ILN: Favorite Place at Work and The Library I Work In

Catching up on the activities in the ILN peer mentoring program, here are photos of my favorite places in The Beacon Academy.

I took this photo in early September. When the sun is up early, I would take a walk around campus before the 8.05AM bell. I bring my breakfast when I walk. Just coffee, bread and some fruit. Then I would find  spot under a tree, on a bench near the gym or in the school cafeteria where I could eat my food in silence. When the school buses arrive at 7.55AM and 8AM, high school life begins on campus.

I took this photo of a yellow bird circling around a tree while calling out to its mate. I am not sure what kind of bird it is, but we have plenty of colorful birds on campus: blue kingfishers, swallows with golden brown wings, this yellow bird, pheasants, crows, sparrows, some egrets that fly over the hills and little black birds that play on the green grass in the early morning. If you listen hard enough, you will hear them calling to each other. Each bird producing a distinct sound.

And, my favorite place: by the pool where I often sit and eat lunch.

I love the library where I have been working for four years now. It is the second school library I was able to set up and organize as a full time school librarian. I am proud of it and I make it a point to keep it alive to gain the continued support of the learning community. The surrounding environs of the school is yet another place I love about my work place. I go out of the library often because there are so many things to discover from the outside that inspire innovation.

Now here is the second discussion topic where I talk about the school library specifically.

What kind of library do you work in now? What is the physical environment like, and who are your patrons? 

I work in a school library catering to high school students, grades 9-10. The library is small, just two classrooms. It has the basic reading area that can be converted to small and big group discussion areas; general circulation; work station and computer terminals. It also has an audio-visual collection, an ebook collection, online subscriptions. I think we have the basic services put in place, including an OPAC. What I wish to see developed in the next three years is a virtual library to further enrich the physical and intellectual structures already in place. What I hope to continually do is to campaign for reading and the use of information sources for research in the various subject areas.

Have you ever worked in any other kind of library?

I have worked in a library for a non-government organization and have been a library consultant to a UK based charity involved in building school libraries in Batangas province, Philippines.

What’s the most unusual library you’ve heard of – and what was unusual about it?

I have heard about the Philippine Toy Library. I have yet to see it.

What kind of libraries do you think you’d like working in – do you prefer public or private, big or small, physical or digital?

I prefer to work in small private school libraries. The battles I need to win for the school library if it is in the private sector can be won with hard earned effort.

What professional issues do you believe are shared across libraries?

The common issues are: setting up effective research management systems, Information Literacy programs, enriched professional growth programs and mentoring, leadership and management.

These are all for now. Until next ILN discussion topic!