Filipiniana Online & The Digital Future of Libraries

An invite I got from the Filipinas Heritage Library: 

 

Greetings from the Filipinas Heritage Library!

 

Since 1996, FHL has aimed to be the one-stop electronic research center for Filipiniana and it is only now that we have almost realized this goal through our newest library offering: Filipiniana Online.

 

Filipiniana Online is an e-library of over 2,000 rare Filipiniana materials which FHL has created in partnership with Trade Channel Philippines. This online facility was produced by initially scanning the materials into PDF files (using a non-invasive book scanner) and later converting it into “flipbooks” (powered by Digizines). The platform allows the user to still have the experience of “flipping” the pages of the e-book when reading, albeit virtually on a tablet or a laptop.

 

It is in this connection that we are writing you. May we invite you and other teachers/ lovers/researchers of Filipiniana to join us on January 22, 2014 at 3:00 pm in the 2^nd floor function room of the Ayala Museum for the launch of the Filipiniana Online? Through Filipiniana Online, we believe that having access to primary sources on culture, heritage, and history of the Philippines, will make the Filipino youth appreciate their Pinoy roots. Indeed, we think that Filipiniana Online is a hip and cool way for them to learn more about himself or herself as a Filipino.

 

Please feel free to disseminate this e-invite to kindred souls wishing to have access to Filipiniana anywhere, anytime. Truly, Filipiniana Online is the best way for today’s generation to have History at Your Fingertips!

 

Should you have questions or need clarifications, please feel free to contact us. Our landlines are:

                                                                                                                                                           &nbsp ;                   

·         759-8282 and 759-8288 local 39 (Suzanne Yupangco)

·         759-8281 and 759-8288 local 36 (Ella Gonzales)

·         759-8278 and 759-8288 local 29 (Jei Ente)

 

We would appreciate getting headcount so that we can prepare enough chairs and coffee.

 

Our warmest regards,

Suzanne

 

Suzanne G. Yupangco | Senior Manager

Filipinas Heritage Library, 6F Ayala Museum, Makati Avenue cor De La Rosa Street, Makati City 1224 Philippines

Tel: (632) 759 8282 | (63917) 854 8042 | Email: yupangco.sg@ayalafoundation.org Website: www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph

               

AS ONE WE CAN

Filipino Librarian: Maria Cecilia Ingusan Ayson

The blog's Ms. April is Maria Cecilia Ingusan Ayson of the Filipinas Heritage Library. She graduated BLIS in UP Diliman and is currently pursuing MLIS in the same university.

She will be traveling to San Diego, USA to receive the "Diane K. Foster International Student Travel Award 2013" sponsored by Science-Technology Division & Special Libraries Association (SLA) - Asian Chapter. This award will be presented at the SLA Annual Conference on 9-11 June 2013.

a. What's your lib story? Describe how you made the choice of majoring in LIS and what was college life like for you as a LIS major. You can cite challenging stories and success stories while studying the course.

To be honest, my becoming a LIS major in UP Diliman was quite accidental.  It took me a while to discover LIS as I was originally an English major, then I shifted to Business Administration, until I found myself taking a career guidance exam.  The results said that I should consider a career in LIS, among other fields (which I really can't remember by now).  I felt that being a Librarian suited me since I'm an introvert (very stereotypical, I know), but I also thought it was a logical choice since it was based on a scientific test and so I pursued it.

I found college life more enjoyable as a LIS major than in my previous college courses. Since the UP Institute of Library and Information Science (UP ILIS) was a very small unit (compared to the other colleges in UP Diliman), the atmosphere was very friendly and homey.  I found new friends and many students like me who somehow had a second lease on college life--a chance I took full advantage of.  It was in LIS where I became a University Scholar (which I previously thought I wouldn't be able to achieve). Having a clean slate, I was inspired to excel in my studies once again.

b. What has been the greatest challenge you've faced so far as a licensed and working librarian? Why do you say it's a challenge?

Being in a corporate environment, the greatest challenge for me was the constant need to emphasize the importance of the library and the amount of work involved, especially the work behind the scenes because not many people are aware or appreciative of that. Also, there is always the need to challenge the librarian stereotype.

Our library also has a lean staff so multitasking is a challenge. I do all sorts of library work, from Technical Services to Reference Service, and many others, including handling of some special projects of the library. It’s a challenge to be able to perform and accomplish all those tasks but fulfilling as well because I’m able to learn a lot along the way.

c. What is your area of expertise in LIS?

In the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) I perform various library tasks but the major ones are Selection & Acquisition, Cataloging & Classification, and Reference Service.  I also have some background and experience on Archives, particularly on paper conservation.  I could also handle basic website administration, particularly content management tasks. 

d. What do you think are the requirements and preparations necessary for becoming a LIS professional?

Apart from formal LIS education, a LIS professional should also have the following skills/traits: attention to detail, eagerness to read and learn, interpersonal and communication skills, knowledge management skills, adaptability to new technologies, and willingness to serve. Being a bookworm is also good because it means you are exposed to the literary universe and could recommend a lot of good reads or share bits of information to library users.
 
e. What rewards have you reaped from being a LIS professional?

Intangible rewards I get from being a LIS professional include unlimited access to a wide range of interesting books and materials, and discovery of random bits of information and knowledge that I encounter while helping clients find the information they need. Also priceless is the appreciation from the library users I was able to help.  I was also exposed to communities in the provinces through one of our special projects, the OurLibrary project, wherein we travel to different areas in the country to help develop community libraries.

Various opportunities also came my way… I was able to speak in conferences organized by professional library associations, worked with interesting personalities (including celebrities) for special projects, and in a couple of months, I will be able to attend an international conference due to a grant sponsored by an international library association.

Day 2 of the 3rd Library Link Conference

It was Web 2.0  on day 2 of the 3rd Library Link Conference. Leigh Reyes of Lowe Philippines gave a digested presentation on Information Overload and Social Media. I liked the videos she showed and the stats she presented. The focused group discussions which Lowe Philippines organizes piqued my interest as a feedback mechanism in gauging the success of library services and programs, especially, among teenagers. I took note of the books she recommended on the different ways of thinking, psychology and the Internet all seem valuable titles to add in the library's collection.

JV Rufino was next to promote Inquirer Mobile. Many librarians in the conference asked questions and availed of the promo that Mr. Rufino offered -- a tablet that can be purchased or paid off via salary deduction.

There was Zumba as energizer at the start of the PM session. Maria Ressa talked on Advocacy and Social Media cum book signing and Bebang Siy brushed on Library Services for Kids and Teens in the Digital Age.

Live Blogging: Day 1 The 3rd Library Link Conference

The 3rd Library Link Conference, Beyond Librarianship: Information as a Way of Life, commenced this morning with Atty. Antonio Santos as keynote speaker. Atty. Santos, being the director of the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), shared services and programs of the NLP that are open to the public. From the facilitation of ISBN to Children's Library Services and services for the handicapped, many Filipinos can now access ideas and information from the NLP.

The second resource speaker, Myra Brown, Information Resource Center from the US Department of State showed samples and examples of the many activities that librarians can start up and continue to support the changes brought by the Digital Age. This afternoon, Leo Almonte of FILCOLS presented the history of libraries. How I wish that there's a specific talk on the development of Philippine libraries.

Open forum has just started and a common concern is the transition of physical library to a virtual one.

For the meantime, I'm thrilled on the conference kit's contents!

Beyond Librarianship: Information as a Way of life

I am not a speaker in this conference, but I'm helping it get more promotion. For one, I am attending the conference since it has a line-up of speakers that are non LIS professionals. It would be interesting to listen to them speak of issues close to the heart of LIS professionals. Indeed, the business of information is a concern of all.

Two areas I am keen on learning more are the copyright and intellectual property. Academic honesty is a pressing concern in my practice of school librarianship. Acquiring reproductions of texts, digitization and use of media in the classroom are guided by fair use. But, I want to listen to the speaker from FILCOLS.

For more information, go to the Filipinas Heritage Library's website.

A Postscript on the 2nd ReaderCon

I owe this one to Honey de Peralta, especially, because I have not responded to her email properly. And like what I've said in previous posts, I've been sidelined from blogging due to domestic and work related duties. Dear Me. When it rains, it pours!

So I begin.

A big congratulations to the organizers of the 2nd ReaderCon: the National Book Development Board, the Filipinas Heritage Library and the collective group of Filipino Book Bloggers! Organizing an event is not a walk in the park but you guys made it look so easy. Your passion for books and reading fueled the success of the 2nd ReaderCon. May you continue to influence and inspire readers, especially the very young ones, to love books and nurture in themselves a culture of reading. The 1st Readers Choice Award was pretty cool especially that in the category for children's books children were judges. Schools and learning communities working with and for children should learn from this example. If we envision a reading nation, we need to involve our kids in deciding, choosing and creating books and reading materials. Let's start them young! Maybe next year, a young adult (YA) novel category can be judged by teens?

In the panel where I sat in to present the role of the library to readers and book lovers, a clamor for more books in Filipino surfaced. English novels by Filipino writers, for teens and older or more mature readers, are readily available. There is a steady production and distribution of such materials. The Tagalog novel for YA is a gap in the reading scheme. The industry has its work cut out for them.

I enjoyed seating in the teachers and reading program panel too. One's love for reading does not grow like mushrooms after the rain. Reading, being a complex activity, needs to be taught in formal settings like the classroom. Teachers are natural reading instructors. While there are expensive reading programs presented during the panel, I was impressed at the innovative reading program run by a public school in Caloocan.  CENTEX's reading program is a classic example of government and non-government project.

I did not finish the whole event and missed on panels by authors after lunch. I did buy books, bookmarks and a handsome Harry Potter book pendant. What joy! Looking forward to the next ReaderCon!

Preserving the Role of Books: Impact of e-Readers to Libraries

Preserving the Role of Books

View more presentations from eruannie.

Live Blogging: The 2nd Library Link Conference Part 2

The three hour session I conducted earlier has come to a close. We're enjoying lunch now and light conversations fleet from one person to the next. The conference is spearheaded by the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) focusing on preservation of library resources. Seeing that e-books and e-readers are new formats of library resources, they included these topics for this year's conference. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts supported the FHL. Suzanne G. Yupangco, deputy director of the FHL, was present to oversee and hand over the certificate to invited resource speakers.



Earlier, we had a group discussion on the future of publishing. Majority believe that publishing in the Philippine context is alive and well. Given the needs of young children to learn literacy skills, most of the librarians believe that traditional skills in acquiring reading skills must be taught through books, then technology. One group mentioned the importance of establishing connections with book vendors and publishers. Librarians are conduits and mediators of information and knowledge so awareness on current issues, like the topic on discussion, is necessary. While e-books and e-readers are gaining popularity, the challenge on costing, updating of technology and readership of these formats are issues that participants identified. It's good to note that there were a good number of male librarians in the conference. The gender divide is starting to fall now. A good sign.

I was expecting for questions from the participants at the end of the three hour session. There was none. I got affirmations from the participants afterwards -- from my wardrobe and make up, to the structure and style of my presentation. It's a good session. The food is great and the venue is perfect for a small delegate such s this. The best part is, I was given a perk! I got free pass to the Ayala Museum!

Librarian Seminars and Workshop (August-September 2010)

I got several invites last month as resource speaker for a series of librarian seminars and workshops.

On 27 August 2010, I will be at the old Nielsen Tower for Filipinas Heritage Library's Library Link Conference to speak of the end of publishing (what?!) and the future of books, reading and libraries. On 4 September 2010, I'll be with NCR teacher librarians for an Adarna House sponsored workshop on the Library Hub project of the DepEd. A day before this event, I might be in Vigan, Ilocos Sur for the annual conference of the Philippine Public Librarians League, Inc. to tackle on the topic of reading in the digital age.

Exciting topics! The burning questions I have right now are these: How can participants' learning or insights be measured? What feedback mechanisms can organizers use to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop or seminar? My point is such that, while these professional growth activities flourish, some concrete products of learning or change in behavior can be identified. PAARL, for one, is giving away awards for librarians and libraries who can create programs and activities from their workshops. Cool, huh?!

Simpleng Buhay, Simpleng Kulay

Ruben "Totet" de Jesus will be having a one-man exhibit of pen and paper artworks on 23 July 2010 at the Filipinas Heritage Library. It's a loaded July!

The Fiipinas Heritage Library

I was in a historic place yesterday.

The Nielsen Tower, Manila's first international airport during the pre-war years, still stands at the corner of Makati Ave., and Ayala Ave. What is now a cosmopolitan center was, in the past, an airstrip. The tower now houses the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL). Home to rare books, vinyl records, selected Filipiniana, photos and resources on museology, the FHL (my acronym) is a haven for researchers, artists, scholars, students and the curious on Philippine arts, culture and history. Ms. Maritoni Ortigas of the FHL was a gracious and amiable lady who gave the tour.

It has many function rooms and events venue for rent on special occasions such as book launchings and workshops. The bookshop houses souvenirs, mostly Filipiniana, of course. What caught my attention though was the location of the library. It's in the basement. In school librarianship, libraries must be central to the physical location of the school for accessibility. At FHL, the collection is secured below.

This is not to say that the library is a bunker. It is well lighted and airconditioned. There is a room for readers and researchers and the Filipiniana collection is growing! The good thing about this basement location is the security and privacy afforded for users and its resources. The upper rooms can be noisy places when workshops and events occur.

There's a membership fee for those who wish to frequent the library and attend its events on a regular basis. This cat seems like an interested patron. Cat can't wait to curl upon a good book.

I found it standing by the door of the library. The library staff does not seem to mind the cat. Mrs. Ortigas didn't even shoo it away when she led me and the rest of her visitors to the door at the end of the visit. Now that's one kind of library service that speaks for itself. Everyone is welcome in the library be it beast or man!
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