Plenary Paper: The Role of School Libraries & Librarians

Tk reading con_plenary from Zarah Gagatiga

Day 2 of the TK Park Conference on Reading

The Miracle Libraries of South Korea

 Day 2 of the TK Park Conference on Reading commenced last July 13, 2012, Friday at the Queen Sirikit National Convention. The day's program was as insightful and inspirational as the Day 1 with three speakers and a panel that ended the successful conference.

The morning session had Dr. Amorn Nakontharp and Dr. Banjalug Namfa speak of 21st century learning. Dr. Amorn focused his talk on teachers and the demands of sound pedagogy that is applicable for learning and living in the 21st century. He emphasized the new skills that students need to develop to succeed in teh 21st century, but also, staying true in practice of the basic reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. His message to parents, teachers and school librarians: Play games with your children; tell stories to them; engage them in conversation; listen and see how your children think and process information.

With Asarin and Tuktak of TK Park who both took care of me

 

Indeed, the digital age poses so many demands for the teacher. In parting, Dr. Amorn encouraged teachers to teach students how to love learning. In the same vein, Dr. Banjalug Namfa posed questions that made every one reflect on 21st century learning: How do we read? How do we write? How do we collaborate? Where do we get information? How do we learn? How do we communicate? Her session incorporated principles and values of the ASEAN as well. This for me was a session of relearning.

I have always known the ASEAN as an organization of Southeast Asian nations that discuss political, economic and social development in the region. To hear Dr. Banjalug talk about the five principles of the ASEAN made me realize that the organization is deeply concerned with the development of its people towards the future of the region. The five principles are:

1. Knowing ASEAN.

2. Valuing Identity & Diversity.

3. Connecting local and global.

4. Promoting Equality and Justice.

5. Working together for a sustainable future.

Speakers and TK Park staff all together in this photo at the end of the conference

That is why, in the panel, one topic tackled the empowerment of children for the ASEAN future. The five of us speakers pointed out the relevance of family and community in raising children grow in their potentials. Many best practices in reading and literacy development had been presented and these are examples of projects that support families in rearing children who are aware of their culture, history, nationality and tolerant of other peoples. Mr. Chan Soo Ahn, director of Citizen Action for Reading Culture in Korea is involved library development to promote peace and understanding. A non-government organization, Citizen Action for Reading Culture has established ten libraries with one new library in the process of establishment.

With a new friend, Zubaidah Mohsen of Singapore, National Library

The TK Park Conference on Reading  2012, had been a success as it achieved its objectives. But, to truly empower children for the ASEAN future, continuous re-evaluation of paradigms and practices in education, knowledge creation, library systems and structures need to take place in the Southeast Asian countries. I am starting with my own family, my children, in making them realize that unique as they are, they are not alone in the world. There are so many things to learn from others that if they seclude themselves in their own circle, they will become stagnant and their knowledge, stale. As I said in the panel as my closing remark, it is important that we all become lifelong learners. Lifelong learning is not merely a set of skills but a philosophy.

Day 1 of the TK Park Conference on Reading

 Day 1 of the TK Park Conference started with a keynote speech and welcome address of Dr. Tatsanai Wongpisetkul and Mr. Songsak Premsuk, Chair of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development in Thailand (OKMD). The OKMD is the governing department of TK Park. As explained by Dr. Wongpisetkul, TK Park is not a library, but a prototype knowledge management center for regional TK Parks in the regions of Thailand. As of to date, there are six TK Parks in the country and monitoring is only one aspect of TK Park's job. The staff of TK Park undergo constant research and development to improve the creation of knowledge and services it provides the public. For five years, it has been an uphill climb for them.

The medium of instruction in the conference are Thai and English. We were all given translators we attached on our ears to listen to the English translations for Thai speeches. This was the same for Thais who needed to hear our English speeches in their mother tongue. All in all, there were five speakers: myself, Zu Mohsen (Singapore), Shu Binti Haji (Malaysia), Sothik Hok (Cambodia) and Chan-soo Ahn (Korea). Except for Mr. Ahn, we four have delivered our paper and project presentations today.

I was the first to speak on the Role of School Libraries and Librarians in the Digital Age. I had the audience listen up the moment I showed a photo of my first library card and the story behind it. It has never failed me, that story. I then moved on to the flow of my presentation and in one hour, I was done. Thai Radio requested for an interview to which I graciously obliged.


The presentations that followed were library and reading projects in Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia.

In Singapore, the National Library has a project called Born to Read, Read to Bond. This is a project that provides parents with Reading Kits and equip them with skills in reading to their children through talks and workshops. Malaysia has a similar project known as Every Baby a Book. What makes this different is the production of one specific cloth book and parents' guide in using the book for their baby. Since then, many parents in Penang, Malaysia availed of library cards. Indeed the love of reading begins at home and parents are the first to model the reading habit. A nation of readers begin in the family, the smallest unit of society. I am amazed and impressed at the daring and passionate ways in which the public librarians in Malaysia and Singapore spearhead the reading culture in the family through a library program.

In Cambodia, a non-government organization called SIPAR (accronym in Cambodian) sets up libraries in schools and in prisons. Sothik Hok presented the history and context of this project as well as ties with Room to Read, another NGO devoted to reading development in children. School library development is a strategy to help Cambodians reestablish their sense of self and well-being after the war. The motto in which SIPAR leaves by is this: "When people don't reach for books, we must make the books reach people". Their project will be awarded a grant by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Sothik Hok is bound for London in August to receive the award during the IBBY Conference there.

Tomorrow will be Day 2 of the conference where three more papers are up for presentations. In the afternoon, I will join a panel to discuss these questions: What would be the characteristics of children for ASEAN future? How can we build them? Do they think children in ASEAN countries today are smarter (because they grow up in the digital age)? Do you have any concern that the reading is on the decline among children because of the Internet - Wikipedia, Google etc.?

Drop by the blog and read up on updates from the TK Park Conference on Reading 2012.

The Knowledge Park Bangkok, Thailand

I arrived safely in Bangkok yesterday. The new airport is spankingly metropolitan. There were so many tourists coming in for vacation that it took me twenty minutes to pass through immigration.  It wasn't long until my host, Asarin Nonthihathai of The Knowledge Park, met me at the gate. Together with other delagates, we cruised down the highway to our hotel, The Ramada Hotel & Suites in Sukhumvit Road.

I felt like I was in Manila except, there were no jeepneys and tricycles in the national highway and "sois". From The Ramada, all delegates were whisked away to The Knowldege Park. We took the sky train since traffic is heavy at that time of the day.

The Knowledge Park (TK Park) is located on the 8th floor of the new mall in downtown Bangkok. It has a children's library, a teens and young adult area, a music library, e-book and digital area, and IT collection and a spacious lobby for events hosted by TK Park. There, we met the staff of TK Park and the vice president, Dr. Tatsanai Wongpisetkul. Here's sharing some photos with you -

With Tatsanai Wongpisetkul of TK Park. The staff prepared a bag of Thai books for us! Yay!

The speakers for the Conference on Reading: L-R Chan Soo-Ahn (Korea), Zubaihdah Mohsen (Singapore), Tatsanai Wongpisetkul, Zarah Gagatiga (Philippines), Sothik-Hok (Cambodia), Shukriah Binti Haji (Malaysia) TK Park Staff

 

 

Thai children read in designed honeycombs and trees inside the TK Park

A Thai picture-story book for children.

The Role of the School Library and Librarian in the Digital Age

Below is the abstract of the paper I am going to present in Bangkok on July 12-13, 2012 during the 10th Book Festival and the The Knowledge Park Reading Conference

Abstract

Technology is a game changer. The advent of the 21st century brought many technological challenges to school libraries. It affected the ways school librarians plan and implement library programs, as well as, the conduct of library services and operations. This paper compares two paradigms in which traditional library practice is based on versus current schools of thought on library practice as espoused by thinkers in the profession. From here, the 21st century roles of the school library and the school librarian are enumerated. The implications that these new roles demand on school administrators and the school librarians are identified. Position statements on the contributions of school libraries to the attainment of literacy goals are included together with researches that prove the relevance of school libraries to student achievement. The last part of the paper is a brief report on school libraries, literacy and reading initiatives in the Philippines.

Apart from the paper presentation, I will also sit in a panel to discuss on the theme: Empowering Children for the ASEAN Future.