IASL Day 5: Closing Ceremonies & Ubud Artists' Village

Five things I will always remember from ALA President, Barbara Stripling, when she delivered her keynote speech on the last day of the IASL Conference in Bali:

a. Balance digital and print resources.

b. Provide collaborative experiences.

c. Foster creativity.

d. Empower youth to TELL stories (my personal favorite, for obvious reasons).

e. Create virtual learning communities.

Visit Barbara Stripling's website to read and share the white paper she wrote about libraries and the power we have to change people's lives.

 Dr. Diljit Singh, IASL President closed the 42nd IASL Conference and led the delegates to usher in representatives from Moscow as the next host of the annual conference in 2014. Congratulations to ATPUSI for a job well done in this 42nd conference of IASL. We dream of one day hosting the IASL Conference in Manila. Or in Cebu; Davao; Tagaytay, perhaps? 

Some photos from the after-conference tour in Ubud.

IASL Day 4: Assembly of Associations, Presentation and Workshop

Highlights of day four of the IASL Conference include the inspirational message of Indonesian authors to tell and write stories in their culture; the plenary session of Rachael Hodgson who shared her reading journey and the remarkable role school libraries played in the development of her reading skills and interests; the assembly of associations where I shared about the National Children's Book Award, the Salanga and Alcala prizes as well as future seminars of the Philippine Association of School Librarians.

After lunch, I attended two sessions. One on Bibliotherapy from Australian librarians and the other on Linguistic equity. Barbara Reid and Siobhan Roulston shared web 2.0 strategies to disseminate books for bibliotherapy. Andrea Paganelli and Cynthia Houston presented research findings on ebooks and linguistic equity. This prompts me to look at ebook purchases and how I can develop our ebook collection that is balanced and equal to all readers.

At my bibliotherapy workshop, Day 4 of the IASL Conference in Bali.

My workshop on Bibliotherapy, being the last session in the conference was attended by twelve participants. All appear to possess a genuine interest on the different models of conducting Bibliotherapy programs in their context and school culture. Kerry Pope from Australia found my topic and workshop as "bursting with potential". This comment inspires me to reflect on my current practice of bibliotherapy in my school, The Beacon Academy, and of the viable and realistic ways to improve it. Claire Napoleon, a librarian and music teacher, requested for the recommended reads I compiled for my students in school. It was a great way to establish links and contacts.

That evening, the Philippine delegate attended the gala dinner and grand auction. The food was good. The company was great. The grand auction was a success! Proceeds of the auction will go to IASL's fund for Books for Children Award, where a school library in dire need of book budget can apply for the grant.

Below are select photos:

At the gala diner with our mentor, Ibu Lourdes David. Ibu in Indonesian means teacher or mother.

Wayang Kulit for auction. I was able to buy a smaller one at the airport.

IASL 2013: Day 3 South East Asian School Librarians, GID and School Tour

Wednesday, August 28 2013 was day 3 of the IASL Conference and Bali.

Three things happened to me: 1) I volunteered to create an online forum for South East Asian School Librarians; 2) I attended Carol Kuhlthau and Yumiko Kasai's session on Guided Inquiry Design (GID); and 3) I joined the free conference tour at Sekolah Dyatmika, Museum Bali and Krisna Souvenir Shop.

I didn't know what got into me volunteering to do number one, but, I suppose my hunger to continue the conversations with librarians in the region is a big one. I did not meet Carol Kuhlthau but listening to Dr. Kasai is like meeting the fantastic Carol K.

My take away from the session: GID can be used as a pedagogical guide to facilitate reference and research services. While teachers guide students in the first three steps of the GID process, librarians are in it for the ride because by the time students reach the GATHER and CREATE processes, librarians should have a working knowledge on students' progress to continue the scaffolding initiated by teacher and student. Often times, a librarian is surprised to have students in the library researching for this and that without his/her knowledge before hand. The librarian has no context of students' research nor knowledge of students' progress. Again, this calls for team effort between teacher and librarian. I am counting my fingers the teachers whom to seek partnership with in terms of research assistance by the library. There are many ways to assist students in the preparation of PPs and EEs. This is now my "assignment to self", something to echo to school leadership.

After that bewilderment and mental stoking, I joined the rest of the IASL participants in a tour right after lunch. I met online friends and mentors, the great Blanche Woolls, and made new friends with librarians in other countries. Let the photos speak for themselves:

Blanche Woolls was surprised to meet the coauthor of Dianne de Las Casas. She said of my dear friend Dianne: that woman is something else!

Dr. Zulfikar Zen, friend of Dir. Atty Santos of the National Library of the Philippines

With Judy O'Connell. We had a fantastic conversation in the bus on love, life and LIBRARIANSHIP!

Stacey Taylor (L) my workshop leader in an IB Online workshop (2011) and Dr. Kasai, holding up a poster of the GID process. Librarians are rock stars!

Some photos from Sekolah Dyatmika and Museum Bali.

Buddha under a tree.

I don't know who is the statue, but it looked beautiful alongside the dried bougainvillea.

What handsome shelves!

Sekolah Dyatmika uses the Internal Exams of the University of Cambridge.

IASL 2013: Day 2 Concurrent Sessions: Learning Commons & Virtual Spaces

Last Tuesday, August 27, 2013 I attended Ross Todd's session and Lesley Farner's.

Ross Todd presented his research on Collaborative Inquiry in Digital Environments: Cognitive, personal and interpersonal dynamics. The title is a mouthful, I know. And in classic Ross Todd fashion, the whole paper was impressive. He is also very emphatic and passionate when presenting. This man truly loves what he is doing. I often use his studies and research (Rutgers University) for my workshops and training sessions. His work on the school library's role in student achievement is one document I've used over and over again to push for library advocacy initiatives and in developing programs and services in the school library. Needless to say, research has a function in amplifying sound library practice. Practice, in return, fortifies research if not, lead researches to test data once again. It is a cycle of creating and communicating information and it is a fascinating one!

So what brought me to his session last Tuesday? Ross Todd himsel. Yep. I am a fan.

Ross Todd has been to Manila for a lecture. He loves the dried mangoes of Cebu.

 Fan girl mode aside, I was intrigued at the results of the research. While knowledge construction is important in collaborative group work, and one that is valued by students involved in the assigned work, social justice is another aspect of collaboration and cooperation relevant to students. Diversity of view points is valued as well by students, but the struggle to accept and to come to terms with differences is another issue. The discussions and responses that came from the floor were infused with energy. There was engagement.

I sat there and thought about what the research finding has to do with my work as a librarian. For one thing, I am keen on looking at how students build knowledge to construct meaning out of this. The library then should function as a learning commons where students can collaborate not just with their peers but with their teacher librarian. And learning commons is not just about physical or virtual space. More on this in another blog post.

Another session of interest to me was Dr. Farmer's Issues in Teen Technology Use to Find Health Information. My take away from this session is that, libraries can set up reliable virtual spaces where teens can seek information pertaining to health issues and conditions. Librarians can work with counselors, health care professionals to establish a baseline or a context to latch the content on health and well being issues.

I think this online health guide may prove to be a good companion to the Life Skills Collection (aka Bibliotherapy) I'm working on.

IASL 2013: Librarians & Friends of the Library From All Over

Ayse Yuksel-Durukan from Turkey who shall tell me a story about trees.

Pilar Francisco form Qatar Academy, an IB World School. Beside her is Waldet Cueto of Rizal Library.

Dr. Rachmawaty reads School Librarian in Action

With Inez, who looks so young!

With Mrs. Raina Singh, First Lady of IASL

Mutsumi from Kyoto, Japan who teaches cultural studies.

IASL 2013 Day 1: Opening Ceremony

I have attended one workshop and two paper/research presentations already in the IASL 2013 Annual Conference but the opening ceremony was only done after lunch today. The program consisted of speeches from the Indonesian Minister of Education, Mohammad Nuh; the director of the National Library of Indonesia Dir. Sri Sularshi; and beloved IASL President, Dr. Diljit Singh.

Holding a miniature Philippine flag. Ma'am Lou David was our flag bearer.

 Keynote speech for the plenary session was given by newly elected president of IFLA, Sinikka Sipila. There were two things I got from her keynote address: the IFLA Trend Report and the three areas of focus that her leadership will address as far as school libraries are concerned. These are access, inclusion, and capacity building.

Like in any opening program, there were dances and music. Guests and participants were treated to an exotic and unique welcome of Balinese dancing. The dancers were high school seniors in Denpasar School number 3. The young men who played the music were high school seniors too. Even the hosts of the program were both seniors. I enjoyed listening to the Indonesian national anthem because of its pleasant melody but also because, it was sung by young people. How apt! Their presence amplified one of the many raison de'etre of school librarians!

With the two young Balinese host. They did a fantastic job!

You're doing something right, Indonesia! Bravo!

IASL 2013 Pre-Conference Workshop: School Libraries on the Agenda: An IFLA/IASL Project

The IASL 2013 Conference here in Bali hasn't kicked off yet. But I had a full morning sitting in the Pre-Conference Workshop on School Library Advocacy.

Finally, I met Dianne Oberg, Lourense Das and Luisa Marquardt whose names and professional articles I only read in the IASL mailing list and online journals. The trio handled a session on School Library Advocacy with a special input by Dr. Lesley Farmer via audio-presentation. They were all fantastic.

Lisa Marquardt is an epitome of dedication and commitment. Italian school librarians should better take care of their champion because advocates like her are rare. Dianne Oberg was quick to add and amplify points discussed during the workshop. I found Lourense Das' facilitating skills as learner centered, drawing out insights and from the participants and binding significant concepts or "take aways" at the end of the session. This reminds me of the Harkness Discussion we do in school. Inquiry is encouraged and the expression of thought processes come into play to construct and deconstruct ideas, create knowledge and further question the construct.

Rosa-Jane French, school librarian from New Zealand arranges our group's stickies.

The clamor for stronger advocacy for school libraries is not, for me, a new idea. This has been discussed in the conferences I attended in Bangkok (IFLA-UNESCO, 2002), Hong Kong (IASL, 2006). With current professional upgrades in the professionalization of librarianship in the Philippines, Filipino librarians are challenged to rise above the standards even more. There is a need to WALK the TALK; for more collaborative efforts, not just with colleagues, but with lawmakers and stakeholders.

Lastly, the workshop was the highlight of the session for me because it gave me a chance to listen to librarians from "all over". This is why I am so eager to attend the IASL again. I am hungry to join in the conversation.

Jude Gorospe's moment. Go! Filipino Librarians! Go!

I look forward to reading the revised IFLA School Library Manifesto and meeting Ross Todd, Carol Kuhlthau, Judy O'Connell and Mahdu Bhargava in person.