From Stories to Safety: The Role of Media and Information Literacy in Disaster Education for Young Readers A contextual analysis of The Disaster Ready Kids Series

RAP_MILxDRK_gagatigaZee_v2 by zarah gagatiga

Book Review: The Cat Who Saved the Library

 

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The Lighthouse Diary #81: BA Library Launches "Books for Biñan" Drive: Filling the Shelves of the New Biñan Studies Center

Celebrating Literacy: November is Reading Month

To mark National Reading Month and Library and Information Services Month, the BA Library is launching a new community-wide book drive. This year, we are focusing our efforts on a very special partner: the Biñan Studies Center (BSC).

The BSC, which receives our library's retired books annually for distribution to Barangay Reading Centers, recently opened its doors on October 10, 2025, in its symbolic new home—the beautifully rebuilt old Biñan jailhouse. This redesign is a powerful statement, transforming the space into a beacon of literacy as a human right and a tool for liberation.

The Immediate Need: A Children’s Corner

During a visit on November 7, 2025, we were delighted to discover the new BSC now includes a dedicated reading corner for children and teens—a wonderful addition not present in its previous location. However, this promising new corner is currently wanting of books.

The BA Library is therefore inviting the entire BA Community to help us fill these shelves with books that young Binanense readers need and love. We will promote the drive throughout November and December, aiming for a special delivery in January 2026.

How You Can Participate

This initiative is open to all Students, Teachers, and Staff. Your support can make a direct impact on literacy in Biñan.

1. Donate Books: The 3-Step Donation Mechanic

We are seeking new or gently used books suitable for children and teens (such as picture books, early readers, and young adult fiction/non-fiction).

1. Identify & Select: Check your personal or classroom shelves for age-appropriate books in good condition.

2. Label & Prepare: Place your books in a bag or box clearly labeled "BSC Book Drive."

3. Drop-Off: Bring your donation to the BA Library desk anytime before the end of the semester.

2. Volunteer: Lend Your Skills and Time

We need a few dedicated volunteers to help ensure the drive meets the community's actual needs:

• Community Liaisons: We need a small group to join me (and/or Flynn) to meet with the BSC librarian. Your role will be crucial in identifying the specific reading needs of the community, allowing us to target our donations effectively.

• Delivery Assistants: We also need assistance in January 2026 when we organize and deliver all the collected books to the BSC. Many hands make light work of a big delivery!

Please see Ms. Zarah or Mr. Flynn at the BA Library to sign up as a volunteer or for more information. Let's celebrate the gift of reading by sharing it with the young readers of Biñan!

Author Visit: Learning From Young Readers

Why Author Visits are a lot of fun, and the possibility of it becoming an intergenerational experience! 

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The New Biñan Studies Center

 

Reading & LIS Month: My New Author Visit Slide Deck

Author Visit November 2025 by zarah gagatiga

The Lighthouse Diary #81: Books for Binan

 

Poetry: it only takes two colors

it only takes two colors, blue and yellow

though chemistry has a name for them i keep it simple mix them in a small white dish the paper awaits, 200 gsm of virginal capacity i wash the colors, looking murky green

on cotton paper

today’s subjects: a coin from BTS Thonglor Station, loose change from a basement café near Myeongdong Cathedral, small bottles of cologne and liniment now empty, and flowers from the soursop tree Uwan uprooted all memories now— remembered in light and shadow, preserved in indigo hue

At the New Children's Library of the National Library of the Phillippines

 

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Disaster Ready Kids: Be Flood Ready, Families!

BE FLOOD-READY, FAMILIES.

A new typhoon is approaching Luzon this weekend. Let’s prepare, not just our homes, but our hearts. 💙

🪣 Preparation lessens panic.
When kids know what’s happening, they feel safer.
When families plan together, they stay calmer.

💡 Before the storm:
• Pack go bags: clothes, food, meds, flashlight, docs.
• Move valuables up high.
• Charge phones.
• Talk to your kids about what to expect.
• Don’t forget your pets!

🌊 During the storm:
• Follow PAGASA and LGU updates.
• Evacuate early if near rivers or flood-prone areas.
• Keep calm. Your calm helps your child feel safe.

☀️ After the flood:
• Wait for clearance before returning home.
• Avoid floodwater.
• Listen to your children’s stories. It helps them recover.

📚 My Disaster Ready Kids books: Fire, Earthquake, Flood, Volcano, use stories to help kids prepare mentally and emotionally for disasters. Because being ready is an act of love.

Zarah C. Gagatiga
Author, Disaster Ready Kids Series
Illustrator @juno_abreu
Publisher @lamparabooks
Stay tuned to: PAGASA • NDRRMC • LGUs

PBBY Workshops: Children's Book Lab

Poetry: fireflies

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Bangtan Herman Notes: RM APEC CEO Summit Series Episode 5: From Consumers to Culture Bearers

The Lighthouse Diary #80: Inquiry and the Library

The 2nd term is the shortest of the four terms in a school year. It also has the most number of school-wide activities and holidays. With midyear exams in December, it is a packed calendar that tests everyone's mettle. We take this in stride in the Academy, but we are fully aware of the timetable and how to make the most of class days amid class suspensions. In light of the tight schedule, teachers still find time to bring their students to the library. It's been a busy term and we're not complaining!

As we move toward the end-of-term exams in three weeks, I'm sharing two stories of our library engagement that made us smile and realize we are doing our part.

PEEL – Point, Evidence, Exploration, Link

Our Grade 8 students explored the structure of an academic essay at the beginning of the term. The English teacher gave them two periods to do research in the library. Prior to this library session, the teacher had explained the task: each student would develop a topic to write about using the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Exploration, Link) framework. To do this, students had to read three printed sources and two online or digital sources.

Armed with their knowledge of using the library’s OPAC, the students worked through the task as my staff and I assisted and supervised. It was interesting to see how they worked, each at his or her own pace and approach. Some were faster than others, while a few needed guidance in searching and selecting sources. The bottom line is, students made full use of the library, from the OPAC to the collection and the staff.

To Smoke or To Vape

A few weeks later, the same class came to the library to develop their PEEL paragraphs. One student was looking for sources on vaping and vapers: what influences them to keep the habit despite its harmful effects on health. Sadly, we had none.

Leading the student to the World Book Encyclopedia and the books we have on smoking, he wondered how these could help him. Our conversation went like this:

Me: What is the difference between smoking and vaping?
Student: They are the same, Miss. The tools are different though, and so is the environment a smoker or vaper builds around himself or herself.
Me: What is the focus of your inquiry?
Student: I want to explore how and why vapers refuse to change.
Me: So it is the nature of addiction that you want to explore.

He nodded. I opened one of the books on smoking and showed him the table of contents.

Me: Can you check and read a chapter that tells you about addiction, behavior, and the habits of smokers? Because if the tools are the only difference between vaping and smoking, you may establish a similarity between the two. And in research, that’s close to what we call a correlation.

It was an aha! moment for the student as he found two chapters on the subtopic in question. 

The next Lighthouse Diary entry will be about our AI journey!