The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) now has a website. There's also a blog with one post at this time. They're not quite on the same level as the other websites that got me excited in the past, but it's a start. At the very least, I hope they add an email address to their contact information to make it easier for members who are not in Metro Manila to get in touch with them. Overall, I still think the state of the PLAI website says a lot about "Philippine librarianship in the 21st century."
Showing posts with label Internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet. Show all posts
New Websites and the Future of
Librarianship in the Philippines
What is the state of librarianship in the Philippines? I think the fact that PLAI and PATLS do not have websites says a lot about "Philippine librarianship in the 21st century."
This passage appeared toward the end of a post I wrote about the "Manila International Bookfair 2007." Well, the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) still does not have a website (thankfully, some of its regional councils have active blogs), but the Philippine Association of Teachers of Library Science (PATLS) now has one that provides reason to hope that future Filipino librarians will be able to take full advantage of the possibilities offered by the Internet.
This development led me to think that it's time I featured some of the new—ok, in some cases, not all that new—websites that I've been hoping to blog about separately. So here goes...
Philippine Association of Teachers of Library Science (PATLS)It's not quite fully functional yet, but take a look at the new president's speech on "Republic Act 9246 and LIS Education in the Philippines" to see where they're headed. The "Scholarship Program" will be helpful for students, but there don't seem to be any instructions on how to apply at this time.
InfolibThis free library software was one of the few I featured in "Free Library Software" that did not have a website where the software could be downloaded. Now it does. There's no forum for users yet, but there is a "Paypal Donate button," which association websites should consider emulating.
Medical and Health Librarian's Association of the Philippines (MAHLAP)This association used to have a website that hadn't been updated in years, so this new website looks very promising. Its latest newsletter (pdf) may be downloaded, but either they're still working on making previous newsletters available or I just can't find the links to click.
PAARLWikiThis companion site to the official website of the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL) is probably the most complete and updated source for links to articles on, libraries in, standards for, organizations in and outstanding librarians from the Philippines. It has a very limited number of contributors (including this blogger), but most of the work has been done by Fe Angela M. Verzosa.
Finally, there are the websites of the UP School of Library and Information Studies (UP SLIS), the UP Future Library and Information Professionals of the Philippines (UP FLIPP) and the UP Library and Information Science Students’ Association (UP LISSA), all of which sport features that show its creators and readers are not only tech-savvy, but web-savvy.
The future of librarianship in the Philippines looks very bright indeed. I just hope all these websites will continue to be updated regularly.
FilipinoLibrarians.org
and Social Networking
Labels:
Internet
Are you on Friendster, Facebook or other social networking sites? Well, if you're a Filipino librarian, you should be on FilipinoLibrarians.org, too. If you're a regular reader of this blog, but are not part of any social networking site, why not try setting up an account at FilipinoLibrarians.org?
On FilipinoLibrarians.org, you can set up your own blog, upload photos and videos, communicate with other Filipino librarians around the world and see for yourself why social networking has become so popular in the past few years. You may not see the need for social networking now, but librarians around the world have already begun experimenting with these sites as a means to create a presence for the library where its users already are. I personally think it's a good way of shattering stereotypes about librarians.
For more about the usefulness of social networking, see the following:
- "Libraries in Social Networking Software" (Meredith Farkas)
- "Social networking for libraries a bust?" (Sarah Houghton-Jan) - note: read the comments!
- "25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Librarians" (CollegeDegree.com)
- "Why should libraries be socially networking?" (Jessamyn West)
Get Hooked on TV... on Your Computer
Labels:
Internet
Before you continue reading, you should know that clicking on any of the links in this particular post may lead to difficulties finishing whatever you need to do. I should know, I got hooked on a few series, and just couldn't stop until I had seen all the episodes from the very beginning.
I'm actually not referring to In2tv, which I've written about before, or Hulu, which you can access only if you're physically in the US. No, I'm referring to alluc.org, which is actually a directory of links that lead to videos of the shows—or even movies—that you're looking for. They can be as new as Oprah's interview of Tom Cruise last Friday or as old as "The Three Stooges." [UPDATE: It seems the Oprah episode has been removed, so here's another recent addition: Iron Man.]
If you keep on clicking, you'll discover that some content from the sites that the links lead to are not all listed on alluc.org. Two that I've found particularly good are Video Space and Videostic.com. The former has the first season of "Dawson's Creek," which is not even available on DVD, while the latter has all the seasons of "Friends" and the latest episode of "American Idol," in case you missed it the night before.
The videos may not be DVD-quality, but if you want to watch shows that are not available on DVD—or not yet, anyway—and all commercials have been edited out (there are ads on the page, though), some of these will be just perfect for your needs. It's possible that you won't be able to read anything on the page because it's not in English, but hey, the "play" button looks the same in any language =)
Message for Filipino LibraryThingers
Labels:
Conferences,
Internet
Tim Spalding, founder of LibraryThing, graciously agreed to record the video above for Filipino LibraryThingers and other potential users after his session at Digital Odyssey 2007. If you would like to know more about LibraryThing, check out the basics, concepts involved, and/or take the tour.
If you're already using LibraryThing, and would like to get involved in the creation of a Tagalog—or even another Philippine language—site, you may email Spalding at tim-at-librarything-dot-com.
If you are a librarian in the Philippines at an institution that can provide LibraryThing with access to its Z39.50 client, you can email Spalding directly if you have the authority to speak for your library, or email me at von-dot-totanes-at-gmail-dot-com, if you think it would be better for someone else to communicate with your library director.
Infotubey Awards: Libraries on YouTube
They're not quite as well-known as the YouTube Video Awards, but libraries now have their own Infotubey Awards, which is given to libraries that used YouTube "to market their library or its services or enhance the standing of the library in the community."
The winners are:
- Arlington Heights Public Library
- MacCracken County Public Library
- New Jersey State Library
- Seneca College Markham Library (see video above)
- Williams College Libraries
Do You Know What People Say About You?
If they're talking behind your back, you probably don't. But if they're putting it on the Internet, then you have a shot at knowing what they're saying about you. Or your family, school, company. Or your library.
In "Monitoring Your Reputation," Stephen Abram links to his column on ego feeds (pdf) and "31 Places to Monitor Your Reputation Online" by Li Evans. If BPI had been monitoring blogs, they would have known about Bugsy's problem without third-party intervention.
So what are bloggers saying about Filipino libraries? It can be as sweeping and fleeting as memorylady's "it sucks that we don't have proper city libraries here in the philippines" and IslandGirl's "But public libraries are a joke in the Philippines." Or it can be as detailed as the following, which incidentally were posted on the same day:
In "Monitoring Your Reputation," Stephen Abram links to his column on ego feeds (pdf) and "31 Places to Monitor Your Reputation Online" by Li Evans. If BPI had been monitoring blogs, they would have known about Bugsy's problem without third-party intervention.
So what are bloggers saying about Filipino libraries? It can be as sweeping and fleeting as memorylady's "it sucks that we don't have proper city libraries here in the philippines" and IslandGirl's "But public libraries are a joke in the Philippines." Or it can be as detailed as the following, which incidentally were posted on the same day:
Trisha
Kanina lang, habang nagreresearch ako sa Microfilm section, may lumapit sa aking Guidon member at tinanong ako kung pwede raw ba ako mainterview. Sinabi ko pwede. Sabi niya, tungkol daw ito sa library ng Ateneo bilang the best library among the universities in the Philippines. Una, tinanong niya ako tungkol sa benifits ng library. Sabi ko yung technology, tapos facilities, and the like... And another question, parang agree ka ba na Ateneo lib nga ang the best? Sabi ko "I personally have not been into other libraries, but I think it is reasonable that the Ateneo lib is the best."Nico
Last Saturday February 10, 2007, I was burdened by tons and tons of research work. Due to this, a strong unusual force coming from the university library attracted me. This unusual force made me shiver to my bones. This is because; out of all the spaces and hideouts in school the library is an absolute horror. Believe me, at times, I read books but the UP library just isn’t a place to stay at. Dust from the old and ancient books are released every time you open one of those prehistoric books. The UP library could be even considered as a museum! (Grin** I might get kicked out for that one… Hehe..) If we compare the UP library to the libraries of private institutions, it would seem that ours is a mockery!And finally, there are people like Ipat who really care about their libraries:
Congratulations to the staff at the T.M. Kalaw Library in Lipa City. I visited two years ago asking if they had a section for children's books and brainstormed with the librarian Ma'am Arlene. I went back recently and my faith in government was renewed somewhat because of the hardworking and involved staff at the library who set up the Children's Corner... I am collecting books from today to the end of the year to donate to this library to make its book collection closer to decent...
Trans-Pacific Cables
Labels:
Internet
For the last thirty years Congress has from time to time had under consideration the establishment of a trans-Pacific submarine cable. Until recently this plan has never been more than in embryo. But... owing to the expansion of commerce... the establishment of such a cable in the near future is now rendered imperative.
Nope, this was not written in connection with the Taiwan earthquake that caused havoc among Southeast Asia's telecommunications companies and their users last December 2007. It's from "The Projected Cable-line to the Philippines" by Chandler Hale (North American Review, July 1900). More than a century later, it looks like a lot remains to be done.
Digital Divide: The Other Side
Labels:
Internet
Blograrians overseas are debating whether the term "digital divide" should be retired. It all started with "Digital Divide - Tired Old Cliche" and continued with "On the Digital Divide," "The Poor Will Always Be With Us" (don't forget to read the comments), and "the world is not flat." The last is the only one with input from someone in the developing world.
Well, I've written in the past about how very few Filipinos have access to the Internet; I've asked whether a librarian is truly computer-literate if s/he doesn't know what a search engine is; and I've ridiculed the suggestion that the study of information technology does not belong in the LIS curriculum. But I haven't written about the digital divide. Let me correct that now.
"Digital divide" suggests a division between the "haves" and the "have-nots." But what exactly do the haves have and the have-nots don't? Is it just computers? Not exactly. The ability to use computers? Still not quite right. The haves, in my opinion, are those who have the capacity to experiment with and use the latest technology. The have-nots are those who don't know that technology can make their lives easier and, if confronted with a machine, think that pressing the wrong button will cause it to explode.
I have referred to "technology," instead of just "computers," because the digital divide also separates those who use cellular phones and those who don't. And then there are those who can withdraw cash from a machine and those who can't. For a concrete example, see what Peachy Limpin, Filipina Teacher-Librarian, wrote recently in "ATM Literacy."
Is the division caused solely by the lack of access to resources? Well, the rich are more likely to be haves because they can afford the latest technology, but there are still many of them who can't—or won't—use something new because of fear that it will cause problems later on. Our family is not all that rich, but my mother only agreed to get a credit card many years after her three children already had theirs. She is also now able to use a cellular phone, but still doesn't know how to use a computer. And no, she has never withdrawn cash from a machine and still constantly updates her bank passbook.
It might also be said that the poor are more likely to be have-nots, but there are more than just a few who are able to embrace and learn the latest technology. How? At work, in school, and because of Internet "cafes," which are very common in the Philippines, but are hard to find in developed countries. In the United States, if someone doesn't have access to a computer at work or at home, s/he can go to a public library. Here, where public libraries are lucky to have even one computer, s/he pays for access at an Internet cafe.
And then there's employment. "School on wheels cruises QC" by DJ Yap (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 27 August 2005) shows that individuals with basic computer skills are more likely to get hired than those who don't. It also presents anecdotal evidence that the digital divide is not just a function of age.
This article reminded me of my 1995 trip to Culion, Palawan—which, at that time, was an "offline" island: no telephone calls could be made to Manila except through a pay-per-call provider, and television sets were used only to watch videos because there was no signal. It was there that I met Dario Saniel, a Jesuit priest, who brought computers from Manila so that he could teach the locals how to turn them on, use programs and print documents. Why? Because it would get them hired if they wished to work in Manila.
Ten years later, the technological landscape has changed, but the digital divide is still there. No, it's not just a matter of having computers (as some of our congressmen think); it's about knowing how to use the available technology to accomplish more. Maybe the term "digital divide" has become an over-used cliche, but we have to call it something. Some people talk about it, some even study it, but here in the Philippines, we live with it.
Category: Information Technology
Subscribe to:
