Librarians' Licensure Examination 2011: Results

Congratulations to the new librarians!

The passing rate for the Librarians' Licensure Examination is 28 percent (211 out of 764), up slightly from 27 percent in 2010.

Below are the list of the Top 11 and the list of all successful examinees. Both were taken from documents downloaded from the official website of the Professional Regulation Commission, which is now much more user-friendly, features all documents released to newspapers since 2009, and makes Verification of Professional Licenses possible. My only suggestion for improvement for the last one is that instead of just stating that a person is "listed in the LIBRARIAN Registry Books of PRC," the year of expiration of the person's license should also be indicated.

"Library science" (take note: not LIS) was recently identified in "PRC lists in demand college courses" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 18 November 2011) as a degree that can get students "hired immediately upon graduation." It would be interesting to know the basis for PRC's assertion, but perhaps the best way of testing the inclusion of "library science" on the list is to verify how many of those who took the exam for the first time (and were not working in libraries before they graduated) were hired as librarians (and not contractuals or call center agents) upon graduation. I will be happy if my skepticism is proven unfounded, but if LIS graduates are not in fact "in demand," I think a correction needs to be made.

I have heard it said that there is a librarian shortage in the Philippines because many public schools, for instance, do not have a librarian, but how many of these schools actually have a library or are even looking to hire a librarian? Every now and then, legislators issue press releases on their efforts to amend 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," but aside from not having any specific provisions on where the funding will come from, there is also no mention in these draft bills for the hiring of librarians. I don't want to sound so pessimistic, but it would be good to see some hard data to back up optimistic projections.

Top 11
LORRAINE CLAIRE KEE SALVE 87.20
MARTIN JULIUS VILLANGCA PEREZ 86.95
JOSE MARI LONTOK FLORES 86.70
CATALINA BACOCO OLOAN 86.50
MARIA JUDITH FAYE TONGSON GOROSPE 86.30
MELYSSA LAUREN MARIANO MANUEL 86.25
ROSHEN MEJOS LOMOCSO 85.75
JENA VALEZA TALAN 85.60
LYCA DIALINO ORAYA 84.50
YHNA THERESE PALAYA SANTOS 84.50
LAARNI VIVAS MARCIANO 84.45

Successful Examinees
ABAO, MIRIAM YAMIT
ABELLANOSA, GEMMA MAGSINO
ABIQUE, JEMMA LYN TRAYFALGAR
AGCAOILI, KAREN ANGELICA SISANTE
AGUSILA, MA GINA VALENCIANO
ALBALOS, JOAN CUISON
ALDUEZA, ANNE KRIZELLE DE LUNA
ALMERIZ, GERLYN DAYRIT
ALUYEN, ESTER PALAGPAG
AMANO, MARIE ANN MABANAN
AMONCIO, CRISTY AVILA
ANGCAO, RONALICE CLARE GARCIA
ANOS, ANNE SHERINA DE JESUS
ARCE, MARIA RICA BAÑARES
ARGENTE, MADEL LABIANO
ASUG, CYNDY ORBITA
BAGTANGAN, JANICE CAWAING
BAJOYO, LILIBETH ARGUELLES
BALANGCOD, ROXANNE KANTALA
BALBALIN, LENNY PACALSO
BANDONG, JENNYLYN SALUT
BARRIENTOS, ALLAN QUISOR
BATO, FATHA RAMOS
BATOON, CHILOU PILARTA
BAUTISTA, JAMEILA ANGELI SOLOMON
BAUTISTA, KARMELA DAWN JORVINA
BAÑARES, MA NOIDA VIDAL
BELICARIO, MARK ANTHONY CO
BERNABE, JOYCE ANNE SILVERIO
BUYOCAN, KATHERINE MALITAH
BUYUCCAN, LAILANIE PUGUON
CABADING, PROMENTHUS KEHM GERRI MANABAT
CABANGAL, JACKIELYN SABIDALAS
CAGAS, ALFREDO CADENAS
CAGUITE, DENNIS KELVIN MANALO
CANTIGA, CATHY REMEDIO
CAPIL, SHANE BL CERVANCIA
CARABALLA, JEROME MIGUEL
CARIAGA, ESTHER CATANGAY
CASTILLO, RAMON JR GUIBEJAR
CASTRO, JOVILYN REYES
CAY-AN, ERICSON SAB-IT
CENA, BERNALYNN FERNANDEZ
CONCEPCION, RODELYN MANLANGIT
CONCORDO, MARIA THERESA BAROL
CONSTANTINO, JOANNE CHUA
CORPUZ, PETER JOHN REYNOSO
COSSID, MARIA RINA MARANG
CRUZ, RICARDO III DE GUZMAN
CUALES, RACHELLE ANN MONDEJAR
DAMORKIS, EDITHA NICOLAS
DANGLE, JOSHUA JONES PE
DANGO, TERESITA MANDIN
DARDO, JEANYBETH BACULNA
DEL ROSARIO, ALLIENE THAMIE ABELLANA
DELA CRUZ, ESTRELLITA GARCIA
DELA CRUZ, RACHEL PARAISO
DELGADO, DONNA JOY QUITOR
DIAZ, RICA REGINA BADUA
DIWATA, MARI TONI LESACA
DIZON, JELLYN RUFINO
DONGGA-AS, JOVEN DANGLA
DUCAS, RALEEN JOY GABINO
DUMADARA, LEA GUILLEN
DY, GAUDENCIO JR CRUZ
DY, IZZA MAE DALALO
EBALLE, ROSE MARIE AÑORA
ELLOSO, CRIS KEVIN GLORIOSO
ENERO, KARRISA ESTILLES
ERAZO, ANNA LISA MALAPITAN
ESGUERRA, KRISTINE QUIQUE
ESPINO, JEYLIN FAUSTINO
ESPINOSA, ROSE ANN BRAVO
ESTIGOY, RIZALINA HALAMAN
ESTRELLA, JUVESSA VENTURA
FERNANDEZ, JHO-ANN RASOS
FERNANDEZ, RONNIE SALUSOD
FLORES, JOSE MARI LONTOK
FRANE, ANALIZA ACUZAR
FUERTE, CHRISTINE RUGERIA
FUTALAN, JONATHAN PAGAWISAN
GABITANO, RAMIL GOMONAN
GADIT, JUANITA BANTIYAN
GAITAN, MARY JOESETTE GONZAGA
GALINDO, GLENN ORQUILLAS
GAOIRAN, ROWENA ANUNG
GASPAR, AUREEJEL VALDEZ
GASPAR, HELEN MORANTE
GATAN, JASMIN MARANAN
GESTO, KEVIN RUSTILA
GILLO, LADY HANNAH COSTUNA
GIRASOL, GLADY BARTOCES
GO, NOELYN LIBAO
GONZALES, GLADYS ANN CABARSE
GOROSPE, MARIA JUDITH FAYE TONGSON
GREY, IVY SAJONIA
HALLIG, SHARON VALERIANO
IMPLICA, MERRY JOY SALVADOR
INSO, VILMA MICULOB
JACINTO, ANADEL TILLANA
JAVIER, PAULITA ARELLANO
JAWILI, LURAMIE NAYSAY
JUMAMOY, EFJOHN APARECE
LACAMBRA, LAURENE ULSINO
LALUNA, JENNIFER JUPSON
LAXAMANA, GLORIA ANTONIO
LIM, VIRGINIA SUN
LOMOCSO, ROSHEN MEJOS
LOPEZ, MA VINA SHIELA MANUEL
LUCERO, MARY JANE OLIVERIO
MACACHOR, RITA LAD
MACALINGGANG, ALFIE AMER
MACURO, CHRISTINE DIANNE TUMALAY
MADALAG, SONIA GANTES
MAGLAQUE, LORDY MERO
MAMURI, MADONNA CAMILLE MAGLAMBAYAN
MANAOIS, GILBERT GARCIA
MANUEL, MELYSSA LAUREN MARIANO
MANZO, NOVA RAMOS
MARAGGAY, JESTONIE ALTEZ
MARCIANO, LAARNI VIVAS
MARIBAO, CHARITY BAIS
MARILLA, GRACE QUITORIA
MARIQUINA, CLARISSA DIANNE SEVILLA
MAROHOMSALIC, ALEAH LARGO
MARRON, JELLEN ATIGA
MAXIMO, GLADYS TUMAYAN
MAÑGALILE, EDUARDO JR GAYAS
MEFANIA, ALLEN DALE MANLIGUEZ
MERCADO, KIARA KEREN RONCESVALLES
MOICO, ARNEL BARTOLOME
MONTAÑO, MA REDEN NICOPIOR
NARVAEZ, LAURENCE ANTHONY GONZALES
NEMIAGA, CHONA MARIE BAJENTING
NEYRA, JO ANNE DELA CRUZ
NICERIO, JESSEL CATALBAS
OCIER, JOEL DELA CRUZ
OLILA, RIZA CALAMBO
OLOAN, CATALINA BACOCO
ONDE, MARK FRANCIS GABUYA
ORAYA, LYCA DIALINO
PADERNAL, CHARLIEMAGNE FERRER
PADILLO, PERLA MAY ALCOSEBA
PALEN, MARY GRETCHEN GLORIA
PALENG, ROJAN AYAN
PAMAN, RYAN ARNEL LALLEN
PASION, DAN OLIVER CRUZ
PEORO, ROLLY FRANCIS CANLAS
PEREZ, CHRISTINE BERMUNDO
PEREZ, MARTIN JULIUS VILLANGCA
PRADO, DARREN OSTAN
PRECILLA, PETER JOSEPH ACENAS
RAMOS, BRYAN RAYMOND GARCIA
RAMOS, GUIZZELLE SOLIZA
RAMOS, MAYBELLE PUDUCAY
RAMOS, NERRIZA PICHON
RAPSING, AIZA DEMDAM
RAZO, EMELYN DEGOMBIS
RELADO, SHEILA MAY TALAVERA
RETARDO, ROBINA TILAR
REYES, JENEEN YANGCO
REYES, ROWENA LAUCILLO
RICONALLA, RONILO ESCOREAL
RODERNO, PRINCESS NABLO
RONDERO, CHARMINE ANN GALENDEZ
ROQUE, JUDITH URIAN
ROSALES, RONA PATRICIA GERONIMO
SABRIDO, RHEA ORTIZ
SALES, LENNIN YU
SALVADOR, RIEN ROSE VALENZUELA
SALVE, LORRAINE CLAIRE KEE
SAMONTE, JEAN LUCIANO
SAMSON, IRENE TAYCO
SANTIZO, PAMELA DAWN CALOPEZ
SANTOS, PAUL LALIMARMO
SANTOS, RAYMOND ROBERT LUNA
SANTOS, RICA JANE SANTIAGO
SANTOS, YHNA THERESE PALAYA
SARITA, EMELITA CANOY
SARMIENTO, RICARDO JR ALMORO
SIADOR, JOEY BUSIKAW
SILVESTRE, CAMILLE JOL PEREZ
SIMBAJON, ROSELYN CARAGA
SIMON, GEORGE MARCELL PEREZ
SINDAY, ROMILYN AQUINO
SION, ROSELIETA TOMANGONG
SUBILLA, CLARENCE COBSILEN
SUROT, JAN JOELSON DOCTOLERO
TABORA, MARGARET UY
TACAY, SHILO ROSE PAGNAS
TAGUIC, MARY CRIS BUNGLAY
TALAN, JENA VALEZA
TANUDRA, MARIA ANGIE ALCUIREZ
TINGSON, LEANNE PEARL DREO
TOLENTINO, DONALD GENTUGAO
TUBIS, ROBERTO RAMOS
TUMALAY, GELYN MAE TRAVILLA
TUMALAY, J-ANN GUASIN
ULPINDO, TERENCE RAMIREZ
UNDA, KAMILAH SHARIEF
UNSON, DANTE PAOLO VALLE
UY, CARLO MARTIN HALDOS
VALDEZ, EMMYLOU LEAÑO
VALERA, FRANCISCO JOSE SALAZAR
VELASCO, BERNADETTE BEREDO
VERDAD, AIDALOU OGATIS
VILLAFUERTE, LEONARDO II GALVEZ
VIRAY, ANNE MADELIN EUGENIO
YBAÑEZ, SISLY MENDOZA
ZAMORA, MA FRANCES THERESE BONILLA
ZARAGOSA, CARLO MANALO

Read More...

Summary only...

Academic Librarianship: A Crisis or Opportunity?

UPDATE (2 Jan 2012): An article (PDF | HTML) about the conference has been published in Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research.

This post reproduces the notes taken by Harriet Sonne de Torrens, as well as some slides shown, at "Academic Librarianship: A Crisis or Opportunity?" held at University of Toronto on 18 November 2011. If you're wondering why this conference was convened, take a look at "McMastergate in chronological order, or, Do libraries need librarians?" and "UWO Librarian Strike Ends As Both Sides Ratify New Agreement." A pdf file showing most of the tweets (#futurelibs) posted during the event in chronological order may be downloaded here. A few photos are available here, and here.

Below are the notes for the first three sessions, slides, and links to a blog and statements that were posted after the conference. If you can't see the Scribd documents after clicking on "Read More...," click here.

The first session was on "Faculty Associations and National Labour Associations in Defense of Academic Librarianship," with Constance Adamson (OCUFA / Queen's University) and Francesca Holyoke (CAUT Librarians’ Committee / University of New Brunswick) as speakers, and Diane Granfield (Ryerson University) as moderator.

1st Session


The second session was on "Current Trends in Library Education and Curriculum," with Gale Moore (University of Toronto), Seamus Ross (University of Toronto), Siobhan Stevenson (University of Toronto), and Sam Trosow (University of Western Ontario) as speakers, and Harriet Sonne de Torrens (University of Toronto) as moderator.

2nd Session

2nd Gale Moore


The third session was on "The Roles of Professional Associations & Professional Accreditation," with Karen Adams (CLA / University of Manitoba), Robert Johnston (Progressive Librarians Guild London Ontario Chapter / University of Western Ontario), Janice Mutz (OCULA / Lakehead University), and Michael Ridley (University of Guelph) as speakers, and Mary Kandiuk (York University) as moderator.

3rd Session


The fourth session was on "Academic Librarians on the Front Lines," with Kristin Hoffmann (University of Western Ontario), Marc Richard (McGill University), and Nick Ruest (McMaster University) as speakers, and Diane Granfield (Ryerson University) as moderator. Due to the nature of the discussion, no notes were taken, but Marc Richard's statement is here (doc), and Nick Ruest's statement is here.

Read More...

Summary only...

"We have the most awesome library. EVER."

The title of this post is from a tweet posted two days ago, after the photos above appeared on tumblr, along with the comment "This is just too funny. Good job Rizal Lib." The original post has been shared 285 times on tumblr as of this writing, and who-knows-how-many times on Twitter and Facebook (where Tin Lao, a friend, tagged me, and that's how I found out about the posters).

Awesome? Funny? What's going on? This is a library they're talking about, right? Well, it's not just any library. It's the Rizal Library, which apparently has figured out how to communicate with students in the language they use. And so, even though the messages on the posters are essentially the eat-your-vegetables kind, the manner in which these are conveyed has caught the attention—and aroused the interest—of the audience for which they were intended... something that not many library signs I've seen have ever done.

If you'd like to see the posters above—plus two more—up close, click on the images below.

The posters were conceptualized by Karryl Sagun, assistant to the director and a former student of mine (and now I feel so... old!). The images used were taken from Know Your Meme. The posters are reproduced here with the permission of Lourdes David, director of the Rizal Library.

I have written about this library before (see "Ateneo's Rizal Library"). In 2005, I dubbed it "probably the best-marketed Filipino library today." Now, I should probably just drop the "probably" =)

Read More...

Summary only...

The Aswang Phenomenon

Happy Halloween!

The Aswang Phenomenon is the first in-depth documentary regarding the aswang myth - discovering where manifestations of the creature came from and how they evolved and embedded themselves in Filipino society. Learn how Filipinos have been transformed by the myth and are now evolving the aswang to fit into their developing cultural identity.

The YouTube video above features the full 77-minute documentary, not just a few minutes. If you would like to obtain a free copy of the DVD for your library, please email your mailing address (with information about your institution) to info-at-aswangmovie-dot-com.

The documentary is written and directed by Jordan Clark and features Maricel Soriano and Peque Gallaga.

Read More...

Summary only...

The History of Reading - 50% off

"Filipino Blogs as Evidence of Reading and Reception," a revised version of a conference paper I delivered at the 2009 SHARP conference in Toronto, has been published in the third volume of The History of Reading: Methods, Strategies, Tactics.

Copies of the 3 volumes of The History of Reading (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) will be sold at a 50% discount at the book launch in London on Tuesday, 25 October 2011. If you happen to be in London and would like to attend, send me an email at von-dot-totanes-at-gmail-dot-com. There may still be time to get you on the guest list.

If you are based in the Philippines (or anywhere "outside Australasia & North America"), you can also avail of the 50% discount, provided you order directly from Palgrave Macmillan before 31 December 2011 using the flyer below. Note that only individuals may avail of the discount. So if you would like to order the books for your library, I suggest you ask your "Friends of the Library" group—or any generous friend—to order the books and donate it to the library.

The History of Reading - 50% off

Read More...

Summary only...

The Cebu City Public Library is back!

In January 2010, I asked "When will the Cebu City Public Library Re-open?" In June 2010, Sun.Star Cebu came out with an editorial entitled "Resurrect the Cebu City Public Library." But it took exactly a year and two days before I received good news from Chelo Echaves of Friends of the Cebu City Public Library. This was confirmed two weeks ago, when a Sun.Star contributor asked, "The Cebu City Public library is back in its place, have you heard?"

Below is the update I received from Chelo Echaves, whose efforts I suspect led to the publication of the Sun.Star's recent article and last year's editorial. I hope she keeps up the good work. Reproduced with permission and minor editing.

I am happy to update you regarding the Cebu City Public Library.

Because of so much support from people like yourself, the local government of Cebu City is presently more aware of the importance of having a public library. In fact, Cebu City local council is now involved in the development and promotion of the Cebu City Public Library.

While it is true that it took more than two years to renovate the Cebu City Public Library, it is more important to note that the local government of Cebu City did keep its promise to uphold the library’s presence and existence, which is currently evident. It wouldn’t be too long now before we can all witness a Cebu City Public Library that every Cebuano can be truly proud of!

The most exciting part of it all, though, is the fact that the Cebuanos are now more aware of the Cebu City Public Library’s presence and services, and that it has attracted a growing number of patrons and supporters, both local and international!

There is still a lot of work to be done, especially on the part of the now-confirmed, full-fledged librarian Mrs. Rosario Chua, nevertheless I believe the “dark winter season” of the Cebu City Public Library is now over.

Kudos to you and to others who did not allow distance and personal concerns to limit them in supporting causes that promote the dignity of education through reading and reading facilities such as the Cebu City Public Library!

Read More...

Summary only...

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto is a journey to—spoiler alert (hehe)—“happily ever after.” It takes readers from a train station in Spain to a non-castle in England to a tropical island in the Philippines to “where Shelley is.” Shelley is the wife of Max, who died three years ago as they were talking on the phone when a bomb exploded in front of him in Madrid’s Metro. For those who prefer Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy—as I do—over Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts, this disaster is practically all the “action” that takes place in Sotto’s first novel. But despite the absence of conspiracy theories or terrorist plots, the book is a page-turner, mainly due to a question that compels Shelley to abandon her mourning and travel halfway across the world with Paolo, a man who claims to be the thirtysomething grandson of her late, thirtysomething husband: Who is the man in a two-month-old photo (from a blog!)—wearing the pendant she gave Max—who looks remarkably like her husband?

The answer is gradually revealed over the course of a long flight from London to Manila. In between Shelley’s conversations with Paolo on the plane are a series of flashbacks to the unusual guided tour of Europe where she met Max five years earlier, and where past events—both obscure and well-known—are introduced in the course of the journey, as well as even more flashbacks that take readers to the storming of the Bastille in 1789, as well as the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.

If this were a movie (and I certainly hope it becomes one), it would probably be compared with The Time Traveler’s Wife and Eat, Pray, Love—both based on bestselling books, incidentally—because of its preoccupation with love lasting through time, as well as the culinary and travel motifs (plus Catholic guilt!) that are an integral part of the novel’s structure and appeal. I enjoy watching romantic films, but tend to regret seeing them on the way out of the theater. (Why? Because I always end up asking, “When will it happen to me?”) This was not something, however, that I felt as I finished reading Before Ever After. Aside from the fact that Sotto sustains interest in the mystery of Max’s identity throughout all the journeys back in time, there is so much in her book that can be used as a basis for spiritual reflection on the meaning of life that I couldn’t help but do a little reflecting myself. At the same time, there are also many laugh-out-loud moments that make it difficult to classify this novel, notwithstanding its title, as merely a romantic one. Here’s a passage that is somewhere between spiritual and funny (actually, closer to deliciously bawdy) that illustrates why I liked the book so much:

Buttons. They were wonderful things, Shelley thought. In the twenty-plus years that she had been pushing them in and out of holes, it was only now that she realized what they were actually for. They heightened anticipation in a way no zipper could hope to match.

Shelley was about to have sex with Max for the very first time, except the phone rang (“Hello? Maximus Coitus Interruptus speaking”) and they learned that someone in their tour group had just suffered a heart attack. What happens afterward not only raises even more questions about Max, but also challenges readers to consider the difference between sadness and mourning, and the inevitability of death… and life.

There are unresolved questions, of course, but as with the age-old question regarding the chicken and the egg (i.e., Which came first?), it doesn’t really matter. In case it’s not clear yet, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained and doesn't mind being provoked to think about the really important things =)


Disclosure: I am not in the habit of reviewing books, but I was asked if I’d be interested in receiving an advance reading copy, and I said “yes.” If I didn’t like it, I reasoned, I’d just beg off writing about it in my blog. Except I did like it and finished it—in less than twenty-four hours—during a breakfast that involved consuming three scrambled eggs. (To those who have read the book, this was purely an accident and had no connection to the book’s ending.) The author is married to a former classmate of mine, but it must be said that her husband and I were neither close friends nor mortal enemies, and that I have never actually met his wife. I thought it would be a good idea to review the work of a Filipina, whose first novel is being published by Random House in New York. Other Filipinos—a few anyway—have had their books published by American publishers throughout the twentieth century, but this is the first one I’ve encountered that is not pushing a political agenda (but there is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it message about the environment) and treats its subject the way life should be lived: with generous doses of wit and humor.

Read More...

Summary only...

Outstanding Librarian 2011:Cynthia Yap Dagus

Cynthia Yap Dagus
Manager
Academic Libraries Book Systems Acquisition, Inc. (ALBASA)

The Professional Regulation Commission conferred the Outstanding Professional Librarian of the Year Award on Cynthia Yap Dagus on 22 June 2011. The citation reads:

For her exemplary achievements as Professional Librarian; for demonstrating competence and integrity to the highest degree; for being considered as role model to her colleagues and co-workers; for having received the Outstanding Alumni Award, Leadership Award, Certificate of Recognition, and Community Involvement Award; for her worthy contributions to the development of the profession by actively participating in numerous seminars and workshops; for contributing articles related to the profession in some Filipino journals; for her indefatigable effort and dynamic leadership in spearheading seminars and conferences allowing librarians to grow professionally through her capacity as Manager of ALBASA and as President of Cebu Librarians Association Incorporated; and for her genuine display of social responsibility by taking part in the various projects and activities of NGO's in the field of librarianship and community service.

Thanks to Lilia Echiverri for providing the photo and citation.


Category: Librarians—Awardees

Read More...

Summary only...

Rizal's Noli, Fili and "Mi Ultimo Adios"

Photos of front and back of what is perhaps the best-known and most-translated document written by a Filipino. Note that it does not have a title. Click photos to enlarge.

Jose Rizal's original, handwritten manuscripts of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo will be exhibited at the National Library of the Philippines on 17 June 2011 [UPDATE JUN 15: Extended to June 18] as part of its "Exhibit of Original Rizaliana Materials." It is unclear from the announcement whether the "Mi Ultimo Adios" will also be on display, but I certainly hope it will also be shown to visitors. [UPDATE JUN 15: According to its caretaker, the "Mi Ultimo Adios" is "too delicate and too faded to be exhibited."]

I just happened to be around on 12 May 2011, when the Noli, Filiand "Mi Ultimo Adios" were officially turned over to the directors of the National Library and the National Archives by the German conservators who undertook the repair of Rizal's best-known works. It was interesting to learn that Rizal himself had bound the manuscripts of his novels, and that the Noli had been so tightly bound, according to the conservators who reconstructed Rizal's binding, that it is practically impossible to open the manuscript without breaking its spine (see photo below).

The conservator shows just how far the Noli manuscript
can be opened without damaging its spine.

The Fili manuscript, unlike the Noli, can be opened easily,
but it does not have a cover like the one Rizal designed for the Noli.

What struck me most, however, was the the size of the "Mi Ultimo Adios," which was only slightly larger than an iPhone. But even more remarkable is the fact that all these were written in Spanish, and that somehow—despite the reality that very few Filipinos were fluent in Spanish during the late nineteenth century AND even fewer copies were available—Rizal's words and ideas inspired his countrymen to fight both their Spanish and American colonizers in pursuit of the establishment of an independent Philippines.


Thanks to Director Antonio Santos of the National Library, Director Ino Manalo of the National Archives, and Anne Rosette G. Crelencia (head of the Rare Books and Manuscripts section of the National Library) for letting me—perhaps the only last-minute guest at the turnover—join the exclusive event and blog about it, too!

Read More...

Summary only...

Antonio M. Santos is the New Director of the National Library

Congratulations to Atty. Antonio M. Santos (right), who has been appointed the new Director of the National Library of the Philippines! His appointment papers were signed by President Benigno Aquino III on 28 February 2011. He took his oath of office before Mayor Ed de Guzman (Marikina) on 3 March 2011. He takes over from former Director Prudenciana C. Cruz, who retired in 2010.

Atty. Santos has been recognized in the past as the Outstanding Professional Librarian of the Year (1999) by the Professional Regulation Commission, as well as Outstanding Librarian (2002) by the Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians. He is also a past president of both the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc., and the Philippine Group of Law Librarians. Prior to his appointment as Director of the National Library, he was the Law Librarian at the College of Law, University of the Philippines.


Thanks to Lily Echiverri for providing the photo.

Read More...

Summary only...

Closed... Again

This blog is closed—in case you haven't noticed—indefinitely.

Read More...

Summary only...

Librarian Gets "Mommy Makeover"

The latest issue of Good Housekeeping (Jan-Feb 2011) shows Lourdes David, Outstanding Librarian 2008, before and after her makeover. Thank goodness the writeup was matter-of-fact, with no condescending remarks about librarian stereotypes.

Photo from Jo-anne Domingo's Facebook album.

Read More...

Summary only...