The Lighthouse Diary #38: Take What You Need

It has been a month since we went back to on-site work. WOW. A lot has happened since then. 

We have had an online visit from librarians of St. Schoalstica's College. We had three days of orientation and easing into hybrid learning routines that included the strict compliance to health protocols. We have identified work to prioritize in the library with the new working arrangements. And, given our practice of close shelf library procedures, we are getting continous book requests and reservations for online consultations from teachers and students.

On top of this, I have facilitated two research sessions for our juniors; read and marked Extended Essays; and lent supervision to my advisees on academic writing and self management. The report cards of my advisees were sent out two weeks ago and already, I am getting requests for one-on-one sessions on study skills. 

In my recent on-site work in the library, I noticed that students have picked up on the insipirational quotes we set up on our easel board. Nothing big, really. But it is our way of relaying the message that socio-emotional learning is important as we all make the transition yo hybrid learning.

Since students have taken an interest on the quotations we shared, there will definitely be a second batch. I will be adding recommended books or a book list the students can check and borrow when they find an interesting title. Our Book Drop and Pick Station has been set up as well so students can pass by the library to pick up or drop their books. By now, they already know how to send us emails for queries but a reminder for them to use the OPAC is necessary. And that will go into my to-do list. 

I just find it odd to be doing a task that pretty much looks like it is the 1st term. Then again, we are living in strange times and uncertainty is something we eat for breakfast. Life goes on, so Bangtan sings. We soldier on.

Our week after the Easter Break is for off campus work  but the line up of reports to write, projects to finish and yes, the provision of library sevrices for leisure reading and research is on-going. We are looking at conducting our inventory in June - God forbid another surge. From here on, we learn KOHA, our new library management system while the last quarter of the academic year winds down.