School Librarians and 21st Century Literacy (2 of 3)

Riding on the themes of 21st Century Literacy, days 1 and 2 of the IASL-PASLI Workshop and Conference covered a variety of concepts, theories and ideas that permeate in today's school library services and programs. Fake news, Metaliteracy, Computational Literacy were among the different kinds of literacy discussed by plenary speakers. Thus, the necessity to build partnerships, linkages and networking is as strong as ever. Even Hanna Chaterina George, IASL Regional Officer, spoke about concerted efforts in Indonesia to make manifests the reading and literacy programs they run in private and public schools in Jakarta. In Day 2, Dr. Diljit Singh enumerated the challenges that school librarians face in the digital age, reminding everyone to stay relevant in a time of constant change.

Former IASL President, Diljit Singh elaborates on the importance of networking and linkages.

Day 2 of the workshop and conference was interactive and engaging. Paper presenters discussed actual projects and research that show the relevant role librarians play in teaching and learning, community building and in the growth of the book industry. Furthermore, presentations on day 2 focused on the importance of research as a means to validate professional practice. An integration and interdisciplinary approach to planning school library services and programs is key to target the new kinds of literacy and the ones that will soon emerge from a technology induced world.

With Charlie Padernal. my "Beybi Bibe, during my presentation on Bibliotherapy.
Photo credits: Thank you for the Ms. Cris Laracas

Five topics and presentations inspired and fueled me to further think through professional practice. These are computational literacy, metaliteracy, Dr. Baylen's session on creativity and collaborative thinking, Dia Evangelista's research on Information Literacy and Dr. Chinee's paper on Design Thinking as applied to space programming and readers' services. Their topics are all under one umbrella - thinking! How interconnected different thought processes can be! As in all professional learning experiences, I have filed them and cataloged them in the journal of my mind for future use and reference.

With my roomies. We know how to shimmer!

At the end of Day 2, members nominated peers for the election of a new set of officers. Dinner followed next and the fellowship night commenced. Dubbed as Sparkle Tonight, PASLI members came in their most dazzling selves. We were all shining! Shimmering! Splendid! My two roommates, Erlinda Soliva and Cathryn Ann Dimapilis won awards as Star of the Night and 1st Runner-Up respectively.

School Librarians and 21st Century Literacy (1 of 3)

The last week of April is when most library organizations in the Philippines have their national conferences. The Philippine Association of School Librarians, Inc (PASLI) is one of them. Many school librarians are on summer break in April and PASLI sure knows where to go to offer its members a conference where learning and fun both happen. I have had participated in many summer conferences of PASLI in the past and I always felt welcomed.

In 2009, I conducted a Storytelling Workshop in the PASLI Conference at Teachers' Camp, Baguio. They went back to the same venue in 2013 where I first presented the idea of BIbliotherapy and ran a workshop. Three years after, I was back with PASLI friends to run two workshops namely, Work Life Balance and Building Professional Learning Networks. The PASLI Conference that year, 2016, was held in IloIlo City. A few days after, I had a stroke. That is why, in 2017, I missed the annual conference at their invitation but I Darrel Marco and Ann Grace Bansig conducted the session on my behalf. They also received the plaque of appreciation that the association conferred to me. It was a surprise! I only managed to post in my blog my "acceptance speech". When PASLI celebrated its Ruby year in 2018, the officers asked for a video relaying my message of good wishes for the association.

And so, when Cris Laracas and Jude Gorsope sent me an email to join them for dinner to meet Diljit Singh, former President of IASL last July 2018, I said yes. Turned out, it was a dinner to begin initial talks on a  regional IASL workshop in Manila. In less than a year, PASLI pulled through!

Last April 24, 25, 26, more than 150 school librarians in the ASEAN region and in the Philippines attended the 5th IASL Regional Workshop and Annual Summer Conference of PASLI cum National Assembly at the Century Park Hotel, Manila. Present were past officers of PASLI imcluding Madame Leony Galvez who was also there as the assigned monitor and observer of the Board of Librarians (BFL) and the Philippine Regulations Commission (PRC). The regional workshop and conference was a success as it gathered school librarians in Southeast Asia with resources speakers and paper presenters from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and even in the US!

The three day IASL Workshop and PASLI Conference was fun, friendly and full of learning insights!

The 41st IASL PASLI Conference 2019

The Philippine Association of School Librarians, Inc. (PASLI) partnered with the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) to stage a regional workshop and national conference in Manila on April 24-26, 2019. The venue of the conference is at the Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila.

I will be presenting a professional paper on Bibliotherapy, a passion project I have been working on since 2009. I have curated in the blog the presentations, interviews and research I have been involved in over the years about Bibliotherapy. 

So, it has been ten years! Imagine that!

I am excited to meet friends from PASLI and IASL especially the ones who come from the South East Asia. My last participation in an IASL Workshop was through a recorded video presentation in Indonesia in 2017. This year, as I am in better health and the venue is in Manila, I will be joining the two organizations for professional linkages and exchange.

IASL's 5th Regional Workshop for School Libraries 2019

PASLI in partnership with IASL invites you to the IASL's 5th Regional Workshop for School Libraries in Southeast Asia & PASLI's 41st National Conference and General Assembly on April 24-26, 2019. See you in MANILA!

REGISTER NOW! please click the link: https://goo.gl/forms/i96Gs0PXs8gv8kKf2

Invitation: https://paslinews.files.wordpress.com/…/invitation-to-parti…

Program (Draft) https://paslinews.wordpress.com/…/iasl-pasli-2019-programme/

Call for Papers https://paslinews.wordpress.com/…/join-us-…/call-for-papers/

For more updates, please visit the PASLI website: https://paslinews.wordpress.com/

PASLI Meet Up with Dr. Diljit Singh

Last month, I was invited by PASLI President, Cris Laracas to a meet up with Dr. Diljit Singh. Our Malaysian friend was in town for lectures in the University of the Philippines. I said yes to the invitation, of course. I have not seen friends in PASLU in a while and I had the time for some catching up. Besides, I had work to do for NCBD and visiting the Diliman area is an idea I always welcome. Jude Gorospe and Mavic dela Cruz, officers of PASLI, came to the meeting as well. 

L-R Mavic dela Cruz, Cris Laracas, ZarahG, Dr. Diljit Singh and Jude Gorospe

The agenda on the table was the 2019 Regional Conference of School Librarians in Manila. Dr. Singh is creating linkages for South East Asian school librarians, researchers and practitioners to make this a possibility. The conference is a big leap for PASLI to spearhead, but with help from colleagues in the IASL Regional board, I am confident this professional event will push through.

This is a long time coming. I remember back in 2013, when Jude Gorospe and I were in Bali for our attendance to the IASL Conference there, talk of a Regional Conference in Manila floated around. Previous to this, there was the 2012 IASL Regional Conference in Bacolod organised by Hon. Lourdes T. David who was then the director of the Rizal Library. Fast forward to 2014 (or was it 2015?), Dr. Singh and I had dinner with PASLI Officers in Makati to reconnect. PASLI was then being led by Gemma Murillo-Cuna. 

After successful conferences in Bangkok (2015), Indonesia (2016) and Myanmar (2017) by Regional IASL Officers, Dr. Singh has his sights on Manila. With the newly elected IASL representative in Asia, Dr. Shy-mee Tan who I met in Bangkok during the School Librarians Workshop there, a collaborative approach to organising a Regional Conference here is not far fetched. PASLI is taking up the challenge and they are being brave. 

These days, we need to take courage and we need to be kind. What an opportune time to be organising a Regional Conference for school librarians!