Filipino Librarians: Profs. Igor Cabbab & Iyra Buenrostro

It's Valentine's Day and the blog is so lucky to have this interview on one of the few "hot" but "wholesome" couples in Philippine Librarianship today. Outgoing Dean of UP SLIS Dean Igor Cabbab, and better half, Prof. Iyra Buenrostro answer three relevant questions on Philippine LIS education. The fourth question is very common and recalls to memory of high school slam book moments. But the last is definitely the most revealing of their dynamics as a couple.

Indeed, to quote a line from Fixer Upper (Frozen, 2013) love is a force that's powerful and strange!

a. What is the most pressing issue in LIS education today and why do you think it is so?

She said:
Curricular offerings that will meet the current demands of the industry. Though, there are already initiatives to align and standardize the courses offered in different library schools, and I think it's a good start. In relation to the curricular offerings, is of course, the need to have and offer graduate and post-graduate degrees in LIS. The UP SLIS (ILS then) has been offering LS subjects in the graduate level since 1952 and MLS in 1962, but until now we still don't have a PhD program in LIS. Obviously, we need to do something about it.

He said:
Current hiring / staff movement requirements based on global and local standards dictate that qualifications related to higher level administrative positions in LIS-related institutions (libraries, information centers, library schools, etc.) include the possession of post-baccalaureate degrees (MLIS and PhDs). MLIS is not a problem at the moment. PhD is a problem. In order for LIS Higher Education institutions to be able to address the offering of PhD in LIS they should have the faculty complement to back the degree offering. Sadly, only a few have PhDs in LIS / LS / Information in the country. This puts pressure on the academic personnel, it means that they should pursue the degrees first themselves.

b. How are LIS students different and the same from five years ago or from when you started teaching? 

She said:
I started teaching in 2006, I was only 22 then. I think that's one of the big differences. They respect me more now (I hope) because I'm older. Haha! But seriously, kids (yeah kids) nowadays, are more dependent (on technology, etc.) yet trying to be (or appear) independent. I also think that they are more creative and matapang.

He said:
Pasaway pa rin mga students kahit anong dekada. XD One difference I noticed is that they are more technology-savvy. So instead of asking them to drop their pens and listen to me first, I now have to ask them to close their laptops and focus on the professor in front.

c. What is the teaching tool or gadget you can't live without?

She said:
I have two (Aside from my Gift of Gab. LOL). My laptop and white board marker.

He said:
My laptop, my flash drive, my dropbox, my facebook account and a couple of government-issued, quickly fading, lowest bidder white board markers.

d. Define love. 

She said:
Ask my husband.

He said:
a. Two vowels, two consonants, two fools...
b. It means nothing to a tennis player...
c. Evol spelled backwards....
d. Back massages after a tiring day...
e. Still buying that Hello Kitty stuffed toy for Mami one day in 2010 even if it meant not having money for gas and lunch the next day. XD

About us

Prof. Iyra S. Buenrostro (BLIS 2005, cl; MLIS 2010, specialization in Archival Studies) is a full time faculty member of the UP School of Library and Information Studies since 2006 and she teaches courses on Library and Information Science, Records Management and Archives Administration. Before joining the academe, she was an Assistant Metadata Specialist in a Manila-based outsourcing firm that delivers digital archives services to different companies in the Middle East. At present, she is always invited by different professional library associations, schools and universities, and private organizations to talk about basic records management, core functions of archiving and archival training and education in the Philippines.

(Fashion peg: Zooey Deschanel and Anne Curtis. Has a lot of shoes and bags. Current obsessions: watches and lipsticks.)

Prof. Johann Frederick A. Cabbab (BLS 1994; MLS 1999, specialization in Information Systems and Literature for Children and Young Adults) is a full time faculty member and outgoing Dean of the UP School of Library and Information Studies. He was managing editor, writer and graphic artist for several children and young adult publications prior to rejoining the academe in 2007. He is actively involved in records digitization programs, most recent of which are for the University.

(Wants to get bigger, as in Brock Lesnar big. Skilltoy and weapon enthusiast: yoyo, spintop, diabolo, poi, firepoi, nunchucks, firechucks, balisong. Loves photography and russian m42 lenses.)

They blog at http://mamidadi.net and wreck havoc on Facebook most of the time.

Kwentuhan Tayo: Storytelling Tips & Strategies

Up slis lecture series program invitation from Zarah Gagatiga

The Lib Code

The Lib Code [2011] from UP LISSA on Vimeo.

Love a Librarian: Staying On! Staying Strong!

I have met many Filipino Librarians who became librarians by chance. Ann Grace Bansig is one of them. In this post, she reflects on the many rewards she had been given by being a school librarian.

Grace has been to Belguim to complete a scholarship grant for young LIS professionals. She is now working as the Upper Grades Readers’ Services Librarian in De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. Currently taking Master’s in Reading Education and a volunteer for the ATD Fourth World Philippines. She just started blogging at ispyalibrarian@blogspot.com.  

Becoming a librarian never entered my mind when I started my college education. While filling up the UPCAT application form, I chose the following courses: Chemical Engineering and Journalism, very far from librarianship! I forgot the courses I chose for another campus though. Luckily, I passed and even got in at the College of Engineering! Two years after, I don’t want to stay at the college anymore but I didn't know where to go?

I only submitted applications to two other colleges, or rather school as I tried to shift direction in my future career path.  One was the School of Social Work and Community Development and second, the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), then Institute of Library and Information Science (ILIS).  That was the time that I discovered the course. So, to make it short, I made it at the SLIS and right now, I work as a school librarian. Phew! What a way to discover my career. I’d say I am an accidental librarian, but I don’t regret it. During those times, many engineering students are shifting out from Engineering and trying their luck in ILIS. So, thanks to ILIS for accepting me as a shiftee student and for giving me the chance of becoming one of the librarians today. While I was a LIS student, I discovered simultaneously what a paradise the library is and what a joy reading is! Well, that happened maybe because I was deprived of books in public schools that I have attended before. Still, it was never too late to catch up on reading. One can say that I read a lot because of my profession. But the thing is, even if I’m not in this profession I will still read for leisure.

Why I love the profession and still practicing it until now? For one, I really enjoy being a librarian. I like helping children in the library, assisting them if they need a particular book, suggesting books and acquiring books suited for their level. Doing storytelling sometimes is also one of the jobs that I like to do. It is always a joy to interact with kids and discuss some books. I even moderate a book club. In the library, whenever the kids learn that I also read the book that they borrow, they really got amazed! So I can say now that my relationship with books gets deeper and wider the more that I stay in this profession. And I know that I will never get tired of doing my job like selecting books, reading them and sharing them with the patrons. With the emergence of technology, I also take the challenge of encouraging children to read and imparting with them the importance of reading and books. Not only as a profession, but personally I also advocate spreading the love for reading and developing life-long readers. For as long as books exist and there are readers that use the library, I will stay in this profession!

In the future, I would like to blog about books and other interesting stuff about libraries and librarians. I also believe that there are things I can contribute for the betterment of librarianship.

More power to all Filipino Librarians! 

Love a Librarian: This is NOT Acrostic (aka Hindi Ako Beauty Queen)

It's Valentines Day. To celebrate this day of love, the blog will feature five librarians who answered my call to share their feelings and passion towards the LIS (Library and Information Science) profession. In an email I sent two weeks ago to more than fourteen LIS professionals, only five found the courage to write and express their inner most feelings and openly share it to the public. 


It's an interesting revelation how strong and ardent their feelings are towards the practice of LIS; how one librarian could make a great influence to another person; how, in practicing LIS, one has found meaning in life. Beginning today and the next four more, readers of the blog will be treated to essays, reflections and yes, poetry by librarians on one of their many loves -- being a librarian and loving it.


Dean Igor Cabbab of the University of the Philippines School of Library and Information Studies has cut first blood. Here he shares a poem written in Filipino on staying on in the LIS profession, and how, for many years, he has wandered away only to find himself drawn back again. Love is lovelier the second time around, indeed!

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Igor Cabbab is (or once was) a guitarist, a drummer, a singer, a rapper, a martial artist, a skill toy and yoyo professional, a fire-breather, an ethnic woven-cloth painter (weird, I know, I painted paisley patterns on cloth for export), a poet, a writer, an editor, a comic book professional, an events photographer, a theater tech director, a graphic artist, a website designer, and many more. For some unknown reason he's also a college professor and the Dean of the UP School of Library and Information Science (UP SLIS, celebrating its 50th year, *uber-shameless plug*)


This is NOT Acrostic
(aka Hindi Ako Beauty Queen)
by Igor Cabbab

Kumakahol ang tuta
Ng kapit-bahay ngayong gabi
Nakakainis na nakaka-awa
Baka naje-jebs o nawi-wiwi
Ilang pagkakataon, Ilang ulit
Ilang beses inisip
Kung bakit umalis
At kung bakit bumalik
Ewan ko ba
Kung ano ang dahilan
Ilang beses ko na nga ba
Ito pinag-isipan
Institusyon ba
O mga tao?
Mga Istudyante?
Mga katrabaho?
Klase, computer
Istudyanteng umiiyak
Thesis, test paper
Pedicab na di-padyak
Lecture dito, seminar doon
Hands-on na madugo
Workshop sa kung saan
"...and Beyond..." patungo
Sandamukal na libro
Alikabok ang nasisinghot
Pasaway na istudyante
Rason ba kung ba't ako'y nakasimangot?

Ewan... (Dunno...)

Basta... (Just Because...)

Nandito lang ako... (I'm here... To stay...)

^_^

-30-

Innovate. Collaborate. Revolutionize!

I'll be speaking in this year's LIS Congress on the topic of School Libraries and Career as School Librarian. The congress is organized by the University of the Philippines Library and Infromation Science Students Association (UPLLISSA). This will be my second speaking engagement with the organization having presented a talk on Storytelling in 2009.

Below is a description and objectives of the 2011 LIS Congress -

The field of Library and Information Science (LIS) is diverse. As with any idea that branches out from its roots, it starts to develop and eventually becomes its own field of specialization. It is necessary that these fields be introduced and represented to aspiring LIS students so that, with common interest, their efforts would lead to the emergence of new ways in dealing with information. The theme "Innovate. Collaborate. Revolutionize." shows how librarianship evolved - innovations bring new fields of specialization, and collaboration among these fields revolutionizes the profession. This 2011, the University of the Philippines Library and Information Science Students' Association (UPLISSA) presents a bigger and better Library and Information Science (LIS) Congress.

Objectives:

To provide a venue for the further academic growth of LIS students.

To foster the scholastic, professional, and socio-cultural development of LIS students, educators, and library professionals.

Provide a venue for LIS students, educators, and professionals to network.

To introduce the profession and its respective fields of specialization to aspiring LIS students.

There are many conferences and lectures conducted by various professional organizations on the subject of librarianship and information science in the country. But sometimes, these lectures can be cost prohibitive for students. The UPLISSA in 2009, as part of its contribution to its beloved field, organized the first ever congress for the Library and Information Sciences for students by students.

The LIS Congress is envisioned to be the premier gathering of students of Library and Information Science in the Philippines. A gathering that would allow students to learn about the latest trends in their field, and to network with fellow students from different schools and some of the country's leading information professionals. LIS Congress is a learning opportunity which is the key towards the development of our profession.

I hope to see you there! Would love to meet readers of this blog in person. Don't be shy! Say hi!

Mother Tongue & An Integrated Children's Literature Course

The two hour bus ride from Manila to Tanauan, Batangas with Teacher Portia Padilla of the REGALE, UP Diliman was peppered with conversations, insights and views on topics and issues we both hold dear -- books, reading, children's literature and literacy instruction, off course!

Some bits and pieces:

a. There is talk of legislation on Mother Tongue instruction in the education and political circles these days. As things are, there's the All English Instruction block and the Mother Tongue Instruction block. It's going to be one long process of debates and lobbying but conversion of curricular offerings, scope and sequence and lesson plans in the first language is on going.

b. The Reading Department at UP Diliman has taken an integrated approach to teaching Philippine Children's Literature. The undergraduate program will commence next semester. What does this mean? There will be five professors who will teach the course to education majors of the department. These professors are from the different colleges in the university -- Education, College of Arts and Letters, Filipino, Reading, School of Library and Information Science and a practitioner in the discipline who is into children's book publishing.

I'm wondering if I'll be allowed to sit in sessions?

Dear Librarian: REPLY for Making the Right Decion

The guest blogger who lent a reply for our letter sender, Confused Freshman, is none other than Prof. Igor Cabbab. He is from the School of Library and Information Science, UP Diliman. Prof. Cabbab is known for his tough and hi-tech online persona. He is an expert at fire breathing and a "jedi master" among yoyo enthusiasts. He collects comic books and reads children's and young adult literature.

Below is Prof. Cabbab's reply to Confused Freshman.

Dear Confused Freshman,

Most of these are inter-related. So here goes.

On decision-making: Usually at any university they require a career assessment exam from the guidance and counseling office before you consider shifting courses. I would suggest you use that as a starting point for decision-making. But then again, I know of some people who chucked the results out of the window when they came back negative (results said they're not for LIS). Putting their feet down they said they didn't believe in the results and would still want to pursue LIS. Some of them are quite successful at present.

On deadlines: The deadline issue may be a problem. It's not just an issue LIS-wise but for any course, or job, for that matter. The net-usage isn't, there have been studies (Australian, if I'm not mistaken) that found out that occasional net/socnet usage / net surfing even during office hours increases productivity. Keeps you on your toes and makes you faster.

On Psych and Educ: Actually you'll be able to use some of those units if you do pursue LIS, especially if you chose to work in school or public libraries upon graduation. A lot of us in LIS have Psych and Educ electives and cognates.

On shifting: I see scenarios and questions. Will I shift because of my friend? Will I shift because of the advice I'll read here? Will I shift because my friend is happy in LIS? Do I have any idea of what LIS graduates do? Just sides of a coin, in reality knowing the answers may or may not help... Yeah, it really will be up to you. Maybe more time to think about it? A little bit more research? Scenario simulations? What will happen if my friend graduates? Will I still be happy? Will I go on taking up LIS? Stuff like that.

In general: From what I read it seems you're still in the process of finding yourself. So your LIS friend is a factor, what you're reading now is a factor too, but then, the decision still has to ultimately come from you. Let me share with you one thing a friend of mine at my old workplace said to me before he left, "Don't stay because of the people." I didn't agree with him. I WOULD stay because of the people. Still, another case of two sides to a coin.

On a personal note, I fell in love with LIS and the people in the profession. That made me study and stay. But then... I left... for a couple of years. Then I fell in love with LIS and the people all over again. I returned. And now I'm staying. I am happy. On the other hand, I know of successful and happy people who didn't finish college and of some similar successful and happy people who work in fields not related to what they took up in college. So it's really more of life and what you make of it.

I don't know if the above have the answers or have actually made you more confused. I'm awfully sorry if it's liberally-tinged with my personal philosophies. Your epiphany could go either way at this point. It's fence-sitting at its finest. You pick a side either by waiting to fall on your butt or by deliberately jumping off. All I know is that you are not alone and all of us are, in one way or another, on a musha-shugyo (warrior's pilgrimage). What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If life gives you lemons, make lemon juice (cliche-ish, I know). We're showing you the sides of the coin. Now it's in your hands. You don't have to flip it. Pick it up and choose a side.

All the best,
Igor

Storytelling Fiesta @ Prof. Igor Cabbab's Class

Something fantastic erupted in the UP School of Library and Information Studies yesterday. Stories bloomed and imagination blossomed in Professor Igor Cabbab's LIS 114 class! The photos bespeak a million superlatives!

Just a suggestion, maybe the class can tell stories to a public library where kids can be present to complete the whole experience. In the future, perhaps? I'm also looking forward to meeting and seeing a librarian or LIS student join the PBBY Salaysayan.

Any takers?

LIS Congress 2009 Program

February 28, 2009 LIS Congress 2009:LIS Horizons: Opportunities and Modern Trends
Venue: College of Education Auditorium
Benitez Hall, UP, QC; 8 am to 5 pm
Sponsor: The UP Library & Information Science Students' Association

PROGRAMME

Registration
Opening Ceremonies
Welcome Remarks..Prof. Vyva Victoria M. Aguirre (Dean, UPSLIS)

Keynote Speaker: Hon. Herbert M Bautista (Vice Mayor, QC)

How to Market Libraries to Children Through Storytelling and Other Activities by Zarah Grace C. Gagatiga (Librarian, Xavier School)

Archives: An Overview by Emma M. Rey (Executive Director, Legislative Library and Archives-House of Representatives)

Blogging in Libraries and Ways to Expand Online Social Networks for Librarians by Juned Sonido (Blogger, Baratillo.net)

LISSAP History and Importance by Prof. Johann Frederick A. Cabbab (Asst. Prof., UPSLIS)

Coping Up with InfoTECH in Public Libraries by Edgardo B. Quiros (Chief, InfoTEC Division-TNL/Faculty, UPSLIS)

Decoding Fairytales:The Untold Story by
Prof. Johann Frederick A. Cabbab (Asst. Prof., UPSLIS)

Licensed or Not Licensed? by Mrs. Elnora Conti (BFL Member)

Highlights from LibSpeak 2009

The day after LibSpeak 2009 bolted me up to reality.

It felt good to be back in UP Diliman after three semesters gone AWOL. Sorry po, tao lang (I am only human). The morning conference went well with such inspiring words from Dir. Sally Arlante and Dean Vyva Cruz. Wala pa ring kupas si Ma'am Arlante. She remains to be sharp, smart and sophisticated even to this day when retirement beckons like an old friend. Professors of the UP SLIS were present as well as librarians from the Main Library. The conference was a UP FLIPP initiative and the school gave its one hundred percent support. No wonder the UP FLIPPers were in smart casual attire. Other participants in the conference were high school students who were participants in the LIS Wizard Contest that afternoon. A contingent from Cebu Normal University was able to make it in time for the lecture of Prof. Von Totanes.

Von Totanes gave a substantial and realistic presentation on the future of LIS (Library and Information Science) graduates and the qualities needed for fresh graduates to succeed in the field. I hope he posts his lecture as it is essential for other readers of his blog to understand movements and changes in the LIS profession.

As for my presentation, I will post the essay in the next couple of days. For now, I would like to hammer on the contest which I launched during my talk to the UP FLIPPers, colleagues in the profession, mentors and students.

Instructions to the contest are as follows:

1. Write an essay, at least five paragraphs long, based on these two questions:
What is the effect of blogging to LIS professionals?
What forces do blogs wield upon libraries, librarians and information professionals?
2. The blogs used as examples in the talk/essay Blog It! The Impact of the Blogging Phenomenon to the Field of Library and Information Science must be read and cited as examples.
3. Send essays to zarah.gagatiga@gmail.com
4. The best essay will be posted in SLIA (School Librarian In Action) and its writer will get a gift check as token.
5. Deadline for the submission of entries is on March 25, 2009.

Here now are the criteria.

1. Content - 40%
2. Organization and Composition - 30%
3. Relevance to the LIS issue in question - 30%

Happy writing and good luck!