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A few weeks ago, I was surprised to find my photo and name in a list of the hottest Filipino librarians. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I belong on the list. And I'm not being modest. Just take a look at the photos below ;-)
Note: All photos below are used with permission. And everyone on the list is a licensed librarian, except where indicated otherwise.
Response
Marianita D. Dablio
2 July 2016
Thank you, UPLSAA 2015-2016, for this Distinguished Alumna Award.
It is with great humility that I receive this award in behalf of the librarians, library staff, and LIS faculty with whom I have worked at the Mindanao State University and other institutions in Mindanao. I would like to thank the faculty of the Institute, now School, of Library and Information Studies, who impressed on me the solid groundings of a good librarian: Prof. Rosa Vallejo, Dr. Ursula Picache, Prof. Filomena Tann, Prof. Namnama Hidalgo, and Prof. Herminia Santos.
How did I become a Librarian? My “romance” with the field must have started when I worked as a student assistant at the Mindanao State University Library, while pursuing a degree in BS Elementary Education. A long, long overdue expression of gratitude goes to two Institute alumni, Benifredo Sta. Maria and Leticia Espinas Aquino, who paved the way in my becoming a librarian. How can I ever forget the “imposing” voices of these two figures, who persistently told us what a library should be? Sir Benny and Ma’am Letty insisted that I should study in what was then the UP Institute of Library Science.
I would like to believe that as SLIS alumni, we have to spread our wings and leave a lasting imprint. I ventured to start the MSU Department of Library Science (now Department of Library and Information Science) as a one-woman department. Now the department has three full-time faculty members who are at the forefront of producing quality LIS professionals in Mindanao. It is worth noting the department has developed a number of Muslim and Christian librarians in the region, and in the country, as well.
Years of library work have earned me a number of monickers: “the walking encyclopedia,” “the walking dictionary,” and “Dabliography.” I realized that this image has highlighted our vital role in sourcing, resourcing, and outsourcing information for our various publics. It is our knack for looking for alternative sources of information that have connected us to our users.
Our profession is reaching a critical turn. It has reached a point where at the service delivery, “I don’t know” is not possible as a reply anymore. I always remind my students that “ewan” is not an acceptable option in dealing with our patrons. Colleagues tell us what happens when the librarian says “ambot” (meaning “ewan” or I don’t know). Perhaps it is is time to develop our reference course as an engaging moment where our students can apply their psychology, sociology, and even politics of the information interaction. With all the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there is still no substitute for face-to-face communication.
One of the most unforgettable lessons of being a teacher is how students and library practitioners are “teaching” me instead of the other way around. One never misses to listen to their endless stories of “no support,” “walang budget,” “walang paki si Boss,” and maraming “nega” sa buhay librarian. The realities of the field resound that libraries are indeed resource-intensive institutions. Perhaps we can train them how to manage libraries amidst resource constraints. Indeed the challenge is how to teach our students to see beyond the box.
With so much information around us, I have advocated the responsive and responsible use of library and information sources. We have to develop strategies on how our library professionals can respond to the changes, yet be ethically responsible for the use of such resources. Let us develop our information literacy sessions—where our students are provided opportunities to relearn, retool, and rethink—to enable them to rediscover the world from inside out.
Indeed, this award is a very prestigious one. With UP’s SLIS taking the lead in LIS education, we its alumni are challenged to reflect on what can do for those at the peripheries. UP’s SLIS has been a guiding light in our pursuit for quality education in Mindanao. While we see the need for increasing the number of Muslim and Christian library professionals, we look forward to encouraging more of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao to become librarians. Perhaps only then can we claim that Filipino librarians are multicultural. The UPLSAA has been the beacon for our initiatives.
A librarian’s work is never done, even after retirement. I retired three years ago, but my retirement felt more like a back subject. I have returned to the readings and many other things I wanted to do before I retired. I also call this phase in my life as “in progress.” I have not finished sending my expression of gratitude to the many students I have interacted with, and to the colleagues who supported me all the way.
My response has been full of “we,” “us,” and “our” because in every aspect, I was not doing the job solo. So I share this award with my former administrators who, while setting high expectations, had confidence in my ability to deliver. I would also like to thank the many individuals who shared the true meaning of resourcefulness.
I would like to thank my family, who have been there ALWAYS, through thick and thin.
For the greatnesS of God’s love in his mercy and compassion.
For all of us, MAGANDANG BUHAY!
Reproduced with the author's permission.
Response
Lourdes T. David
4 July 2015
Thank you UPLSAA Executive Board 2014-2015 for this Distinguished Alumna Award.
I humbly receive this award on behalf of all librarians and library staff that I have worked with from the time of Ms. Marina Dayrit, when I first worked in the UP Diliman Main Library, and the librarians of UP Los Banos, who inspired me to become a librarian. I also thank the faculty of the then Institute of Library Science, now School of Library and Information Studies, for imparting to me all the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a good librarian. Allow me to also thank three people who played very important roles in molding me: Prof. Rosa M. Vallejo, Prof. Filomena Tann, and Prof. Namnama Hidalgo.
Now let me tell you a story about how I became a librarian. My bachelor's degree is in Food Technology. When I graduated in 1965, I wanted to teach and study again, so I applied at the Department of Physical Sciences at UPLB, where I taught Chemistry and studied Food Science. While working on my thesis, I frequented the library to conduct my literature search. It was there that I observed and marvelled at how librarians were able to organize information, so that searching for the right information at the right time was possible. Little did I realize that this facination would lead me to the course Master of Library Science (MLS).
I never finished Food Science because I married early and left UPLB for Diliman, where I worked in the main library as a research assistant. The fascination with library work turned into a vision that someday I will become a librarian. In 1985, the vision was realized and I graduated with my MLS. I never regretted the decision. The passion that I had then for Library Science is with me until now. I love librarianship and I am proud to be a librarian. Thank you Prof. Leonor Gregorio and the UPLB Library staff for showing me the importance of librarians in the conduct of research.
I know that the image of librarians is not as high as that for faculty or other professionals, but we who are in the field know our importance. If mathematics is the queen of the sciences, library science is the mother of all disciplines. Without library science, now library and information science and other names akin to it, scientists, educators, students, and the whole of society will not be able to search for and access the right information at the right time, and will not be able to “stand on the shoulders of giants,” so to speak, when they conduct research because they will not be able to identify similar and related works done by others in their field.
Today computers have made text searching of digitized or born-digital materials possible. However, books and other materials that are not available in digitized format still have to be catalogued for easy access. In addition, librarians today teach and/or assist users in searching for information.
Our profession is a noble one and we have to increase our tribe so that more people will benefit from our knowledge and skill. In the last Librarians' Licensure Examination (LLE), the passing rate of new graduates was 70.36 per cent, while that of repeaters was only 21.47 per cent. Only 388 new graduates and 276 repeaters took the exam. The University of the Philippines had a 100 per cent passing rate, but only 25 graduates took the exam. These figures show the very small number of students enrolled in either the bachelor's degree or master's degree programs. We have to work together to increase enrollment and the passing rate. Our goal is an 85% passing rate.
The challenge is for a group or groups to develop modules that would enable the repeaters to understand the concepts of the field. In the past, library science has been taught in a recipe-style manner. With AACR2, for example, the number of spaces between words and the punctuations were always emphasized. The display format was so important to make the catalog look good through uniform entries. Today the display is no longer that important. The content is the key to access and librarians have become teachers, facilitators, managers, and what have you. Let us help the repeaters cope with these changes so that they can pass the LLE, become better librarians, and help improve the image of the librarian.
Click on the images to see the larger versions.
This award is very prestigious because UPSLIS is the leader in library education and librarianship in this country. The bottom line in quality of education is the quality of teaching and teachers. The UPSLIS must be a training institution for librarians, as well as teachers of Library Science in this country. UPLSAA is its alumni arm. UPLSAA must also play this role by helping practitioners develop further through contintuing education programs designed not only for its graduates but also for graduates of other library schools. UPLSAA in this regard must also be a leader in providing life-long learning skills to Filipino librarians.
Perhaps the quality that I possess that has inspired others and gained your vote to name me as the Distinguished Alumna Awardee for 2015 is my belief in people. I believe that all persons are capable of improving themselves through mentoring, and exposure to life-long learning programs. Such activities enable them to see themselves as capable of sharing ideas to colleagues, networking, and becoming more and more competent. Learning is from cradle to the grave.
All of us have this ability to believe in man’s capacity to learn and help in the education of our society. Let us stop remembering how some people look at our profession. That is past. We are what we are at the moment, and let us see ourselves as important members of society. As librarians we have travelled far and wide to either attend or deliver papers in conferences to share our ideas. We have helped students graduate. We have helped faculty with their research and more. Let us therefore share these abilities with other people and encourage them to become librarians.
I would also like to thank my children who have been very supportive of my endeavors. I travel a lot such that my grandaughter asked me one day if I were a spy. When I asked her why, she told me that I am always away on mission, so I must be a spy. Then she added, “It's alright Lola, you always give me gifts when you return.”
This response will not be complete without expressing my gratitude to God Almighty. He has always been my Great Wall, on whom I lean for strength, guidance, compassion, and love. The teaching to love one another is His greatest gift to humanity.
Thank you UPLSAA for this opportunity to share my thoughts about librarianship.
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Reproduced with the author's permission.
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue starts north from the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stretching almost 24 kilometers through Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, to the Mall of Asia in Pasay.Next year, I hope that we'll have a story about a living librarian to share, someone who shares Epifanio de los Santos's qualities.
What did De los Santos do to deserve such a singular honor? He was not just a two-time governor of Nueva Ecija, he was more than an epal politician: He was a historian, journalist, musician, bibliophile and antiques collector who served as director of the National Library of the Philippines...
Epifanio de los Santos wrote for the revolutionary paper La Independencia and was also an accomplished painter. It is said that a beautiful young lady in charge of a college for women (Rosa Sevilla?) received an oil portrait from an anonymous admirer. Nobody knew who had sent the gift, so some of her many suitors courted her attention and affection by claiming that they had sent the portrait. So one day when all the competitors were wooing the woman, praising and commenting on her portrait, De los Santos asked that they take the painting out of its frame. On the back they found his name. Furthermore, a piece of music hidden behind the painting was found, and De los Santos serenaded the woman with it, “to the mingled delight and despair of the other suitors.”
Guest Post by Oj Cruz
Acedera, Annabelle Paredes.
Are Philippine Librarians Ready for Resource Description and Access (RDA)? The Mindanao Experience. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly (2014) 52:600-607.
Fresnido, Ana Maria Balenbin; Yap, Joseph Marmol.
Academic library consortia in the Philippines: hanging in the balance. Library Management (2014) 35:15-36.
Morooka, Kazuko; Ramos, Mila; Nathaniel, Fonseca.
A bibliometric approach to interdisciplinarity in Japanese rice research and technology development. Scientometrics (2014) 98:73-98.
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.
Mary Ann San Juan is the only Filipino librarian who can claim to have worked for more than 33 years in public libraries in what is now known as the City of Toronto. She is currently Library Service Manager responsible for four branches of the Toronto Public Library. She immigrated to Canada in 1972 as Mary Ann Salcedo, her maiden name, with an undergraduate degree in foreign service from the University of the Philippines, and obtained her master's degree in library science at the University of Toronto in 1976.
She turned 60 this year, but she doesn't look like she's slowing down. She is a dragon boater who has competed in local, national and international races, including the last three World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. At the 2009 championship, held in Racice, Czech Republic, she was part of the Canadian women's team that won gold in all its races.
The photo above was taken at the Filipino Centre Toronto. For more about Filipino librarians in Canada, see "Filipino Librarians in Vancouver" and "Filipino Librarians in Toronto."
Reynaldo G. Alejandro was better known as the author of lavishly-illustrated coffee table books on Filipino culture—from cooking to dance to parols to stamps. But what many do not know is that he was a librarian, and was one of the very first to graduate with a master's degree in library science at the University of the Philippines in 1966. (See "The San Juan Municipal Library: a proposal.")
Updates
October 25: Added "In Memoriam" card above (courtesy of Michael Tan)I thought of blogging about him after reading "Catholic education" by Michael Tan (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 June 2006):
August 17: "NY-based Fil-Am writer Ronnie Alejandro dies" by Joseph Lariosa
August 20: "A full life" by Michael TanSeptember 8:
- Added video above. For more videos, see stylegigg's YouTube Channel.
- "Farewell to the bookmaker" by Alfred Yuson
- "A Bibliographical Memorial: Ronnie Alejandro (1941-2009)"
We had a great library, with an even greater librarian, Reynaldo Alejandro, who eventually left for New York but still comes home regularly and is known for his wonderful books about the Philippines. The priests fully supported him in developing an excellent library, without censorship. Much of my curiosity about the world, which I try to share through this column, was nurtured in Mr. Alejandro’s library.Some called him Ronnie, others Ronois. Nancy Reyes-Lumen remembers how she came to work with him in "‘Ronois’ and The Adobo Book" (Business Mirror, 13 August 2009):
When a book writer dies, he isn’t really dead. Books live forever, and so do their authors. Ronnie Alejandro left us 38 books and two works in progress. Now we know why he was always in a hurry to finish a book. Time is fleeting but words are permanent.It seems he was in a hurry until the end, and even prepared his own "In Memoriam" card. Some of the tributes on the card are shared on Grupo 58 Memories:
Nelson NavarroI think it's amazing that even though he was not a librarian for very long, the fact that at least two individuals have fond memories of him as a school librarian indicates that he was more than just a keeper of the books, but a librarian who contributed to the development of the students who used the books.Ronnie is the compleat librarian who collects and collects but cannot seem to throw away anything. What he treasures most of all are memories of good times and good friends, of which he must have a world record. Everyone loves Ronnie and he knows it deep in his heart.Nonon PadillaRonnie Alejandro has been a friend from way back when I was a high school student at the Ateneo, and he was a librarian at the Ateneo High school...
He was born with hysterical energy. Had he not gone to the US of A as an immigrant to work at the New York Public Library, he would have worked and whipped his arms and limbs to become the Pinoy Martha Graham...
He did hard labor as a lonely librarian but continued his Annie Batumbakal persona on the side, in Manhattan. There he directed the Philippine Dance company in New York City, galvanizing the Pinoys in the asphalt jungle to take pride in ethnic differentiation and cultural assertion...
I just thought I'd share some of the library stuff I've received in the past few years. There's the "Love Your Librarian" button, which I got from the Office Movers booth at SLA 2005, and UPLSAA's "100 Percent Pinoy Librarian" button, which Elvie Lapuz gave me the last time I was in Manila. Both are now permanently pinned to my cap. And then there's the "Librarians Rock" shirt, which I was given at the Plunkett Research booth at SLA 2009, which I still haven't blogged here.
Why did I feel the need to post this? Well, aside from hoping some of my readers turn green with envy (LOL!), I thought it would be another way of answering a recent comment on one of my photos in Facebook: "your being a librarian is by chance or by choice?kasi parang di yun ang choice mo eh.. [it seems it wasn't your choice.]" This was my initial reply: "I am a librarian by choice and proud to be one."
A Filipino librarian plays on "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal" tonight, 29 January 2009. Turn on your TV at about 5:50 pm, so you can see the introduction where the librarian's profession is mentioned.
A Filipino librarian (guess who?) just finished taping for an episode of "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal." I don't know if I'll be able to blog when the airing date is announced, so you may just want to start watching the show every day, starting tonight, on ABS-CBN or TFC (depending on where you are).
Note that the show sometimes starts as early as 10 minutes before the advertised time, so if you turn on your TV at exactly 6 pm, you might just miss the introduction where the librarian's profession is mentioned.
It is not enough that you have big dreams and plans. I should be able to communicate with my co-staff and co-volunteers the essence of why are we doing such activities and the importance of their contribution to our end goals.The quote above appears on "Leadership Lessons," one of the projects of ALA's Emerging Leaders. But no, the speaker is not an American. Instead, he is the only non-American among the 72 American librarians featured on the site. His name is Troy Lacsamana, a Filipino librarian.
Nora Agustero, left, and Sahlee Bualat
It's good to know that more and more Filipino librarians are pursuing PhDs. The latest one I just learned about is Sahlee Bualat (Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City), who recently joined Nora Agustero (Saint Columban College, Pagadian City) at University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Both are beneficiaries of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program. Bualat just started, while Agustero is almost finished with her dissertation.
For a previous post on Filipino PhD students, not all of whom were librarians, see "i-Conference 2006: Filipino PhD Students."
Photo courtesy of Nora Agustero.
Click on the image above to read the article.
The latest issue of SI@umich (pdf), the University of Michigan's newsletter for alumni of its School of Information, features Ricardo L. Punzalan, a Filipino archivist currently studying for his PhD.
Grace Valente (left) and Mercy Almodovar
Update: It just occurred to me that I should have used their first names below, instead of impersonal surnames, because it would have been fun to end the post with "Yes, I was blessed with Grace and Mercy" =)
In "Proudly Filipino in Vancouver," I promised to write about Filipino librarians in Vancouver. Well, three weeks later, I'm finally getting around to it. And that's pretty good, considering that I still have a lot of outstanding promises =)
Grace Valente and Mercy Almodovar were both librarians at the Ateneo de Manila when I was still in grade school. Valente moved to Canada a few years ago and was working at the BC Cancer Agency when I met her last month. But her biggest news was that she had gotten married only recently. Almodovar, meanwhile, migrated almost two decades ago and is now with a medical library affiliated with the University of British Columbia.
Valente was the one who allowed me to borrow books from the collection of bestsellers reserved for the faculty. She doesn't remember doing that for me, but I did. And the positive experience contributed to the generally positive image of librarians I had even before I became a librarian myself. The opposite is true, too, I suppose. When librarians—perhaps without realizing it—"terrorize" students, they not only perpetuate negative stereotypes about librarians, but also push students away from the library.
Almodovar was the moderator of the Rizal Book Club during one of the years when I was a member. She said that we students probably knew she was very nervous because she was still new then. But she seemed surprised when I told her that I didn't remember her that way at all. Tip to new librarians: Students won't consciously know you're nervous unless you give them reason to suspect that you are. So the image we project—of our profession and ourselves—is really up to us.
Updated 7 July 2008 with correct names. Thanks to Becca!
From left: Becca Dean, Jade Alburo, Lessa Pelayo, Eloisa Borah, Glenda Gamboa
It looks like someone else is bringing Filipino librarians together for meals. The photo above appears on blogs owned by Becca Dean and Jade Alburo, but the person who brought them all together is Eloisa Borah, who does not blog but has some useful resources on her website. Unfortunately, neither blogger identified the people in the photo, so here's my best guess: from left, Becca, Jade, [unknown], Eloisa, [unknown] =)
Here's hoping other Filipino librarians who get together outside the Philippines will post their photos, too, and maybe write about what it's like to work as librarians where they are. And no, I'm not discriminating against those in the Philippines—I know they have a lot of photos online.
The decision has been handed down, as scheduled, on "The Case of the Pilfered Documents at the National Library":
In Moral's case, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish that there was "unlawful taking" of the documents stored in Vaults 1 and 2 of the FAD's rare manuscripts section.
The former FAD chief, who was charged with taking 51 items from the vaults to which she had access, claimed the allegedly missing documents were inadvertently placed with her personal belongings when she moved to the Catalogue Division Office in July 1993 [...]
Since the prosecution had fallen short of producing the required quantum of proof, the court said Moral was presumed innocent and must therefore be set free.The judgment seems reasonable, but it seems unlikely that the one found guilty acted alone. In the meantime, many documents remain missing. I've complained before that there is no copy of the Philippine Declaration of Independence on government websites (but I did find one on another site), and have since been informed that the original could not be produced during the centennial. Now, almost 110 years after Filipinos declared independence from Spain, I wonder whether this unique document could have been one of those stolen over the years...
"This leaves the court with no option but to acquit Moral for insufficiency of evidence, at the very least, on reasonable doubt," said the court.
From "Court set to decide on National Library pilferage of historical documents" by Aries Rufo (Abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak, 26 May 2008):
The case basically began as a power struggle between [Maria Luisa] Moral and [Adoracion] Bolos shortly after the latter assumed as acting director [of the National Library] in 1992.There is more to this case than meets the eye. It is misleading—and unfortunate—that the case is portrayed as a power struggle that just happened to reveal that documents were being stolen from the National Library. As far as I can tell from the old reports I've read, the pilferage was already taking place in the 1970s—and maybe even earlier. Here's hoping the judge lays out all the facts in her decision and we get to read it in its entirety.
Bolos, a former chief of the Filipiniana and Asia division herself in the 70s, sought an inventory of rare books and manuscripts shortly after she assumed as acting director of the Library. Bolos created an external committee to conduct an independent inventory at the FAD.
However, in an exchange of memos between Moral and Bolos, Moral, then the chief of the division, objected to the move, saying it was just a "waste of management" and "not in the interest of the service." She also questioned the external committee’s creation, saying it was merely meant "to harass the FAD, which did not support you in your quest for the directorship."
I can't change
Filipino librarians,
but I can change the way
you look at us.
