Just as the original "Sex in the Library" was not about sex, this one isn't, too. This post is about having bloggers' ideas used, sentences quoted as is, and yet not being given any credit. Oh, there was a part about "Said the blogger," and "One blogger said..." but that's when the speaker, a priest, put my sentences in quotes.
I suppose I should be flattered—he did the same thing to Ambeth Ocampo—but I think it's about time bloggers got cited properly. And no, I don't mean APA- or MLA-style. A simple acknowledgment that "these ideas were suggested by the blogger Filipino Librarian" or "the blogger Filipino Librarian wrote..." would have been enough. Anyway, here are the relevant parts from my original post:It is necessary that librarians acknowledge that an image problem exists, that it's not just a budget problem. Is it really just because libraries have no budget that nobody uses libraries? I don't think so.
And here's the paraphrased-in-parts and quoted-in-full-in-other-parts keynote address:
And then there are the four Ps:
Product - What exactly is it that libraries are "selling"? Is it books, information, research assistance? Librarians need to decide what exactly their product is.
Price - It's all supposed to be free (except for a few things like photocopying), but why don't users flock to the library the way customers spend money at the bookstore? This will need a separate post, but please leave a comment if you have an answer.
Place - Are libraries situated strategically? Or are they up in the fifth floor where there's no elevator? The environment counts, too. Is it dark, cramped, dusty?
Promotions - No one will buy something if they don't know it exists. But how can people not know that the library exists? Well, they know about it, but why is it that some students are proud of the fact that they graduated from school without ever setting foot in the library?
Finally, the so-called fifth P: Positioning. This is really about image and encompasses all of the four Ps. Think about what would have happened to the image of librarians if one of the four leads in Sex and the City had been a librarian. Or what if the women in Desperate Housewives were having affairs not with plumbers and gardeners, but librarians?The image problem has to be recognized and solved in order to enhance marketability. The matter of marketability can also be conveniently addressed if we consider the 5 P's of marketing. let's take a look at the Product libraries are selling. Are libraries "selling" books, information, research assistance? Librarians need to decide what exactly their product is.
Coming on top of the C.S. Canonigo affair and minor cases of plagiarism—not to mention the higher-profile cases of Market Manila and Pinoy Cook—it seems that bloggers need to assert their rights to what they write. Hey, we may be blogging for free, but whether we're anonymous or not, we deserve credit, too!
The next P would be Price. The products are supposed to be free yet why do users instead go to the bookstores? Has this anything to do with the Dewey Decimal System? Or the "Silence" signs? Or, how about the next P, the Place? Is the library strategically located? Is it dark, dusty, cramped, poorly ventilated? Does it exude a welcoming ambiance?
There is the matter of Promotions too. These days we cannot do away with promotions if we want to sell. No one will buy something if the public does not know it exists. But how can people not know that the library exists? Have you not heard of some students proudly declaring that they graduated from school without having gone to the library?
The last P would be Positioning. Now, this is about image. We have to project an image different from that which librarians and libraries are usually portrayed. I don't know how you would do that. In Wisconsin, USA, the Associated Press reported about how librarians posed for a sexy calendar not only to position their libraries but also to raise funds for their libraries. One blogger said, "Think what would have happened to the image of librarians if one of the four leads in Sex and the City had been a librarian. Or what if the women in Desperate Housewives were having affairs not with plumbers and gardeners, but librarians."
Anonymous Sex in the Library
C. S. Canonigo Replies
After posting "An Open Letter to C. S. Canonigo," it became the most commented post in recent memory, with messages of support coming from Filipinos and non-Filipinos, librarians and non-librarians, and bloggers who wrote about it: Ederic, Marhgil, Zarah, Igor and Nix. People whom I did not know were reading my blog also expressed their support when I met them in person. To all of you, thank you very much!
A few days after that post, I was a panelist at the Books Across Southeast Asia conference, and got the chance to raise my concern at a panel on copyright issues. The most significant advice I got was from Mrs. Karina Bolasco of Anvil Publishing, who expressed surprise that my deadline for withdrawing the book was more than a month away and suggested that I write a letter to Mrs. Socorro Ramos of National Book Store, which she would personally give to Mrs. Ramos.
Well, it took me a while before I got around to writing the letter requesting that National withdraw all the books, and ask her and her publisher to attest that all their other books were free of copyright problems, but I finally gave it to Mrs. Bolasco and guess what? Maybe the letter to Mrs. Ramos had the desired effect, maybe not, but within two days, after weeks of silence, I got the following comment on the old post:Dear Von Totanes,
So what's next? I am currently in the middle of finishing a long-overdue paper, but I plan to get in touch with her by early next week. I still don't know what my position will be, including whether I should bring a lawyer with me, but rest assured that I'll be writing about it here =)
I read your open letter few days ago. I was terribly surprised. U know, so many students are contributing their researched works to me re: speeches, poems, essays. When I received speeches of Marcos, Magsaysay, Quezon, etc. I happily included them in my Talumpati book. I even said, "Naku, mabubuhay uli ang pangalan nila sa book ko." In the speech of Onofre Pagsanhan, I saw the names of Cabunagan and Alvarez. I tried to contact them by calling all the same family names in the directory but no one seems to know them so I decided to retain their names the way they were written. Von, that was my greatest mistake! I became careless in including those speeches. Buong akala ko talaga mga talumpati yun nina Marcos in Tagalog. Dami na rin kasi akong speeches nila in English. Yung mga nag contribute hindi nila inilagay ang source, wala rin ang name mo. Von, I am terribly sorry for causing you mental agony thinking that I stole your work. I'm willing to make amends with you and offer you some options, so at least I can compensate you in some way. God knows, Von, I never meant to offend you or grab credit for your work. It was an honest mistake, believe me. I am apologizing for causing you emotional disturbance. Hindi ko agad nasagot ang open letter mo kasi nagluluksa pa ako. Kamamatay lang ng mister ko nung August. Kahapon lang ang 40 Days niya. Sana Von, you'll contact me so we can talk. This is my mobile phone # XXXXXXXXXXX. Am still in Cebu now. Next week I will be in Manila. This is my Mnla landline XXXXXXX. May God enlighten our minds and show us the right path to settle everything for our mutual benefit. God bless.
C.S.CANONIGO
P.S.
To my reading fans,
I'm sorry for the mistake I committed. Sa more than 100 books na naisulat ko in 24 years, this is the very first time na nakasakit ako ng damdamin ng kapwa ko manunulat. Sana'y mapatawad ninyo ako.
Cristina Santos Canonigo
How Do You Build a Library?
The first article is about how the group led by Troy Lacsamana encourages communities to develop their own libraries:
"Our formula for building libraries is that we want our partners to be the one to bring it up. We want the initiative to come from them," says Lacsamana. "The partners are the ones volunteering their people for the library. That way, the volunteers really want to be part of the project and the barangay chairmans support the project. The only thing we ask from people who want us to set up a library for them is for them to have the commitment and passion for our advocacy."The second is about how lucky a public school is that a corporate foundation deigned to give them books:
In most public schools, it is common for four students to share one textbook while other schools do not have the benefit of existing libraries. Thus, in 1999, National Book Store, with Anvil Publishing Inc. and the Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP), started the Buklat-Aklat Mobile Library project to provide impoverished public school children (ages 5 to 12) access to books. The project led to the birth of the National Bookstore Foundation Inc. in 2005, which continues to seek ways to address the urgent problem of illiteracy in the country.I have nothing against corporate foundations donating books, but I do have a problem when press releases suggest that all that's needed to start and sustain libraries are books. It is not that simple, and that's why the approach espoused by Lacsamana in the first article must be examined—at the very least—by those who want to build community libraries.
When was Martial Law "Declared"?
Many history books state that martial law was declared by Ferdinand Marcos on 21 September 1972, the date that appears on Proclamation 1081. Those who lived through those times (not me!) will say, however, that the anniversary of martial law falls on September 22, if they were arrested on that day; or September 23, the day when Marcos appeared on TV to announce the imposition of martial law.
To complicate matters further, two months later, Marcos claimed to have signed Proclamation 1081 on September 17. So was it postdated or antedated? Or do we just rely on the date on the document? Fortunately, we have Manolo Quezon, who seems to have encoded Marcos's diary entries from January 1971 to September 1973 all by himself. [Aside: Why are these entries not available on the Marcos, NHI or RMAO websites?] Here's an excerpt from Marcos's entry for September 21:Delayed by the hurried visit of Joe Aspiras and Nating Barbers who came from the Northern bloc of congressmen and senators who want to know if there is going to be Martial Law in 48 hours as predicted by Ninoy Aquino.
This seems to imply that Proclamation 1081 was finalized on September 21, and must only have been signed afterward. But why would Marcos later claim that he signed it on September 17?
Of course Imelda and I denied it.
But Johnny Ponce Enrile, Gen. Paz, Gen. Nanadiego, Kits Tatad and I with Piciong Tagmani doing the typing finished all the papers (the proclamation and the orders) today at 8:00 pm.
Anyway, assuming Proclamation 1081 was signed on September 21, should that be equated with "declaring" martial law? If perhaps all we had was the official document, and everyone who lived through those times were dead, then maybe we would have to settle for what was written on the document. But lots of books and articles are available attesting to the fact that people were arrested on the evening of September 22, and that Marcos announced the imposition of martial law on September 23. What exactly should be given more weight, the official document or other written and oral sources?
But the weirdest thing, though, is that I attended the Philippine Historical Association's National Conference last Saturday, 21 September 2007, which had as its theme "Controversies and Fallacies in Philippine History," and not once was any reference to the declaration of martial law made during the day-long event. The conference itself was quite enlightening about matters that occurred more than a century ago. But I wonder whether the absence of references to more recent events (aside from the extended discussion of textbook errors) was done intentionally.
Ambeth Ocampo on Ateneo's Rizal Library
Two years ago, I wrote a post entitled "Ateneo's Rizal Library," which I would follow up a month later with "One More Time: Ateneo's Rizal Library." Well, Ambeth Ocampo just wrote a column with the exact same title: "Ateneo's Rizal Library" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 21 September 2007). Ocampo, of course, writes from a different perspective, that of a library user:
The Filipiniana section is still in the same place, though the collection is larger and the staff has correspondingly grown bigger. When I used to frequent the place, I knew where I could find the books I needed even without looking. Even today the librarians would laugh when I ask for a book, describing its size, shape and color.He mentions other libraries, too, but I'm sure his librarian-friends at those institutions will be wondering when he'll be giving their libraries the same treatment =)
Pinoy Bibliobloggers' Mafia
Omerta. Silence. Sssshhhh...?
Supposedly, there now exists a Pinoy bibliobloggers' mafia. And guess who the "godfather" is? Looking at the photo above, you wouldn't think it's a group of librarians. After all, where are the women? The buns? The shushing fingers?
Before I go any further, those in the photo are, from left: Igor, Charles, Arnold, me and Juned. The photo was taken by and stolen from Zarah. It was shot at the Pinoy Big Biblioblogosphere eyeball held at a different bookstore last 15 September 2007.
What do these facts mean? As the titles of Zarah's posts indirectly show—from Live Blogging: Pinoy Big Biblioblogosphere to Live Blogging: Pinoy Biblioblogosphere—the group of Pinoy bibliobloggers is not "big" at all. True, there were some who couldn't make it, and some probably didn't even know about the event at all, but even if everyone showed up, I doubt if we would have made a dent in the Pinoy blogosphere. This does not mean, though, that blograrians have not made an impact. After all, Juned and Arnold are well-known among probloggers and SEO enthusiasts (see A Feed is Born and Our Paradise Philippines), and Zarah writes for the Pinoy Moms Network.
I am more concerned, however, that librarians who blog are less likely to be working in libraries and that blograrians are more likely to be male. Perhaps the former reflects the reality that practicing librarians are too busy to blog—but I don't buy this reasoning because Zarah is one of the busiest librarians in the Philippines, whether at her place of work or as a speaker elsewhere, and she continues to blog. Regarding the latter, are male librarians taking over the profession or are female librarians just not tech-savvy enough? Again, Zarah disproves the last one—and she doesn't even consider herself a techie—while attendance at any event organized by librarians certainly debunks the first.
What's going on? I don't really know. Maybe it's not gender-related, maybe it's a function of age. But this doesn't hold water either because, except for Charles—the lone non-LIS degree-holder—none of us are below 30. And then there's Melchor, who must be at least 50 years old. If you have any ideas regarding the dearth of blograrians, I'd love to hear them. Anyway, I won't be ordering any "hits" any time soon, but I do hope that once the "syndicate" is up and running, that members will get more hits and that this will encourage them to blog more about their profession.
The following are the posts that were written after the event:
When Pinoy Blograrians Meet, A Mafia is Born
Pinoy Biblioblogosphere
Filipino Blograrians: Blogging Mafia on the Rise (?)
One Library Article Every Week (a.k.a. Homework)
Oh Saturday!
Passion for Libraries: Hubs and Hugs
Update as of 16 September 2007: I missed another more recent article: "How to Build a Library Hub" by Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 14 September 2007). The title says it all =)"Raising Filipino literacy" by Blooey Singson (Manila Bulletin, 13 September 2007) is an ok article, but I don't know that anyone, after reading the article, would be moved to do anything about the fact that, "About one in every 10 Filipinos cannot read or write." Facts, quotes and statistics are abundant, but the author probably should have kept in mind this saying: "Do your homework and know your facts, but remember it's passion that persuades."
In contrast, "Library Hugs" by Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 July 2007)—which I missed when it first came out—has an intriguing title (and not just because it has the word "library" in it) and very few facts, quotes and statistics. (Note: The online version's title is different from the printed version's.)
True, Cruz was writing an opinion column, but Singson's article appeared in the "Youth & Campus" section, which I guess means it's for younger readers. Then again, maybe the difference lies in the fact that the authors are writing for different newspapers with different editorial policies. Whatever the case may be, I'll just leave it up to readers to decide which one is more effective—based on their understanding of the two writers' objectives.
What can librarians learn from these two articles? Please don't get me wrong. Facts, quotes and statistics are important, too, but they need to be used appropriately.
Music and Scholarship
Naku... Kenkoy!
Titik: Romualdo Ramos
Musika: Nicanor Abelardo
Koro: Mary the Queen Children's Choir
Pianista: Raul Navarro
The video above was taken at the book launch for Kolonyal na Patakaran at ang Nagbabagong Kamalayang Pilipino: Musika sa Pampublikong Paaralan sa Pilipinas, 1898–1935 [Colonial Policy and the Changing Filipino Consciousness: Music in Philippine Public Schools, 1898-1935] by Raul C. Navarro.
What I really liked about the whole event was that it was "ecumenical," for lack of a better word, because the author is from the University of the Philippines and the event was held at UP's College of Music, even though the book was published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press. This was emphasized further by the college dean, a La Salle alumnus, who joked that he thought of canceling the book launch when Ateneo's basketball team beat La Salle's (for the second time this year!) the previous night.
The song "Naku... Kenkoy!" is an example of the latter. Navarro writes: "Si Kenkoy ay karikatura ng mga Filipinong sa halip na magmahal sa sariling wika at ipagmalaki ito ay kabaligtaran ang kanilang nararamdaman at ginagawa" [Kenkoy is a caricature of Filipinos who instead of using and promoting their native language, feel and do the opposite]. I did not understand the lyrics while the song was being sung—through no fault of the singers—but it is helpful to read them while listening to the song:
Kahit saan ka naroon,
Sa bayan man o nayon
Ang lagi mong kasalubong
Ay ang maharot na Kenkoy
Hayan siya umuugong,
Ang maluang na pantalon
At hayan parang ulol
Habang daa'y umuungol
Aruy! Naku! Kenkoy!
Hoy! Hey! Sh!
Pati noo'y inahit na
Kilos, lakad ay nag-iba
Habang daa'y kumakanta
Ng Ingles na walang letra
Batiin mo "Kamusta ka?"
At ang sagot tingnan mo ba
"Hey! Tagalog, mi no habla!"
Ay, naku, naku, Kenkoy!
At si Kenkoy ay popular
Sa lahat ng handaan
Ukulele'y tangan-tangan
Handa mo'y inaawitan
Hayan siya sumasayaw
Katawa'y anong gaslaw
Sumasabog and laway
Walang tigil sa pag-ungal
Aruy! Naku! Kenkoy!
Bloggers' Kapihan
The photo above was taken not at the official Bloggers’ Kapihan held at Philippine Science High School yesterday, but at the unofficial one after the event, where I reconnected with the owners of Yugatech (or Abe Olandres, one of the speakers) and The Journal of the Jester-in-Exile, and made new connections with the bloggers who write at Temporary Madness, AWBHoldings.com, and Chickenmafia.com. If you want to match the faces with the blogs, the links actually correspond to the faces from left to right =)
I also ran into Manolo Quezon (speaker), Jove Francisco (journalist) and Noel Feria (LIS student). These were the people I already knew personally. Those I met for the first time were: Victor Villanueva (aka Bikoy, speaker), Noemi Dado (participant), and the organizers Mong Palatino, Ederic Eder and Martin Perez. Among the sponsors, it was Kenneth Yu whom I found most interesting, especially after he forgot to mention—at a blogging event—that
Philippine Genre Stories has a blog =)
Well, now that I've taken care of the obligatory link love, what did I think of the event itself? Here goes:
It also reminded me that I need to get back to Yan ang Pinay, which has been renamed "Yan ang Filipina," and participate in the "Filipina" Writing Project and Filipina Images.
But the most interesting thing for me was to interact once again with bloggers who have encountered the same problems and difficulties I've had as a blogger, and who do not think blogging is merely a fad, or worse, a useless exercise.
I should add, though, that most of the audience was composed of high school students. Appropriately enough, the first speaker was Bikoy, who started blogging as a student and is, in fact, still a student. His emphasis on writing for an audience other than classmates and friends, and going beyond what-I-did-today stories, reminded me that I've never been a typical blogger. From the very beginning, this blog has had an agenda. I even thought I could get away with writing in the third person.
Manolo was very quotable: "Everything is political, and it all begins with sex" and "You're either a voyeur or an exhibitionist." He was talking about blogging, of course. Abe, on the other hand, cannot be quoted because much of what he said during and after the event was "off the record." This, incidentally, was not unusual among the bloggers I talked to at the event. It seems that there are a lot of bloggers' stories, especially about Pinoy blogosphere controversies, that don't make it online anymore. Hmmm... maybe that's why they came up with Bloggers’ Kapihan, so that stories-that-cannot-be-told about bloggers-who-must-not-be-named can be discussed freely =)
Lost Libraries
The history of Philippine libraries has been told a few times, but either the accounts went unpublished, appeared in obscure journals, or were printed in such limited quantities that they are now out of print. Fortunately, Ambeth Ocampo occasionally mentions what happened to Philippine libraries in the past. From "Lost Books" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2007):
The Philippine Library and Museum that boasted the finest collection of Filipiniana in its time was one of the casualties of the Battle for Manila in 1945. The late historian Teodoro Agoncillo related how he had packed his most important books and brought them to the University of the Philippines Library at the outbreak of the war, assuming that the enemy would respect an academic institution. Many other scholars and collectors, like Jaime C. de Veyra and E. Arsenio Manuel, felt the same way and deposited their precious libraries in UP, only to watch helplessly as the Japanese made a bonfire from their books.
Pinoy Big Biblioblogosphere:
Eyeball on 15 September 2007
Update as of 12 September 2007: Time has been moved to 4:00 pm to accommodate more people, but I will be at the venue from 3:00 pm onward in case there are people who missed this update.In Pinoy Big Biblioblogosphere: July 2007, I invited "members of the Pinoy biblioblogosphere" to state their preferences regarding the place and time of our first—but not last, I hope—eyeball (EB), which I suppose needed to be stated explicitly (sorry, Zarah).
Well, based on the comments and the few people to whom I've mentioned the idea, it looks like this is what will work best:
Place: a different bookstore (adb), SerendraPlease leave a message below to confirm your attendance, so I can inform Chito, adb's marketing manager, who is looking forward to hosting our small group.
Date: Saturday, 15 September 2007
Time: 3:00 pm
Agenda:
Meet, greet and discuss the future of the Pinoy biblioblogosphere =)
Who should attend:
Anyone whose blog I've ever linked to in my Pinoy Big Biblioblogosphere posts, plus bloggers who care about books and libraries, whether librarian or not.
Schedule of Remaining PRC Exams for 2007
More than a year after the last exam results were released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), new exam results have begun to be posted again. And it's almost as if no one passed any of the exams given between 19 June 2006 and 26 August 2007—because the lists for different professions have still not been updated. That only goes to show just how important it is that nurses stay clean =)
On a happier note, the PRC has, in fact, updated its hard-to-find list of upcoming exam dates. Would-be librarians will be taking their exams on 26-27 November 2007 in Manila, Davao and Legaspi. Deadline for filing applications is on November 6. For more information on how to apply, prepare for the exam, etc., see my previous posts on the Librarians' Licensure Examination.
For the benefit of anyone interested—and all search engine spiders LOL!—here are the details of the remaining exams this year as listed in the Schedule of Licensure Examinations for Year 2007 (pdf):The information below is arranged in the following order:
Name of Examination
DATE/S OF EXAMINATION (All caps)
Place/s
Deadline in Filing of Applications
* No changes have been made except for capitalization and the addition of this clarification: [No deadline indicated].
Naval Architects & Marine Engineers
SEPTEMBER 11, 12 & 13
Manila
August 22, 2007
Registered Electrical Engineers
SEPTEMBER 15, 16
Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, Tuguegarao, & Zamboanga
August 27, 2007
Registered Master Electricians
SEPTEMBER 17
Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, & Tacloban
August 28, 2007
Sanitary Engineers
SEPTEMBER 18, 19 & 20
Manila
August 29, 2007
Marine Engineer Officers (Written)
SEPTEMBER 22 & 23
Manila
Sept. 3, 2007
Geodetic Engineers
SEPTEMBER 25 & 26
Manila
Sept. 5, 2007
Fishery Technologists
OCTOBER 1 & 2
Manila, Davao, Iloilo, & Legaspi
Sept. 20, 2007
Interior Designers
OCTOBER 3, 4 & 5
Manila
Sept. 13, 2007
Customs Brokers
OCTOBER 9, 10 & 11
Manila, Cebu, & Davao
Sept. 19, 2007
Certified Public Accountants
OCTOBER 13, 14, 20 & 21
Manila, Baguio, Cag de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, & Tacloban
Sept. 24, 2007
Mechanical Engineers & C.P.M.
OCTOBER 16 & 17
Manila, Cebu, Davao, & Legaspi
Sept. 26, 2007
Marine Engineer Officers (Practical)
OCTOBER 19
Manila
[No deadline indicated]
Criminologists
OCTOBER 23, 24 & 25
Manila, All Regional Offices
October 3, 2007
Electronics & Communications Engrs.
NOVEMBER 3 & 4
Manila, Baguio, Cag de Oro, Davao, Cebu, Iloilo, Lucena, & Tuguegarao
October 15, 2007
Midwives
NOVEMBER 6 & 7
Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, & Zamboanga
October 17, 2007
Marine Deck Officers (Written)
NOVEMBER 10 & 11
Manila
October 22, 2007
Chemical Engineers
NOVEMBER 13, 14 & 15
Manila & Cebu
October 24, 2007
Civil Engineers
NOVEMBER 17 & 18
Manila, Baguio, Cag de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, & Tacloban
October 29, 2007
Aeronautical Engineers
NOVEMBER 20, 21 & 22
Manila
October 31, 2007
Librarians
NOVEMBER 26 & 27
Manila, Davao, & Legaspi
November 6, 2007
Nurses
DECEMBER 1 & 2
Manila, All Regional Offices
November 2, 2007
Marine Deck Officers (Practical)
DECEMBER 3
Manila
[No deadline indicated]
Dentists (Written)
DECEMBER 4, 5 & 6
Manila
November 14, 2007
Dentists (Practical)
DECEMBER 14 – 21
Manila
[No deadline indicated]
92 New Licensed Librarians
Congratulations to the 92 new licensed librarians!
Since they did not have to take the licensure exam, all this means is that the Professional Regulation Commission recognizes their previous experience and education as equivalent to passing the exam. At least, that's how I understand it =)
Incidentally, based on my understanding of Republic Act 9246 and "The Professional Librarian: Who and How" by V.V.M. Aguirre, these new licensed librarians will be the last ones who will be able to avail of the law's provision for "registration without examination."
Below is the announcement and the list of new librarians posted on the website of the Philippine Star, which I am posting in full only because links tend to "die" on their site. Thanks to Grace Tabiendo for the heads-up!PRC grants 92 librarians for registration without examination
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 92 applicants were approved for registration without examination as Librarians per Board Resolution No. 01 and 02 Series of 2007 in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 19 of R.A. No. 9246, otherwise known as the "Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003".
Registration for the issuance of Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card will start on September 12, 2007 but not later than September 21, 2007. Those who will register are required to bring the following: Duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 2 pieces passport size picture (colored with background and complete nametag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps, and one brown envelope with name and profession; and to pay the following: Examination Fee of 900.00; Registration Fee of P600.00 and Annual Registration Fee of P450.00 for 2007-2010; and to personally register and sign the Roster of Librarians. The oathtaking ceremonies of the registrants as well as the previous ones who have not taken their Oath of Professionals will be held before the Board on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 1:30 in the afternoon at the Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila.
Following is the list of Successful Applicants:
ABENIDO, CIRILA SABANAL
ADECIR, CARMEN CAYON
ADLAWAN, ELEANORE LEPITEN
AGBAY, TERESITA MIGUEL
ALEJANDRINO, ELVIRA SANTOS
ALVEYRA, LEONILA PAEZ
AMIANIT, MERLY SADANG
AMISOLA, HERMINIA MORCOLO
AMORES, SUSANA PLAZA
ARCOS, MILDRED ENANO
ARUITA, MAGDALENA PADILLA
ASUNCION, ELSA STA. MARIA
BALLARES, CARLITA GUIBAO
BAWAG, SALOME BAWAR
BERMUNDO, AURORA REANTASO
BERNARDO, FE SUMBILLO
BITO-ONON, LUCERNE LUCERO
BOKINGKITO, MARIA FELICRIS RAMIREZ
BONDAL, OLGA PAGADOR
BORGONIA, LEONORA BANZON
BRAVO, JULIETA DELA VEGA
BRIONES, JUSTINA JUANITA LAZARTE
CABALLERO, ZENAIDA LATOJA
CALUB, TERESITA JUAN
CASTRO, LILIAN DURANTE
CONTEMPLO, LIDA ARCENAS
CORPUZ, LAURA AQUINO
DALIGDIG, DELIA FLORES
DALIT, GILDA FLORES
DALOGDOG, MILAGROS MOSCOSA
DE GUIA, ESTELITA PADERE
DELA CRUZ, ESTELA IGNACIO
DELOS SANTOS, NOEMI SAMSON
DUHAYLUNGSOD, ANITA ENCARNACION QUIMNO
ELLOVIDO, ROMAN VALENZUELA
ESPINEDA, MA. FLORDELIZA EVELYN PINEDA
ESTACIO, CORAZON NANGIT
FLORES, ERLINDA FABIA
GALABIT, WINIFREDO GALINDEZ
GALANG, NENITA BALITAOSAN
GARCIA, ALICIA FLORES
GOMEZ, TERESITA CANALETA
GRUYAL, NENITA MAHINAY
GUILLEM, TERESITA BERMEJO
HAEL, JOSEFINA TABAY
HATAYNA, LILIANITA ALAMPAYAN
HERNANDEZ, FREDESWINDA CALLANG
JACINTO, TERESITA CAPADOZA
JANAYON, LYNNIE BAÑAS
LACSON, MARIA ANTONIETA CORDERO
LEAÑO, ANSELMO JR. VASQUEZ
LOGATIMAN, JOSEFINA DUCA
MARTIN, LETICIA TALABUCON
MELECIO, MAXIMA GOCOTANO
MERCADER, ESTELITA DIMAUNAHAN
MERELOS, NENA LIPORADA
MINA, LILIA GUDMALIN
MOZOL, MARILOU MORAN
NACIONALES, NENA FERNANDEZ
NAGTALON, MARIA THELMA SAMBRANO
NERI, YOLANDA JEBONE
NOVELA, DALMACIO CLEMEÑA
PABLEO, EPIFANIA YOSORES
PACULBA, LUCITA ALLERA
PADILLA, BELEN GOMEZ
PAESTE, LOLITA NOCETE
PALMA, PURITA CASTRO
PAZ, ZENAIDA DE LA ROSA
PEREZ, MERCEDES ORTIGUERA
PEREZ, NATIVIDAD LEGASPI
PRESA, ADELAIDA SUSANA
PROTACIO, IRENE MACOROL
QUIBALLO, EDNA CAYABYAB
RAMOS, ROSE SITA SINGH
REOVOCA, MARLENE TELLA-IN
REQUINTO, CONSUELO PLATON
REYES, MARY ANNE DE GUZMAN
ROBLES, JUDITH CONCEPCION
RODRIGUEZ, LOURDES LORNA FERNANDEZ
ROMAN, ANDRES PAULE
ROMAN, EDNA PANTALEON
ROMERO, IMELDA DIMACALI
SAILE, TERESITA CHAVEZ
SAN JUAN, DIVINA ZAPATA
SANTOS, DOLORES QUINTERO
SEÑERES, MARIA TERESA ARES
SUMAWAY, ZENAIDA CAPILI
TAMINE, NELIDA BONILLA
TANDOC, HERMA ALANO
TUCAY, MYRNA DE GUZMAN
VARGAS, FE BEATRIZ
ZAMBRANO, FLORITA UBALDE
"Filipino Librarian" Among Top 25 Librarian Blogs
According to the Online Education Database (OEDb), this blog is among the "Top 25 Librarian Bloggers (By the Numbers)." To be more specific, No. 9. That's not among Asian or Filipino blograrians, but in the world. Plus, as far as I can tell, mine is the only non-North American blog on the list.
But no, this does not mean that I'm totally convinced this blog should be on the list. I have a problem with the fact that Library Stuff and other more influential blogs did not make it to the list (i.e., OEDb probably should have cast a wider net), and even with the title (i.e., they're measuring blog numbers, not the bloggers), but hey, recognition is still recognition =)
If you'd like to find out more about the state of the biblioblogosphere, check out the "2007 Survey of the Biblioblogosphere" by Meredith Farkas.
Thanks to Arnold for the heads-up!
Bookfair 2007: 100% Pinoy Librarian
Eight librarians were there for the Filipino Librarians Googlegroup meet-and-greet. One did not stay long enough for me to get her name, and only Zarah Gagatiga and I went out for coffee. But I did give away the buttons and stress ball. Those in the photo above are Zarah, Rene Manlangit, Mercedita Menes, Rosario Campo, Jenefher Sulit, and Shiela Avila.
The shirt I was wearing on that day was bought from the UP Library Science Alumni Association (UPLSAA). The sentence in front states, "Ang isip, tulad ng aklat, ay mainam kung bukas" [The mind, like a book, is better when open]. The slogan on the back reads, "100% Pinoy Librarian." Igor has photos of the black version. If you would like to buy a shirt for yourself, please click on the UPLSAA link above.
Zarah posted the photo she took with her Macbook (!) on her blog. I think I look pretty good in the photo, but I do have a problem with the post's title: "With The Filipino Librarian." As I have kept saying from the very beginning, I do not claim to be the Filipino Librarian. I think Zarah has her reasons for referring to me that way, but really, I am just one of many =)
Bookfair 2007: OMF Lit Package
The photos above are of the package I was given by Yna Reyes, publication director of OMF Literature. I'm not quite sure why she gave me the package—maybe she liked my presentation the previous day at the Books Across Southeast Asia conference or maybe because I asked her about their publications later during the day at the Manila International Bookfair—but what I liked most about the package was that it was addressed to:
Vernon TotanesI suppose she could have put just my name on the package, or my name and the name of the school I'm affiliated with, but I do like the idea that she associated me with my blog. In fact, I'm getting introduced more often as "Filipino Librarian" now than before. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen =)
Filipino Librarian
Incidentally, if any of you out there still think that blogs are just personal diaries, check out OMF Lit's website, which is actually a very slick blog.
