Day 3 of 3rd Lib Link: Copyright, IPR & Library Services for Children

Day 3 of the Library Link Conference focused on copyright, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), the National Book Development Board's Readership Survey and a response from Children's Literature advocate,  Dr. Lina Diaz de Rivera.

The copyright and IPR session and panel discussion provided librarians with substantial information enough to keep them out of legal danger.  The Philippine Copyright Act is a mouthful. Indeed, it's a document that needs fleshing out and careful reading for the uninitiated (like me) as far as law and legal jargon are concerned. Thanks to Mr. Alvin Buenaventura, Atty. Mark Herrin, Ms. Debbie Tan and Ms. Ime Morales for a watered down presentation and sharing real life examples of plagiarism and exploitation. Seriously, librarians need this fundamental information since they are at the gateway of information access and are allies of writers, publishers and artists who all create and produce art and information in a variety of formats. The creation of provisions for information access in virtual and physical settings is a librarian's role and function. At the same time, the librarian safe guards the intellectual access to information making sure that its facility is fair for both creator and consumer.

In the school setting, librarians offering services and programs for children and teens can attack the issues on IPR and copyright through the conduct of read aloud and storytelling sessions. These activities help young children understand the idea that a book undergoes a process of creation and that, it is a product of the knowledge and the creativity of the author, illustrator and the publishing team.  For children to see an adult, a librarian for this matter, hold a book and read out loud the author's and illustrator's name, the publisher and the title of the book makes for a good example of the reading habit. This is just one of the many benefits of a read aloud and storytelling session. When done regularly, young children will be exposed to different perspectives and art forms. It is also a strategy to develop fundamental literacy skills that will aide young children in learning more complicated ones in the future.

At this juncture, I congratulate the librarians and staff of the Filipinas Heritage Library for staging an informative conference. My only suggestion is that, the next time they plan for another conference, it would be cool to see best practices, exemplars of library services and programs that worked. If not exemplary, at least, models and samples of library services and programs in special, private, public, school, academic and research libraries that librarians can immediately identify with. I picture in my mind a Library and Information Science Fair where participants can come together in plenary sessions, and break out in sessions of interest to them.

And more authors, illustrators and publishing people please. Maybe an author or illustrator or publisher to inspire librarians in their role as mediator between content, information and the end user.