Why We Love Reading Lists

Creating a reading list from the BA Library's OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) has several valuable benefits:

1. Curated Resources: It helps in curating a collection of resources that are relevant to your research or reading interests. By creating a list, you can systematically gather and organize materials that are pertinent to a particular topic or theme.

2. Efficient Resource Management: It allows for efficient management of resources. Instead of browsing through countless titles, you can create and keep track of a focused list of books and materials you plan to explore or use.

3. Enhanced Organization: A reading list can be categorized and organized by subject, author, or type of material, making it easier to navigate and locate specific resources later.

4. Time-Saving: It saves time by providing a ready reference of materials to consult, which can be especially useful when preparing for research projects, studying, or simply planning your reading schedule.

5. Library Utilization: It helps in maximizing the use of the library’s resources. By identifying and listing the materials you need, you can ensure you make the most of what the library offers, potentially discovering resources you might not have come across otherwise.

6. Collaboration and Sharing: Some OPAC systems allow you to share your reading lists with others or collaborate on lists with peers. This feature can be beneficial for group projects, book clubs, or academic courses.

7. Monitoring Availability: You can track the availability of items on your list and receive notifications or updates about their status, which is useful for ensuring you get access to the materials you need in a timely manner.

8. Personal Tracking: For personal readers, it provides a way to track books and resources of interest that you might want to read in the future, helping you to keep your reading goals organized and manageable.

Overall, using the OPAC to create a reading list enhances the effectiveness of utilizing library resources, whether for academic, professional, or personal purposes.

A School Library Organization Grows in Indonesia! (1 of 2)

My weekend stay in Jakarta at the beginning of this month for the seminar on school library services was generously and warmly sponsored by APISI, the school librarian organization of Indonesia. Their concerns are similar to ours and the work they do for the improvement of school librarianship in Indonesia is an experience I can relate to especially now that I am an officer of the Philippine Association of School Librarians. In this blog interview, Hanna Chaterina George, founder of APISI shares with us their exciting journey towards empowerment and professional growth.

1. How old is APISI and how did it begin?

APISI is 13 years old. It begun in 2005, when some of school librarians around British School where I worked  in Tangerang came together to share knowledge and experiences. We invited some experts to deliver their materials about school librarianship with us. About 30 (or more) school librarians shared and discussed  and we decided to meet up again by deciding where we're going to meet and the time.

It was October 1, 2005 and we agreed to gather again in Feb 2006 in Raffles International School. We had the same event and again decide to meet up again in August 26, 2006 and that is when APISI founded.

2. What are the purpose and goals of APISI?

The purpose of APISI is to showcase the existence of school information professional through the process of continuous self-professional development to create  more passionate school librarianship in Indonesia. 

The goal of APISI is to support the development of school information professionals in Indonesia and to accommodate  knowledge and experiences interaction to stimulate studies in school librarian development.

3. What challenges has APISI encountered that tested its mettle? You may expound on how you overcame the challenges.

Major challenges faced by APISI are funding and human resources as we are independent and non profit organisation. There was immobility between 2009 and 2013 as we were asked by Government to help them establish their library worker association. Some of our committee members then became its runner including myself. At that time, I propose to take responsibility helping National Library and Ministry of Education in coordinating IASL Conference as Indonesia appointed to be the host in 2013. In 2014,  I was encouraged to re-start APISI to live again. Then we registered APISI to have its legal acknowledgement and we are back in business.

We used our own pocket to run APISI and supported with Boediardjo Foundation by letting us have its 'Rumah Ndekem', to be our office. Rumah Ndekem is an ethnical house with window-glassed paintings with a story with wayang characters.

In  2015 we got our proposal approved by IFLA BSLA to run a workshop to build our organisation stronger. Followed with an offer to be partner of Indonesia's central bank - Bank  Indonesia (BI) to implement their CSR programs in making a reading corners for school libraries in Jakarta and its nearby areas.

We opened for recruitment and started to hire some staff in APISI office.

Part 2 will follow within the week, so stay posted!