Filipino Librarian of the Month: Apolo Martinez Patron (2 of 2)

Here is part 2 of the Mr. Apolo Martinez Patron's blog interview where he gives tips for future exam takes and looks forward to learning more bout law, literature and life.

3. How did you prepare for LLE? Tips for LIS students to share? 

Read.

It all comes down to familiarization with the concepts, principles or scenarios that will be the basis of the board exam. Just like what Hon. Lourdes T. David said, the exam tests our mettle, our preparedness or awareness on what should be done, or what should we know about Library and Information Science. This is crucial to our performance as Librarians & Information Specialist.

I actually spent so much time reading than answering reviewers or quizzers given by review center (centers), previous test papers accumulated during our 4 years of studying, and those gathered online. The curriculum or the specification of terms of all the things Library and Information Science students must understand are quite easy to study. These are all given. We have resources for that and the years of accumulated previous board exam reviewers or materials given by my seniors helped in my preparation (which is why it helps to know the "ate and kuya: for tips like what I’m doing now).

What is difficult was guessing the trend of questions that will be asked or what part of librarianship will the Board focus on. Board for Librarians examiners are pillars of our profession, they’ve done a great work to Philippine Librarianship and they know a great deal compared to us newly graduates and the re-takers facing the LLE (Librarians Licensure Exam). This is why I never limit the scope of materials I’m studying, reading or reviewing to those accumulated inside the class lectures. It does help yes, because it is the basic, and you have to be learned enough on the primer before advancing to more complex and confusing materials. I used various resources both local and foreign. You never know what might be asked so everything must not be taken for granted. I’m used to creating my own set of data bank of trivial facts. I write them all down.

Writing also reinforced the retention of what I’ve read as well as going over and over them just like my favorite novels read countless of times. Read till you drop. Drop Everything And Read (DEAR). Don’t even antagonize reading - but rest and reward yourself as well to ease the tension. Just like the usual tips, eat healthy, sleep well and prepare not only your mind, your body, your will and most important your spirit through prayers to slay the dragon which the board exam is.

4. Is being a male librarian in a female dominated profession an issue to you? Why or why not? 

Time magazine had a recent issue about great women who contributed a lot to the world significantly to the US and one of the featured women there is the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. The first woman and Black American to hold the position, since from the start, it was given to men.

Admit it or not, being a man in this profession is a big deal. Our professors do share anecdotes of how their previous students, our "kuyas" who are easily hired or asked by schools or institution because it is quite “rare” to this profession of ours to find a man working as a librarian. Time said it is one of the 4 womanized professions, and there’s no denying about that.  Starting back to Melville Kosouth Dewey and other proponents, men are typically mentioned or upheld. I will confess that I would sometimes fanboy whenever I meet or read somewhere that Mr. this or Sr. that is a librarian of this institution, or an officer of a certain librarian association or have done something great for the betterment of our profession.

Nevertheless, I never disregard the huge contribution women did and continuously doing for librarianship. It is quite fitting that Carla Hayden is now the Librarian of the US Library of Congress, the most coveted position and the most known library in the world. It only shows that in a patriarchal society, everyone matters. Women, people of color and even gay people. It is not about who or what you are anyway because it is about what you can do to help your patrons, to the profession, to the betterment of society. 

5. From here on, where are you going next to? 

This year is quite eventful for me. Which is why I might go “lowkey” for quite some time, but one thing I’m surely doing is BLOGGING! Which is why I’m dazzled at the how timely this interview is, I’ve been curious to know about the tricks of the trade when it comes to creating and sustaining a blog for quite a while now.

Continuing Professional Development or Education is something I’ll take seriously, and now that I’ll have means to get myself to study those I want,like Law or Literature. I’m thinking of taking Master of Library and Information science in UP. I also would like to take the April PhiLSAT next year for Law School. I will trust God’s will to put me in the most perfect or right path for me. All these things I could do or will do is all for His glory that is why I’m pretty confident the next part, the next chapter of my life will be better, more challenging and surely be exciting.

I might try reading more adult fictions this time because I’ve dabbled Children and Young-Adult since from the start. Try to gain some maturity, because I still see myself as “adulting* in this big scary world. Try other things I haven’t tried before due to lack of time or means for it like going to places or learning new hobbies aside from reading for hours or watching for hours.

Thanks once again Ms. Zarah Gagatiga! Hope to see you again on another literary event or just casual librarian to librarian tee-a-tee!

Filipino Librarian of the Month: Apolo Martinez Patron (1 of 2)

Our Filipino Librarian of the Month is Mr. Apolo Martinez Patron who topped the 2017 Board Exam for Librarians. In this interview, he shares his librarian origin story and this thoughts on the strengths and challenges that Philippine Librarianship faces today.

Before I start spilling the beans, I would first like to express my deepest thanks to be featured in the blog of Ms. Zarah Gagatiga. It is an honor (to be a guest in her blog). Way back 2015, when I first saw her in Ang Pinaka of GMA News TV, I wished to meet her in person because she is a “lodi” (idol) in librarianship and because she has great Philippine children literary works. 

What is your librarianship story? 

My roots in librarianship started back in my elementary days. I’m a reader back then and I usually spent my after class/before class/afternoons/summer and even Christmas vacations at San Nicolas Public Library at Binondo.

Our house was just few streets away from it, and it was just beside my elementary school. I read all sorts of books that caught my interest and laid my hands on them. Encyclopedia (Colliers, Britannica, and New World), old subscriptions of magazines such as Readers Digest or National Geographic, story books, text books (which most public libraries have numerous volumes of due to donations). As for fiction, there weren’t much bestselling or new releases but I enjoyed reading the titles they had.

My high school which was also near (the public library). I didn't go to the library as often as before, I made sure to drop by. I’ve seen how the old librarians were replaced by new ones whom I became close to like Ms. Raquel Gomez and Ms. Cristy Barera. My high school days was the weirdest and nerdiest phase of my life. Fiction became my world and Harry Potter became my best friend. I opted to take up Journalism or Literature for that reason but people I am close to advised me to take a more practical degree in college like Secondary Education. I almost took that course, but good thing the librarians of San Nicolas advised me to take Library and Information Science instead.

Quite timely because the Central Student Council of University of Santo Tomas went to our public school and offered us to take a scholarship exam. I passed that  exam as well as the USTET (entrance test), so I decided to take Bachelor of Library Science as first choice program & Bachelor of Arts, Major in Literature as the second. Since I was told that not only is there a board exam for the profession but there a strong demand for librarians here and outside the country, I decided to study under the College of Education and take up Bachelor of Library and Information Science gratefully. Thanks to University of Santo Tomas (for this career guidance). I also worked as a Student Assistant at UST Miguel de Benavides Library which was part of the scholarship. This was a win-win situation for me.  Basically that’s how and why a patron such I became a librarian.

2. What do you think is Philippine Librarianship's greatest asset and most needed improvement? 

We take pride in our profession. Offering the Library and Information Science at Bachelor degree level is quite a trademark of our country. Western countries and even ASEAN nations offer it as Master’s degree. Also the board exam shows that even if it is an underrated profession, there’s a big need for us in our country. Learning it during college and continuing education either inside or outside the country is what instilled in the minds of those taking this profession. Even though Philippine librarianship is quite young compared to other profession, there is already great progress and development in the field. It is an asset that we are a legally mandated profession because it shows how crucial librarians are in an institution, most especially in the academe and the school setting.

Most needed improvement I do think for Philippine Librarianship is in regards with Public Librarianship. Up until now, it is not a priority as what UP-SLIS Dean Kathleen Lourdes Obille said.

I myself experienced that because the San Nicolas Public Library, up until now doesn’t even have computers with internet connection. This could help a lot of the Binondo patrons such as students who make up the majority of users. Also Special Libraries here in our country are few. There are numerous good institutions with knowledge management office, or information centers or libraries but I think aside from the Public Sector, Special Librarianship is also one unappreciated sector of our Profession.

Research and standardize materials for LIS students learning about the profession are limited and titles of resources are few. We do have a vast number of journals but I think it is more important to have standardized and recommended books or resources that are aligned to Philippine librarianship. Our resources are foreign based which is why some principles or ideas are too idealistic & unrealistic or not that feasible.