Buwan ng Wika at Kasaysayan 2020

This month of August is Buwan ng Wika. Many schools and organizations, local government units (LGU) and communities have plans to celebrate this cultural event. Where we are in Binan, Laguna is a historic city. Our LGU has activities already lined up. Not only will it celebrate Filipino language, it will highlight the city's history and cultural heritage.

There is a long list in the LGU's Facebook Page and one activity I look forward to attend is the talk of the librarian of the City Historical And Cultural Office, Ms. Sheila Legaspi. Any news of librarians taking part and leading the way to providing relevant and meaningful information to its learning community is worth drumming up.

Shameless promotion, here we come.

I and Melai Ramirez of the National Library of the Philippines are scheduled to appear in an online storytelling session organized by the San Pedro Department of Education. I will post information and details in the blog and in my social media accounts. So, do watch out for it!

Meeting Friends Old and New at Perps, Binan Laguna

I was happy to have been a guest of the learning community of the University of Perpetual Help, Binan Campus. I was there for a talk on blogging. My audience were students of the College of Education which included LIS students in the undergraduate and graduate levels. I have been neighbors with Perps for a few good years but it was only last week when I learned that it is the only university offering BLIS (Bachelor of Library and Information Science) and MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) in Laguna.

Perps peeps! Friends and colleagues from the UPH learning community.

I am thankful to Dr. Lindie Masalinto for inviting me over. I enjoyed my lecture since I felt the genuine interest of the students present in the audience that day. According to the Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Remedios de la Rosa, the talk is part of their Alternative Learning Program (ALP). I do believe in alternative learning because it is a non-traditional way of reaching out to learners. Formal education is meritorious, providing theory and conceptual framework to student learning. On the one hand, I think, ALPs provide the "action" part in formal education. I paraphrase John Dewey's philosophy that it is in doing where we learn much. What do we do now with the experience? This where reflection comes in, and yes, another opportunity to act on reflections as learning gateways.

Learning is indeed a lifelong process.

At the Beacon Academy, where I gave them a tour of the campus

Before my talk, my hosts brought me to the main library. I was impressed at its physical layout, arrangement and over all appearance. The staff were friendly; the reading area is spacious, well lighted and had sufficient ventilation. There is a corner for research made evidence by books in the reference area and the rows of computer terminals hooked to the internet. Headed by Dr. Elizabeth Malabanan, the library and its staff are poised for accreditation in the coming days.

As my neighbors, Dr. Lindie, Dr. Elizabeth and Ms. Pam brought me back to the Academy. There, I returned the favor. I gave them a tour of our campus. There were talks of further collaboration and resource sharing. After all, that's what neighbors and communities do. It is only a matter of time when we shall meet again to find ways on how we can network and help each other out.

Live Blogging: Be Heard! Be a Blogger Talk at the Uiniveristy of Perpetual Help

I am in the University of Perpetual Help, Binan. I am demonstrating a live blogging session as the participants take their "break". It has been a very fruitful morning: we played a game, watched videos, and listened to inputs - my own and feedback from some of the participants.

This talk, Be Heard! Be a Blogger is part of the university's Alternative Learning Classes.

I love participating in ALCs, because, I believe that ALC sessions enrich the formal learning experiences in the classroom. I have very young participants in the audience: students of Library and Information Science as well as Education majors. I will post more photos and insights in the coming days. Soon!

For now, I go back to my demo-lecture!

The Binan Public Library and Museum

The stained glass reminds me of my lola's house.

I made the visit to the public library of Binan, Laguna last week. Thanks to Dr. Merlene Alon who accommodated me that afternoon. Dr. Alon is a proud Binanense who volunteered to help develop the library and the museum. The public library is housed in the old municipal hall which is flanked by the public market on the left and the church on the right. There is an azotea overlooking the town plaza and the skeleton of the old Alberto House. That afternoon of my visit, I was given an application form for a library card!

The library has a spacious reading room; a viewing room; an Internet station; and a working area for its staff and volunteers. That afternoon, the reading area was empty but there were teenagers who were using the computers for research and, yes, Facebook.

This poster about Rogelio Limaco is found in a room dedicated for Binan's World War II hero.

There is also a museum on the second floor. It was impressive since it has a gallery of photographs that show Binan's industry and trade since the time of the Spanish conquest. There is a room dedicated for Roger Limaco, one of Binan's local hero as well as past mayors and the memorabilia that are marked by each's term of office. I learned from Dr. Alon that more and more, family members of past mayors have contacted her to donate more memorabilia from their collection. This is good news indeed and the local government unit better take good care of these archival and historical objects, documents and donations.

As a librarian, visiting this library is already a treat. As a member of the community, I feel I need to do more. So, the extra books we have identified for donation in our school library will be having a new home in this public library inside a heritage house. More photos on my next post!