure prominently in discussions devoted primarily to texts and/or their authors' backgrounds, while the names of their publishers and other bibliographical details are either relegated to the footnotes or dispensed with altogether. This study proposes an alternative, complementary approach that seeks to enrich the study of Philippine historiography by reconstructing the history of the Filipino history book using the framework of the discipline known as "book history," and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the field of cultural production.
The histories of three books, namely, Jose Rizal's annotated edition of Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1890), Leandro Fernandez's A Brief History of the Philippines (1919), and what is now commonly known as Teodoro Agoncillo's History of the Filipino People (1960), are presented as case studies through which the evolution of the Filipino history book as a material object and commodity, and not merely as a text to be read or interpreted, may be better understood. Each book represents a different period in the evolution of the study of Philippine history by Filipinos, and was published in multiple editions over several decades.
By examining the prevailing conditions throughout each book's life cycle, the contributions of agents other than their authors, the struggles that accompanied their publication and distribution, and the evidence that may be gleaned from the books themselves, this dissertation shows that Spanish and American colonialism, and Filipino nationalism, did shape the development of Philippine historiography from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth century, but it also reveals that the Catholic Church played an important role in the production and circulation of books regardless of who was in power, and that struggles between agents involved in the historical field have affected the history of the discipline in ways that have yet to be fully acknowledged.
Acknowledgments
Dissertations, like books, are usually credited to their authors alone, but such works often also benefit directly and indirectly from the efforts of family and friends, librarians and archivists, publishers and professors, and many others. This dissertation is no exception. Hence, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to those who have contributed in various ways to the writing of this work:
Patricia Fleming, for agreeing to be my adviser even though she had just retired, and for her kindness, patience, and support as I wrote and rewrote numerous drafts over the years; Alan Galey and Malavika Kasturi, the members of my committee, for challenging me to complicate my analysis using methods and approaches I had not previously considered; and Vyva Victoria Aguirre, Roland Sintos Coloma, Gordon Davies, Leland de la Cruz, Tarleton Gillespie, Greta Golick, Christine Lao, Thomas Kessler, Susan MacDonald, Scott McLaren, Ari Ngaseo, Fr. John Schumacher, Brian Cantwell Smith, Karen Smith, and Ethel Tungohan, for asking questions, answering queries, giving feedback, and suggesting improvements.
Sharon Henry, for encouraging me to apply for the travel grant that brought me to Toronto; Lourdes David, for planting the seed that led me to contemplate the pursuit of a doctorate; Patricia May Jurilla, for introducing the study of book history as an academic discipline to Philippine studies; Leslie Howsam, for showing that history books are material objects and commodities with their own histories; Ambeth Ocampo, for suggesting that I look into the history of what is now commonly known as Teodoro Agoncillo's History of the Filipino People; and Filomeno Aguilar Jr., Bernardita Churchill, Natalie Zemon Davis, Milagros Guerrero, Reynaldo Ileto, Gregory Pfitzer, Vicente Rafael, and Edgar Wickberg, for showing interest in my research and encouraging me to continue.
Salvacion Arlante, for granting access to the Teodoro A. Agoncillo Papers and other resources at the Main Library of the University of the Philippines; the librarians and archivists at Ateneo de Manila's Rizal Library, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Biblioteca del Ateneo de Madrid, Bibliotecas AECID, Bibliothèque nationale de France, British Library, Columbia University, Lopez Museum and Library, Newberry Library, New York Public Library, Philippine National Library, US Library of Congress, US National Archives, University of California Berkeley, and University of Michigan, for not only preserving the primary sources I needed for my dissertation, but also for organizing them so that necessary materials could be easily found; and the visionaries behind Google Books, Internet Archive, and Hathitrust, for digitizing books and documents, and making them freely available online.
Teodoro V. Agoncillo III, for answering my questions and generously sharing documents I could not find elsewhere; Elvie Lapuz, Grace Tabiendo, and Ricky Punzalan, for their help in obtaining copies of library and archival materials that I was unable to physically examine; and Jonathan Balsamo, Maricor Baytion, Jonathan Best, Karina Bolasco, Mario Feir, Stephen Feldman, Caroline Garcia, Susan Go, Caroline Hau, Chas Navarro, John Silva, and Gas Vibal, for welcoming me into their offices and homes, translating documents, and/or assisting with the collection of data.
The University of Toronto, for providing the fellowship that made it financially possible for me to study in Canada; the Doctoral Thesis Completion Grant, as well as the Ethel Auster Bursary, for additional funding; Bonnie McElhinny, for the research assistantship that allowed me to visit UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library and the US National Archives; and the Faculty of Information, the School of Graduate Studies, the Asian Institute, and the Doctoral Students' Association, as well as the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library, for grants and awards that facilitated research trips and conference-related travel outside Toronto.
Bro. James Dunne, Onofre Pagsanghan, and Fr. Victor Salanga, for being good teachers and advisers inside and outside the classroom, and for being even better friends after I finished high school and college; Dulce Abad and Donna Shotwell, for being my mentors in and out of the corporate world even after we set off in different directions; Jim Arshem and Raphael Gancayco, for befriending a stranger like me and letting me stay with them on research trips to Washington, D.C., and New York, respectively; and Vanny Bicomong, Bong Buenaventura, Rene Cruz, Tom Frias, Ed Gulane, Cheche Soberano-Kau, Tony Liam, Malix Huidem, and Rancy Recato-Buenafe, for their friendship and support as I traveled between Toronto and Manila over the past six years.
My aunts and uncles in Canada and the United States—namely, Fe and Ben Dueñas, Tessie and Rudy Escribano, Aida Geronimo, Cora and Dick Macalinao, Gee and Bill Orr, Ernie and Mae Totanes, and especially Lory and Phil Mancini, and Stan and Rose Totanes—for welcoming me into their homes, and essentially treating me as one of their children; my cousins and their husbands or wives (if any)—Ben and Emily, Edgar and Teena, Erwin and Lyn, Eugene, James, Joey and Weng, Maris, Mike and Priscilla, PJ, Rachel, Rhia and Mike, Tony and Chiqui, and Vi and Ronnie—for going out of their way to spend time with me; and my siblings, Veraflor and Verchie, for helping me in countless ways over the years.
And finally, my parents, Ver and Flor, for teaching me to read and to write, to live and to love. This dissertation is dedicated to them.
History of the Filipino History Book
For those who have difficulty reading the document above, I am reproducing the abstract and acknowledgments below:
History of the Filipino History Book
Vernon del Rosario Totanes
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Information
University of Toronto
2012
Abstract
Studies of Philippine historiography often trace the emergence of history books written by Filipinos—or, more simply, Filipino history books—to the influence of Spanish and American colonialism, and the rise of Filipino nationalism. In most cases, the names of historians and the titles of their works figure prominently in discussions devoted primarily to texts and/or their authors' backgrounds, while the names of their publishers and other bibliographical details are either relegated to the footnotes or dispensed with altogether. This study proposes an alternative, complementary approach that seeks to enrich the study of Philippine historiography by reconstructing the history of the Filipino history book using the framework of the discipline known as "book history," and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the field of cultural production.
The histories of three books, namely, Jose Rizal's annotated edition of Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1890), Leandro Fernandez's A Brief History of the Philippines (1919), and what is now commonly known as Teodoro Agoncillo's History of the Filipino People (1960), are presented as case studies through which the evolution of the Filipino history book as a material object and commodity, and not merely as a text to be read or interpreted, may be better understood. Each book represents a different period in the evolution of the study of Philippine history by Filipinos, and was published in multiple editions over several decades.
By examining the prevailing conditions throughout each book's life cycle, the contributions of agents other than their authors, the struggles that accompanied their publication and distribution, and the evidence that may be gleaned from the books themselves, this dissertation shows that Spanish and American colonialism, and Filipino nationalism, did shape the development of Philippine historiography from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth century, but it also reveals that the Catholic Church played an important role in the production and circulation of books regardless of who was in power, and that struggles between agents involved in the historical field have affected the history of the discipline in ways that have yet to be fully acknowledged.
Acknowledgments
Dissertations, like books, are usually credited to their authors alone, but such works often also benefit directly and indirectly from the efforts of family and friends, librarians and archivists, publishers and professors, and many others. This dissertation is no exception. Hence, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to those who have contributed in various ways to the writing of this work:
Patricia Fleming, for agreeing to be my adviser even though she had just retired, and for her kindness, patience, and support as I wrote and rewrote numerous drafts over the years; Alan Galey and Malavika Kasturi, the members of my committee, for challenging me to complicate my analysis using methods and approaches I had not previously considered; and Vyva Victoria Aguirre, Roland Sintos Coloma, Gordon Davies, Leland de la Cruz, Tarleton Gillespie, Greta Golick, Christine Lao, Thomas Kessler, Susan MacDonald, Scott McLaren, Ari Ngaseo, Fr. John Schumacher, Brian Cantwell Smith, Karen Smith, and Ethel Tungohan, for asking questions, answering queries, giving feedback, and suggesting improvements.
Sharon Henry, for encouraging me to apply for the travel grant that brought me to Toronto; Lourdes David, for planting the seed that led me to contemplate the pursuit of a doctorate; Patricia May Jurilla, for introducing the study of book history as an academic discipline to Philippine studies; Leslie Howsam, for showing that history books are material objects and commodities with their own histories; Ambeth Ocampo, for suggesting that I look into the history of what is now commonly known as Teodoro Agoncillo's History of the Filipino People; and Filomeno Aguilar Jr., Bernardita Churchill, Natalie Zemon Davis, Milagros Guerrero, Reynaldo Ileto, Gregory Pfitzer, Vicente Rafael, and Edgar Wickberg, for showing interest in my research and encouraging me to continue.
Salvacion Arlante, for granting access to the Teodoro A. Agoncillo Papers and other resources at the Main Library of the University of the Philippines; the librarians and archivists at Ateneo de Manila's Rizal Library, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Biblioteca del Ateneo de Madrid, Bibliotecas AECID, Bibliothèque nationale de France, British Library, Columbia University, Lopez Museum and Library, Newberry Library, New York Public Library, Philippine National Library, US Library of Congress, US National Archives, University of California Berkeley, and University of Michigan, for not only preserving the primary sources I needed for my dissertation, but also for organizing them so that necessary materials could be easily found; and the visionaries behind Google Books, Internet Archive, and Hathitrust, for digitizing books and documents, and making them freely available online.
Teodoro V. Agoncillo III, for answering my questions and generously sharing documents I could not find elsewhere; Elvie Lapuz, Grace Tabiendo, and Ricky Punzalan, for their help in obtaining copies of library and archival materials that I was unable to physically examine; and Jonathan Balsamo, Maricor Baytion, Jonathan Best, Karina Bolasco, Mario Feir, Stephen Feldman, Caroline Garcia, Susan Go, Caroline Hau, Chas Navarro, John Silva, and Gas Vibal, for welcoming me into their offices and homes, translating documents, and/or assisting with the collection of data.
The University of Toronto, for providing the fellowship that made it financially possible for me to study in Canada; the Doctoral Thesis Completion Grant, as well as the Ethel Auster Bursary, for additional funding; Bonnie McElhinny, for the research assistantship that allowed me to visit UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library and the US National Archives; and the Faculty of Information, the School of Graduate Studies, the Asian Institute, and the Doctoral Students' Association, as well as the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library, for grants and awards that facilitated research trips and conference-related travel outside Toronto.
Bro. James Dunne, Onofre Pagsanghan, and Fr. Victor Salanga, for being good teachers and advisers inside and outside the classroom, and for being even better friends after I finished high school and college; Dulce Abad and Donna Shotwell, for being my mentors in and out of the corporate world even after we set off in different directions; Jim Arshem and Raphael Gancayco, for befriending a stranger like me and letting me stay with them on research trips to Washington, D.C., and New York, respectively; and Vanny Bicomong, Bong Buenaventura, Rene Cruz, Tom Frias, Ed Gulane, Cheche Soberano-Kau, Tony Liam, Malix Huidem, and Rancy Recato-Buenafe, for their friendship and support as I traveled between Toronto and Manila over the past six years.
My aunts and uncles in Canada and the United States—namely, Fe and Ben Dueñas, Tessie and Rudy Escribano, Aida Geronimo, Cora and Dick Macalinao, Gee and Bill Orr, Ernie and Mae Totanes, and especially Lory and Phil Mancini, and Stan and Rose Totanes—for welcoming me into their homes, and essentially treating me as one of their children; my cousins and their husbands or wives (if any)—Ben and Emily, Edgar and Teena, Erwin and Lyn, Eugene, James, Joey and Weng, Maris, Mike and Priscilla, PJ, Rachel, Rhia and Mike, Tony and Chiqui, and Vi and Ronnie—for going out of their way to spend time with me; and my siblings, Veraflor and Verchie, for helping me in countless ways over the years.
And finally, my parents, Ver and Flor, for teaching me to read and to write, to live and to love. This dissertation is dedicated to them.
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