Allow me to celebrate this "month-sary" by recalling what I wrote in "Mabuhay!" and commenting on what has actually taken place and what I intend to do with this blog in the coming days, weeks and months. (Note: This post is actually two days late because the first post is dated February 18.)
This blog is for all Filipino librarians—whether working in the Philippines or elsewhere.This is still true, but let me add Filipinos and Filipinas all over the world—whether librarians or not—and even librarians who are not Filipino. If you do not happen to fit into these categories (i.e., you are not Filipino and not a librarian), please let me know so I can expand my list of known readers.
I am not really a blogger but I thought of setting up this blog as a way of establishing a presence for Filipino librarians on the Internet.This is not quite true anymore because there is now no way of denying that I AM A BLOGGER. And I do believe that the goal of "establishing a presence..." has already been met; not just in the worldwide community of librarians, but even in the Filipino blogosphere. There is, however, a lot more that needs to be done.
This blog will not be about me. Initially, I see it as a means to share information that I think will benefit Filipino librarians. And once I gain enough blogging experience, maybe we (yes, you and I) can think of other things that we can do with this blog.At first, I thought that I could keep myself out of the picture, like a journalist writing for a newspaper. But eventually, I discarded this approach because I found it very difficult not to use the word "I." I do believe, however, that I have succeeded in sticking to writing about "the Philippines, Filipiniana, Philippine libraries and Filipino librarians." If I have strayed in the past, it was because I thought that it would "benefit Filipino librarians" (do you remember the Garfield comic strip?).
And the "other things"? Well, I've made a few cosmetic changes (the sidebar is now on the right) and will be making a few more; I'll be categorizing posts in the coming days so that it will be easier to see what you've missed in the categories you're interested in; and I've set up the FilipinoLibrarians googlegroup for all Filipino librarians. You do not have to be a member of a Filipino library association. Neither do you have to be physically in the Philippines. Heck, you don't even have to be Filipino or a librarian. As long as you are interested in "the Philippines, Filipiniana, Philippine libraries and Filipino librarians," you're welcome to join the group.
Finally, just to make things clear, I do not claim to be the Filipino Librarian.Let me repeat that: I do not claim to be the Filipino Librarian. So please, if you must refer to this blog or to me, please do not use "the Filipino Librarian." I would rather that you just use "Filipino Librarian." I am, after all, only one of many Filipino librarians.
One last request: Please leave a comment below. I'd like to know the following:
What do you think of this blog?
What would you like to read more about?
What is your favorite post?
