Filipino Librarian of the Month: Manuel Tamayao

My staff and I have been working on our library's migration project. Moving from one library management system to another requires careful study and collaboration with partners within the school and community resources. This transition requires agility, patience and openess between partners. And so far, it has been a learning experience for us.   

One of our key partners in this new and exciting challenge of migrating from one system to another is  none other than Mr. Manuel Tamayao. He is the blog's featured Filipino Librarian. This is his interview.

1. What is your librarian origin story?

I’ve been asked this question so many times but now I can say that It is because of God’s grace that I became a librarian. I was a late enrollee in 2000 in PUP Sta. Mesa and because of that, I could not enter the Computer Engineering course I wanted. But thankfully my friend’s mother was the head of the Admissions Office and she offered me the course Bachelor in Library and Information Science. “Ano yun? Sige nalang, magtransfer nalang ako after a year,” I told myself. But during the orientation, some graduates visited and gave a talk and it opened my eyes to the opportunity that the competition was less because there were very few librarians and very high demand. And then, I became a father when I was in 3rd year so I need to stop studying.

Thankfully, after 3 years I was able to come back and with the help of our hardworking professors in PUP, I was able to finish the degree in BLIS. My first library-related job was to sell and support library software named Maelisa. Because of that, I was exposed to different library software. After 6 months, I was hired as a one-man librarian in a church library where I did my internship. Then a year after, I became a licensed librarian. In 2009, the door closed at the church library but a window opened to another institution. They were looking for a library and archives Head, only one position is available. I applied and did not get the position but by God’s grace, I was hired to be part of the team. And until today, I am thankful for my work as a librarian and archivist of SIL Philippines. 2. What has been the most challenging library task or work for you during the pandemic? I can say that managing my time working from home during the pandemic is the most challenging task. At first, it was going well since we were all adjusting to the situation. Since I would like to be productive, I spent a lot of time working in front of my computer answering emails, attending workshops, meetings left and right, and doing other work-related tasks which resulted in extended working hours. It was overwhelming that it affected me physically, emotionally, and mentally. 3. How were you able to manage this challenging task? I am grateful that I still have the privilege to work from home until today. I learned to manage the challenging task of working from home by having a schedule and setting a limit of my working hours. I already established my routine like having my morning devotion with God, making sure to spend time with my wife and kids, doing my cardio exercise at night, these among others helped me manage to keep myself grounded, focused, and be more productive. A very strong family support system helped me a lot in dealing with all of life’s challenges.

4. As a library consultant/programmer/IT specialist, where do you see PH Libraries are going post-pandemic times? As a library consultant, I see that we will continue to integrate our library workflow online. This pandemic shows that librarians are not bound and limited only in the four corners of the library. We can do our job and serve our clientele physically or remotely. During this time, it became more evident that having the right tools helps a lot. Librarians use different technological tools to reach and provide services to our clientele. Having an online catalog, providing access to digital collections, and using messaging apps are some innovative ways we used to serve our clients. For some, they were successful in implementing these services but others struggled. For those who are successful, they have someone in their team capable of implementing these technological tools. One of the tools I love is Koha, an open-source integrated library system (ILS) that has a complete module and powerful features to serve your clientele. The OPAC can be your website, and can promote your library online. It is mobile-ready, you can share your digital collections, it can link to your different databases, and you can integrate a third-party messaging app into it. These are some of the things you can do with it. Though not all librarians can implement it and this is where we can be of help as a consultant and support specialist.

5. What tips and advice can you give to young librarians who are eyeing to venture into this sector or area of LIS? Being a consultant and support specialist is a high learning curve. I am still learning and I'm thankful to my colleague who helped me a lot and taught me where I am today. I can still bug him and pissed him off whenever I am stuck on something. And for those young librarians who would like to venture to this area of LIS, here are some tips that may be of help. 1. Be part of the community and be engaged with them. 2. Look for a mentor who can help you. 3. Ask, ask a lot and don't forget to share it also to others. 4. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. 5. Provide quality service and build relationships. Mr. Tamayao is online. Visit his website and social media sites.

Website: tulongaklatan.ph Twitter: @tulongaklatan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manny.tamayao

Teacher Librarians Help and Support Teachers

In October 2018, I sent out a Library Packet for our teachers in the Academy. It has information on library subscriptions, points of access and a profile of the library staff. Below is my one-page profile which I revised at the start of the year. It is my way of communicating to teachers the role and the tasks I do to help them and support them in learning and instruction.

It is necessary to continuously remind the community of the school librarian's role. For me, I go back to this list of tasks as an exercise of on-going professional growth and development.

The Beacon Academy Library Personnel from Zarah Gagatiga

Dear School Librarian In Action: Working with Teachers

Here is part 2 of my conversations with school librarians of Raya School where we talked about working with teachers and sealing collaborative projects.

3. My priority in buying books for the library are the titles that teachers need for their lessons. However, it is not often that teachers suggest titles due to their busy schedule. Is there any possible guide that I could follow in acquisition of books?

This has been partly answered in number 2. Teachers will always put their teaching hat first. Some teachers may not recognize or admit that they need support, yet, they do. Librarians can lend that support.

In lesson planning, teachers identify learning materials, references and instructional aids. What are listed in that part of their lesson plan? Knowing what’s there can be a starting point to creating a Possible Purchase File. This is your record of resources to acquire sooner or later. Also, find a way to engage teachers in conversations about their learners and teaching practices that work. This will inform you of media and technology to set up, maintain and organize in the library for teacher's use. Have a Kapihan sa Aklatan, open a social media account for the library if your school allows this to promote library learning resources from print, online to maps, infographics and other visuals.

Over the years, I have documented and blogged about activities and projects that school librarians and teachers can do. Go to Teacher and Librarian Collaboration.

4. I give simple prizes such as stickers and bookmarks to those who frequently borrow books in the library. This works for those who are already frequent users in the library but how could I reach those seldom visit the library?

Hmm… what grades do you handle? You can approach reading promotion by grade levels, for example, K-3, middle grades, junior high and senior high. Consider their reading developmental levels in promoting books and the use of the library. Also think of what the library can offer them aside from books. Are the senior high students stressed from academics? Set up a stress buster or Makerspace that has art and crafts activities. Display books and resources about arts and crafts to go along with it. Storytelling is a MUST, especially in K-3 and changes focus somehow in the middle grades.

Reading promotions can be a program you can create but it is anchored on your collection development program and your three year library development plan.

For a bigger picture of the many hats that school librarians can wear, read this post on Reading Advocacy . This doesn't mean a librarian must play all the roles at one time, or that he/she is all that. Librarians are people in the school community and those they work with need to know and recognize that. That is part of our work also - help them see what we can do to support them.

Curating SLIA Blog Posts: On Library Collection Development

What I have written so far about library collection development. Because, it's National Book Week and National Reading Month. Because, I get asked and consulted by peers and LIS students. Because, this part of what I do as a librarian.

Ins and Outs of Collection Development  (2010)

Ebook Collection Development 2012

Ebook Collection Development for School Libraries 2012

PPT on School Library Development 2012 - Throwback post for 2016

Developing Digital Collections 2011 - Insights on the topic as gleaned from a seminar I attended in Adamson Univeristy in 2011

Building a Picture Book Collection in a High School Library - Because Picture Books Are For Everyone!

Building a Graphic Novel Collection in the School Library - Because Graphic Novels Is Literature.

Striking the Balance on Collection Development - An AVR I produced for the PNULISSAA Annual Conference last May 2016.

The Lighthouse Diary Entry 5: Library Research and High School Students

A library session on evaluation of sources and note taking.

I have been reflecting on the visits of our grade 10 students to the library.

 

Nearly half of them have been to the library in the past three weeks. They borrowed books for their Personal Project (PP) as encouraged, and in some cases, required by their PP Supervisors. This is happy news for me and my staff, of course, since we see our books leaving the library and into the hands of readers. Besides, this is the first time this has happened - to have half the cohort of grade 10s use the library! Seriously. 

 

This experience is beyond statistics and book circulation matters. 

Having students borrow from the library is an opportunity for me to teach them  skills in locating resources and sourcing information with in sources. What we talked about during the library orientation comes into play. This is a different learning experience from the library sessions I conduct in the subject areas. I somehow find this more authentic as students get down to business, using the OPAC, applying search terms derived from their statements of inquiry, locating books through the call no, reading the introduction, scanning the table of contents and the index. Doesn't sound like big thinking skills but fundamental to research skills development. 

 

It is also a joy to see a few students make their own decisions having found several titles -which is better, more appropriate, nearer to the topic or statement of inquiry. And so far, we have not turned away any of the grade 10s because we have books and resources to provide and recommend! 

I am hoping these skills can further build up and be strengthened across the content areas. Library use and the application of basic and fundamental research skills are ways to establish connections in the varied disciplines. Furthermore, I think that the skills applied in the processing of printed content translate better when used in the digital environment.

What made these visits possible by our high school students are two things: support from the Academic Leadership Team who designed a learning environment allowing them to go to the library, and PP supervisors who know how to do research the brick and mortar style. A school may have a well stocked library, tech gadgets here and there (this always impress us!), innovative programs and competent library staff, but if structures are not set up for classroom-library connection, the library will simply remain a warehouse. If teachers and  the faculty themselves do not value collaborative teaching and learning, the librarian and library staff will remain an unused human resource.

 

 It is like cooking bibingka or baking bread using a double heated oven.  You want a well cooked, delicious bread or bibiningka? There needs to be heat on top of the batter and below it.

PPT: School Library Assessment & Evaluation

Scholastic librarians training on assessment and evaluation from Zarah Gagatiga

A Letter of Thanks

Yesterday, I received a letter from Flynn, my library staff, thanking me of the small things I do that matter a lot to him. I was touched by the gesture. What a fitting way to end the month of hearts.

His letter gave me a lot to think about. Not only did he thank me for the professional mentoring and guidance, but also for the personal advice and tokens of friendship I've given him and his family over the course of three years of working together. I could only say welcome and respond with gratitude because, really, I could not do everything alone in the library. I feel I've done a good job at organizing the library with his help. I'm glad that he values the training set up for him.

Managing work is one thing. Human relations is another.

Dear Librarian Reply: Appraisal and Evaluation Tool for School Librarians

Here now is my reply to Ms. Quilantang's query on appraisal and evaluation tool for librarians and library personnel.

* Define the purpose and the objectives of the evaluation tool, as well as the procedure for the evaluation process. You may need to consult the HR Officer and speak with the Principal, or who ever your immediate supervisor is, on this matter. Performance evaluation is very much related to supervision by your Principal. The HR officer sees to it that supervision and performance evaluation procedures are implemented fairly. Meet with them first and articulate the impetus for designing an appraisal system and evaluation tool for library personnel.

* When you're given the green light by your administration, work with your co-librarians and library staff on this evaluation tool. Make it a team project. Set a strategy to finish this project that agrees to your team's context and your learning community's work culture and character.

* Always be guided by the school's VMG, in a macro level, and the library's VMG, on a micro level.

* Research, benchmark, set articulation meetings with other school librarians and/or professional librarian's group in your area. You may set standards that your region or district follow on performance appraisal and evaluation.

* Draft an evaluation tool base on your job description. You can get the rating scale used for teachers or office personnel. Check on rubric making and study how rating is done. For example, one job description is: Catalog print, AV and media resources. A rating of 5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest may be assigned to gauge the level of expertise and coverage of the task achieved in a given school year. Each rating has a qualitative description. Once the draft is done, make a proposal to your principal. A cover letter is necessary.

* Be ready for feedback. Keep an open mind.

Below is an introduction for designing a performance appraisal and evaluation tool.

Lib media specialist from Zarah Gagatiga

This page is taken from the book, Enhancing Professional Practice by Charlotte Danielson, published by ASCD, 2007. I encourage you to get this book for the library's collection. Apart from librarian appraisals, the book fleshes out standards and evaluation measures for teachers, school nurses, IT personnel and staff support.

If you have further questions, feel free to comment.