International Librarians Network: Introductions

Early in February, I joined the peer mentoring program of International Librarians Network's. The people in ILN gave me a Polish school librarian as peer mentor and partner. This week we are asked to introduce ourselves. Here is what I sent my mentor and partner.

Where do you work? What does your job involve? 

I work in The Beacon Academy. It is a high school in the province of Laguna in the Phillippines, southern part of the island of Luzon. It is a new school, only four years old. When I came in in 2010, the library had only 1,000 books in boxes that were ordered from Follet, Amazon and Children's Plus. Now, we have around 6,000 books, 10-15 subscriptions to online resources and an integrated library system that has a web OPAC.

This is our school's website - http://www.beaconacademy.ph/ Visit the Library Portal here - http://www.beaconacademy.ph/academics/library-portal/ Apart from regular work as manager of the library, I am also the research coordinator in our school.

What was your career path? How did you get where you are today?

I wanted to be a writer and a teacher. I wished to take English and Literature as my undergraduate course but, my mother advised that I take a bachelor's degree in Library and Information Science. I fell in love with school librarianship during my practicum years in college so I chose the path of working in a school library. This gave me the opportunity to be closer with children, the literature written for them and the English language. This exposure led me to write books, a collection of Filipino Folktales and storybooks for children,  and tell stories in my locality, in areas outside Luzon and in the South East Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand.

What inspired you to join the ILN?

I joined ILN because I know little of the world. I wish to expand my worldview in the context of my work as a school librarian. I am excited to know more about my peer mentor hoping that I can also contribute or give back a little of what I know.

What are your hopes and expectations for the new partnership?

I hope to learn about Poland in the comfort of my home. I think this online medium to interact with other librarians is ideal for me to learn more about Polish history and culture. I also wish to get a perspective of school librarianship in Poland, as well as read some Polish books for children :-)