Of Mothers and Mentors

 My mother, being a librarian, unrelentingly gave me vocational advice during my teenage years. Study Library Science in college, she admonished. I never appreciated it back then but, I obeyed.

Being a school librarian was never my dream. I have always wanted to be a teacher or a writer. As the saying goes, mothers know best. She probably had a vision of how the profession would take shape in the future. What I did not expect was to discover that a career in librarianship would lead me to the two things I love – teaching and writing.

Teaching has been my vehicle to reach children and young people. Connecting them to books, literacy and language learning, as well as research instruction. My interaction with them afforded me the joy to tell, share and write my own stories for children. In time, I became a published author. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. I am grateful.

In Philippine Librarianship, I consider Mrs. Lourdes David and Dr. Mary Orendain as my mothers in the profession. I knew them at a time when I was desperately looking for role models. They are both instrumental in shaping my belief on the influence we hold in our learning community. We, librarians, can bridge gaps and break barriers.

At this point in my career, I strive to be as inspiring as they are and as persevering and tenacious as my biological mother. We all need a mother, if not, a mentor we can aspire to become.