Dr. Ed Fermin on Role of Information Specialist

And so the PASLI Forum ended at past 12:00 noon with Dr. Edison Fermin's lecture on the role of the Information Specialist in the K-12 curriculum. He was such an engaging speaker. He exuded confidence the moment he took the mic. Stand and deliver, he did! He's a seasoned resource speaker as evidenced in his PowerPoint presentation and delivery.

As I listened to him, I thought, "You have to be really smart to get his jokes. You need to be a good sport to access his humor, secure enough at yourself that you can laugh at the truths he uncovered about traditional librarian image." Not many school administrators support their school librarians the way Dr. Fermin does. He should be invited to many seminars and fora for school librarians and administrators.

In his lecture, he simply posed three questions:

a. Who may be considered as information specialist?

b. Why is K-12 program worthy of the attention of information specialist?

c. How can the K-12 to program succeed with the help of info specialist?

He provided all the answers and participants were apt listeners. In a nutshell, Dr. Fermin emphasized the need for librarians to break out of the stereotypical roles and assume proactive roles that are tuned to the times, especially, in servicing digital natives of the 21st century. Information specialists (librarians, in traditional terminology) are very much needed in the K-12 curriculum because information to develop it is in their hands. The teaching of study skills identified from K-12 is no longer the sole responsibility of the teacher, but a shared learning experience that Information specialists and teachers design for students. Information specialists are called upon to be effective library managers, collaborators and communicators of information and knowledge, and instructional technologists.

This is not new stuff for me, but I need to be reminded once in a while since staying in the status quo cab be unhealthy. I liked the localized curriculum because I believe it is one strategy to achieve global mindedness. Overall, the forum was a success because it showed school librarians the scenario of the K-12 curriculum from the top. It will take a brilliant middle management to set strategies for its implementation in the ranks.

Congratulations to PASLI for a successful forum!