2006 In Retrospect

Happy New Year to you all! My apologies for not informing you of my where abouts last holiday season. Blogger is going bonkers for reasons I can't tell. I am a mere mortal blogger and I have not reached super blogger status. Anyways, I'm back blogging! This is my first post for 2007 and like Filipino Librarian, I'm posting in retrospect the "first posts" this blog had in 2006 with the first sentence and/or paragraph for each. Note that I'm starting with the most recent and that, I'm doing this on the 2nd of January and not the 1st. But the slight changes (in the meme) can be forgiven, I'm sure.

Looking back, it provides me with a good view of my blogging life last year. In general, it is giving me a a bigger perspective of how I have been as a librarian in 2006.

December: Turtle's Tale by Gerald Brown
I was with Gerald Brown, Honorary Ambassador of IASL, in the National Book Week Fellowship Night. The following day, we met again to discuss his next trip to Manila sometime next year. Apparently, Gerald, has touched base with PATLS for a conference addressing library education in the Philippines. Plans are still tentative and everything else is still floating on air but, given the time and the resources, it may just be possible.

November: Creating Classroom Libraries
Below is the PowerPoint presentation of my workshop session for the Petron Programang Kaakbay Conference. Delivered on October 28, 2006, I shared with public school teachers the importance and rationale of setting classroom libraries.

October: Children's Art Exhibit of Hope
From Ms. Nina Lim-Yuson of the Museo Pambata

*All Together in Dignity (ATD) Fourth World Philippines*, an international non-government organization, invites you to view an Art Exhibit of Hope to commemorate October 17, the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty.

September:NCBD, Book Awards Season & The Manila Intl. Book Fair 2006
I would like to think that the campaign-for-a-reading-culture season begins in July. With the advent of National Children's Book Day, moving on to Buwan ng Wika and ending with the Manila International Book Fair. Busy months for all concerned with books, reading, publishing, writing, teaching and learning.

August: Librarians Can Challenge the Administration
I owe it to my readers (though few and selected) to tell them more about last July's NCBD, however, management and administrative matters drive me away from polishing the article. So, before you start thinking where I've been the past few days, I asure you that I'm still blogging and I'm still sane. Allow me to veer a little far away from NCBD to share with you a white paper, also known as a position paper I wrote on the issue of centralizing the library's AV services (and programs) with the Information Technology Services.

July:Salaysayan 2006 Eliminations
This picture was taken right after the Filipino Division of the Salaysayan Contest at the National Library last July 1, 2006. There were 31 contestants! A marathon! Ms. Dolly Soriano and I were judges and though it was a big contingent, the experience of seeing, hearing and engaging with 31 storytellers, all hoping to be in the Top 8 final list was spectacular.

June:Helping Libraries
I have been interviewed recently by AHON, a foundation that will help libraries in support of literacy development. Headed in collaboration by Filway Marketing and Harvey Keh, the brainchild behind Pathways to Education, it shall be holding training sessions for library personnel in the public school library system. Last I heard about AHON, it is pooling its resources to donate boook sto spublic school libraries

May:Blogs As Teaching Tools
This paper will discuss the characteristics of blogs that make it possible for teachers to use it in teaching and instruction. Techniques and strategies on how blogs can enhance the teaching and learning experience will also be identified, as well as, issues and limitations of its utility in the classroom setting. Examples of blogs used for educational and instructional purposes will be presented to give participants an idea on how it can be done.

April:2nd iBlog Philippine Blogging Summit
Go to iBlog 2 , the Philippines’ 2nd Blogging Summit. Attendance is FREE. Register now to save your seat!

March:Perceptions, Philosophy & Paradigms
As a take off from my post last February 27, 2006, I wrote about school libraries falling under Student Services or the Academic Program. I find it odd when school libraries affirm their role as the hub of the school and to articulate their goals, objectives and functions as supporting and supplementing the curriculum when all the while falling under Student Services. It does not sound as auxiliary nor ancillary services to me. This gives me the impression that the school administration perceives the school library quite differently the way the school librarian does.

February:Updates On Information Literacy in the SEA
Some news and insights on the recent Information Literacy workshop I attended last January 30-31, 2006 at the Ateneo de Manila University.

January:BEST of SLIA 2005
I've categorized the posts and entries I wrote last year in five divisions. These are Philippine Librarianship, Technology and IT Integration, Reading & Literacy Advocay, Events & Book Reviews and Information Literacy. The entries very well describe the route that this blog has taken and what will its direction be in 2006. Honestly, I have not seriously thought about it yet. Although a redesign is in the works, I still have to evaluate my content.