Ripple Effect: Follow Up Action from the Pre CONSAL ASEAN School Library Workshop

Two weeks ago, I was in Bangkok for the pre CONSAL Workshop on ASEAN School Library Development. It was a brief stay but a meaningful one. I have blogged about it and you can read the posts here: Back in Bangkok;  Action Plans and Afterthoughts on the Pre CONSAL ASEAN School Library Workshop

Inspired to continue the work that started out in Bangkok, an ASEAN School Library group in Facebook has been set up. I am one of the administrators and we hope to get participants and group members from the ASEAN countries. Members are school librarians of course, but Library and Information Professionals interested and involved in school library development are also welcome to join. If you fall under this membership category, visit the FB group here.

And here's an email from Carol Sheppard, delegate from Laos that put a smile on my face.

Dear Zarah,

I attended the Pre -CONSAL School Libraries workshop in Bangkok two weeks ago as part of the Lao delegation and was very impressed with your presentation about School Libraries in the Philippines.

There was one particular area that I was interested in that I was hoping you could help me with.  I think you mentioned during the presentation that there was a published "Standard" for the recommended growth of school library collections and even that it was detailed according to the Dewey system.

I may be completely mistaken (quite possible!) but I would really appreciate it if you could provide any further information on this as it would be of great assistance when advocating for more resources.

Thank you so much for your assistance and please don't hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.

Kind Regards

Carol

Since the School Library Standard is available online, I sent Carol the link. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained, so they say. Here's to more linkages and future collaborative endeavors among librarians in the ASEAN!

Japan Trip 2015: Comparative Librarianship

The OICC - Osaka Internattional Convention Center

One of the new things I learned from the 5th LibrAsia Conference was about comparative librarianship. I have read and participated in international librarianship, but it was my first time to encounter the term, comparative librarianship. Turns out, it has been around since the 70s and that, my engagement with IASL since 2005 is part and parcel of ICL, International and Comparative Librarianship.

Here are links to ICL websites:

ICL Definitions
IFLA - Interest Group: ICL
Peter Johan Lor on ICL

Thinking through this experience, I realized that my current involvement in the International Librarians Network's peer mentoring and partnership program is an ICL activity. I have been exchanging emails and blog entries with my Polish friend, Wanda Sliwowska, a school librarian in Poland, for over a month now. You can read the ILN introduction I wrote in this link. Wanda has made a blog since our "convo" and email exchanges. I also learned from her that they have a school librarian association in Poland. Our last topic of discussion in the ILN program was about games in the school library. While Wanda has started organizing a game board collection, I still have to study and explore this possibility in our school library.

Receiving my certificate from Dr. Patrick Lo

In my introduction, this is what I said on my purpose for joining ILN: I joined ILN because I know little of the world. I wish to expand my worldview in the context of my work as a school librarian. I am excited to know more about my peer mentor hoping that I can also contribute or give back a little of what I know. It has been an enjoyable and enriching experience. There are times when I do feel alone in the work place. No offense meant to my learning community. But being with one's kin or kind inspires and uplifts me to do more; to push myself; and to look at my small self in a bigger world. Such experiences affirm that the little things I do matter.  To quote June Carter, "I just want to matter."

Going back to the 5th LibrAsia Conference where comparative librarianship was a topic of presentation, Dr. Patrick Lo shared his research on librarians in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. It covered librarians working in schools, academia and universities. In a nutshell, there is work to be done in school librarianship across Asia. 

We can start rolling our sleeves and go to work by answering this survey:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/philippinesschoollib - Where we can mull over on our roles and feel good afterwards.

https://surveymonkey.com/r/hkcomics - Where we can think about comics and how it can change our services to readers.

These are all for now on the IAFOR / 5th LibrAsia Conference.

International Librarians Network: Introductions

Early in February, I joined the peer mentoring program of International Librarians Network's. The people in ILN gave me a Polish school librarian as peer mentor and partner. This week we are asked to introduce ourselves. Here is what I sent my mentor and partner.

Where do you work? What does your job involve? 

I work in The Beacon Academy. It is a high school in the province of Laguna in the Phillippines, southern part of the island of Luzon. It is a new school, only four years old. When I came in in 2010, the library had only 1,000 books in boxes that were ordered from Follet, Amazon and Children's Plus. Now, we have around 6,000 books, 10-15 subscriptions to online resources and an integrated library system that has a web OPAC.

This is our school's website - http://www.beaconacademy.ph/ Visit the Library Portal here - http://www.beaconacademy.ph/academics/library-portal/ Apart from regular work as manager of the library, I am also the research coordinator in our school.

What was your career path? How did you get where you are today?

I wanted to be a writer and a teacher. I wished to take English and Literature as my undergraduate course but, my mother advised that I take a bachelor's degree in Library and Information Science. I fell in love with school librarianship during my practicum years in college so I chose the path of working in a school library. This gave me the opportunity to be closer with children, the literature written for them and the English language. This exposure led me to write books, a collection of Filipino Folktales and storybooks for children,  and tell stories in my locality, in areas outside Luzon and in the South East Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand.

What inspired you to join the ILN?

I joined ILN because I know little of the world. I wish to expand my worldview in the context of my work as a school librarian. I am excited to know more about my peer mentor hoping that I can also contribute or give back a little of what I know.

What are your hopes and expectations for the new partnership?

I hope to learn about Poland in the comfort of my home. I think this online medium to interact with other librarians is ideal for me to learn more about Polish history and culture. I also wish to get a perspective of school librarianship in Poland, as well as read some Polish books for children :-)

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.

Acceptance Letter from IASL and ATPUSI

This is not my first time to deliver a library paper/workshop to an international audience. But being accepted as paper presenter and workshop facilitator in the 2013 IASL Annual Conference means a lot to me.

An 44 workshop from Zarah Gagatiga

IFLA World Library Congress 2013

Ifla 2013-final-announcement from Zarah Gagatiga