Highlights of the IAFOR 5th LibrAsia Conference 2015

Click the highlighted words for more information on the IAFOR annual conferences.

Japan Trip 2015: Friends New and Old in Osaka and Kyoto

A groupie before they bid me farewell for my lone journey to Kyoto

I look back at the week I spent in Japan and words come to me to describe it: mentoring; adventure; kindness; intellectual discourse; art and culture; international mindedness; serenity; order; discipline; risk taking; friendship.

For today, I will write about FRIENDSHIP.  

Friends Old and New

I think when people travel, they are bound to discover new ones and were helped by the good old ones. This happened to me at the onset. It was Ann Grace Bansig who pushed me to submit a paper in the IAFOR LibrAsia Conference. I remember it well. We were having a light dinner in Tokyo Tokyo last year when the idea of attending conferences in 2015 came about. There is no harm in trying so I told Grace and Darrel (who was with us at the time). After reading the guidelines of the IAFOR's Call for Papers, I submitted my paper on leadership and school librarianship. In less than a week, I got an acceptance letter. A few weeks after this good news, Grace sent a text message informing me of the good news she and Darrel received from IAFOR. We were all very excited at the opportunity to engage in conversation with librarians from different cultures and backgrounds. And yes, the idea of visiting Japan thrilled us to the bone!

A lot of friends helped me too in planning and preparing for the trip. Many of them wished to remain anonymous especially the kind of help they extended to me. I am sure of one thing though, I will do more random acts of kindness especially to travelers and librarians dreaming of traveling abroad to attend a conference. I will pay "it" forward.

With Ryota who is a Manny Pacquiao fan. He believes that Pacman will defeat Mayweather!

Candy May Schijf, a friend I have met over in FB, whom I briefly had an EB (eye ball) at the Rizal Conference in November last year, submitted a paper and it too got accepted. Her friend from DLSU Taft, Willian Frias got an acceptance letter as well.

So our company of three, became five. In December 2014, we met to plan the trip. We had constant convo in FB on flight details, lodging, logistics and visa applications. A week before the trip, Cristina Villanueva of UP Baguio sent word via FB since she learned that there are Filipino librarians attending and presenting in the conference. She too was a presenter and session chair at the IAFOR. We arranged to meet in Osaka during the conference.

Leaving Manila on different routes and plane reservations, we all met at Osaka International Convention Center on Day 1 of the IAFOR LibrAsia. Happiness!

At Tennoji Park. Our first encounter with the glorious sakura!

Dare and Grace

One dynamic of friendship I find worthy of reflection is that of collaboration. This is very evident in the relationship of Darrel Manuel Marco and Ann Grace Bansig. I have seen these two together in many instances where one's personality and strength complement the other. Where Grace lends energy and sprite, Darrel provides balance and introspection. In my imagined reality, I see them as a couple perfectly fitted to each other. But, sad to say, this is just me dreaming romantic dreams unsuitable for others to make it come true. The point is, good friendships thrive in all walks of life and in all peoples regardless of age, religion, cultural background and sexual preferences. This is the magic of friendship that is why, it must be nurtured and kept healthy.

Sadly, I didn't see Darrel and Grace present their paper on the Overseas Filipino Worker and Philippine Children's Literature since I needed to be in Kyoto on Saturday night. More on this in another post.

I am impressed to see both of them go beyond the horizon. How many Filipino school librarians venture into writing about children's literature, analyzing context and determining the constructs of knowledge found in these children's stories? Only a handful dare to do so. I think it is relevant that school librarians look at the reading materials that children read because, after all, school librarians bridge children to books and information sources. From what I read in FB, the duo dared to push the envelope during their presentation and they both accomplished this with grace. Congratulations!

As of writing, Darrel and Grace are still in Japan, meeting friends and having the summer of their lives! As I posted on FB, I wish them well and that their friendship may bring forth more collaborative endeavors in the future. 

Friends in Kyoto

I spent my last day in Japan in Kyoto. I took the subway from Osaka then made the connecting ride via the Limited Express in Kyobashi. It took me an hour to reach Demachiyanagi station. I met Lani De Vera there, a friend from way back. She teaches English in an IB school there. She treated me to dinner in a ramen house and the ramen was delicious! I spent the night at her place and the morning after, we met her friend, Midori-san.

With Lani and Yanagida-san who has been to Bohol and Cebu.

It was raining that Easter Sunday. I wore three layers of clothing but the cold climate got through my bones. This did not stop me from enjoying the walk down the Philosopher's Path. Lani and Midori-san planned a hanami but due to the rain, a change was imminent. Lani and I found ourselves in Midori-san's home. It was mid-way the Philosopher's Path. I just have to say this: the whole place was like a setting in a Miyazki movie. More on this in a future post. Again.

With Midori-san whose name means "green" in Japanese.

At Midori-san's home, we met Yanagida-san, her husband. He is a retired teacher. He likes taking photographs, traveling and listening to music. He showed me his CD of Celeste Legaspi songs. He showed me his album filled with his photographs of fall, winter, summer and spring in Kyoto, Okinawa and Mt. Fuji. He even offered his place for me the next time I am in Kyoto. Their hospitality warmed me enough to still the shaking coldness in my toes and fingers. Midori-san fed us a plateful of pizza, salad, fresh juicy tomatoes and sweet bread. The coffee was great too! The brunch was perfect for the long walk she had thought out for us to take.

The rest of the morning, Midori-san was with us as tour guide to the Nanzen-ji Temple. There I saw girls in kimono, a temple gate that reminds me of Avatar (think Aang and the gang), an aqua-duct, more sakura and rain. Lots and lots of rain!

At noon, Lani brought me to Kyoto Station where I started my journey towards Nagoya to Central International Airport. I have fond memories of these three cities: Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto. I meant to go back to Japan. God willing.

Now, I need to save up. And do more thinking and working and engagement in an endless conversation on matters that are relevant to the profession.

Sometimes, I sing.

Japan Trip 2015: Nagoya to Osaka Day 1

And so, I am back.

I am here to tell the tale and it goes like this.

When my paper was accepted for oral presentation in the IAFOR LibrAsia 2015, I was excited. Who wouldn't be? I thought, I will be presenting, once more, to an international audience and it is going to be in Japan. Japan! Images flashed through my mind: kimonos, haiku, ramen, robotics, kamishibai, kabuki masks, geisha, samurai, Studio Ghibli, and, cherry blossoms. The long and short of it, the preparation for the trip was remarkable. Thanks to the help of Darrel Marco and Ann Grace Bansig, I was booked on time and got my visa a week before our scheduled flight.

So, Darrel and I were together on the flight coming in Japan via Nagoya Central Airport. The Conference was in Osaka but due to our limited budget, we went the long way round. And boy, did we go round and round on our first night in Nagoya. When we reached Meitetsui Station, we looked for the bus stop of the night bus. We needed to ride this bus on time since the last trip is at 24.30. We followed the instructions in our online reservation form but couldn't find the spot. Our first attempt was the Meitetsui bus station but it was the wrong one. We asked the staff where Willer Express makes its stop but they simply said they do not know.

We went back where we started. You see, when you are lost, go back to where you began and you will find your way. So we retraced our steps, tried calling Willer Express (a futile effort) and trusted our instincts. We headed to JR Line and there, we found an information center. We asked for directions. The language barrier was so strong that it was an additional challenge. We comprehended through actions and signals, body language, and yes, intuition, again. The Japanese police and information staff we talked to when we were looking for the stop of the night bus were all very serious at helping us. I think they know what we meant and that they provided us with the right directions, but expressing these in a language foreign to theirs didn't help us. On our third try, yes, we went back to Meitetsui Line, a Japanese woman came out of nowhere when we were asking for directions from a taxi driver. Luckily, Chisako, our savior for the night, could speak English. Another luck came about. Darrel's Android picked up a signal to connect via wifi so he could download a map. Showing the map and our reservation print out to Chisako, she helped us find our way to the bus stop. She was after all, going to Tokyo via Shikansen and our way to the bus stop is her way to Shinkansen station as well.

With Chisako who helped us find the stop of the night bus.

It was a long walk. Pretty much like a regular 3k run for me. So imagine Darrel and I lugging our bags and suitcases, lost in Nagoya with only our map, our print outs and our guts intact. It was a test of faith. I never realized how steadfast and persevering Darrel is until that night. He never gave up given the time left at our hands. He was calm too. I sure did learn a lot of things from him that night. These days, I worry a lot. I almost gave up telling Darrel to buy us new tickets in another bus company. The thing is, he has so much trust. So much faith. Then I realized, I am growing old. How blessed am I to be in the company of the young.

How unafraid and trusting was I when I was Darrel's age? Maybe I need to remember. Maybe I need to bring back that heart of a child in me. I sure need to reflect more on this. Darrel and I were together Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. There I was being blessed with the grace of friendship and the kindness of a stranger.

The Night Bus has a game console, a small TV screen and headphones for music.

Finding the bus stop, we thanked Chisako. I gave her a copy of my book as a token of gratitude. The long ride to Osaka began. When we reached Osaka, we walked four or five corners more. We reached the train station, got off at Shin-Imimamiya, walked three corners, and finally we found our hotel where Ann Grace, May Schif and Willian Frias had checked in a day before. They were on their way out while we were on our way in.

SURPRISE! We were so noisy! We were so Pinoy!

Together at last!

Live Blogging: IAFOR LibrAsia 2015

I am seated at the plenary hall of the Osaka International Convention right now, listening to Mr. Jared Baxter discuss Van Gogh's Starry Night and its cross cultural contexts in the recent past and in current times. I am blown away by the integration of art, politics and the discussion on culture by Mr. Baxter's presentation. How can one painter's technique, color combinations and biography become so powerful even in this day and age that it has become a source of study?

The program for the day promises to be an exciting one since a Haiku Writing Contest is next, followed by paper presentations.

I will be presenting my paper, The School Librarian as Literacy Leader, at 1PM today. The session is the Librarianship track where Candy May Schif and Prof. Patrick Lo of Tsukuba University will also present papers on information literacy.

International Librarians Network: Book Elections from Poland

I am sharing this interesting book activity and list of books by Wanda Sliwowska, my peer mentor and partner in the ILN program. She calls it Book Elections.

It was an action inspired by magazine for librarians “Library in school”. Pupils choose books they want to recommend to other teens. You have the list below. I was very glad that many of the books they can borrow in the school library. As you can see our pupils like science fiction books, detective stories and novels of manners. How about pupils in your school? Which kind of book do they like?

	Title	Author
	The Hunger Games	Suzanne Collins
	The Fault in our Stars	John Green
	Hobbit	J.R.R.Tolkien
	The Circle	Mats Strandberg,   Sara Bergmark Elfgren
	Adventures of Sherlock Holmes	Artur Conan Doyle
	Eragon	Christopher Paolini
	Harry Potter	Joanne K. Rowling
	We Children of Bahnhof Zoo	Christiane F.
	Addict’s diary	Barbara Rosiek
	Wreck This Journal	Keri Smith
	Lord of the Rings	J.R.R.Tolkien
	Around the World By Bus	Karol Lewandowski
	Diary of a Wimpy Kid	Jeff Kinney
	If I Stay	Gayle Forman
	The Chronicles of Narnia	C.S.Lewis
	Divergent	Veronica Roth
	Three Meters Above Heaven	Federico Moccia
	Twilight	Stephanie Meyer
	Percy Jackson	Rick Riordan
	The Maze Runner	James Dashnel

Update on New Book Project: Big Sister

I received a soft copy of Big Sister from Lampara Books, publisher of my books for children. In a month or so, the printed copy will be ready and I am hoping to have a book launching in June or July. No details yet. Still an idea.

Ruben "Totet" de Jesus did an amazing job illustrating the story. Take away the text and the story can stand on its own legs through the drawings. Like Jomike Tejido and Liza Flores, Totet (a good friend from PBBY so I call him by his first name) knows how to bridge the text to a visual narrative. The result is wonderful! A merging of words and visuals on a printed page! What interpretation will the story hold when it reaches the hands of an effective storyteller like Dyali Justo?

Of course, I sound like "nagbubuhat ng bangko". Indulge me please. It is April Fools Day, anyway.

Here is a clipped photo from the dedication page of the book. Just like my previous books for children, Big Sister is a very personal story I put together a few years back. It is a dream come true to see it as a book for children.

I do not have a big sister but I have good friends who I consider as my sisters. At twelve years old, I became a big sister and it was only recently did I discover why I was given a baby brother. That my friends is for another book project!

A New School Library Grows in Sta. Cruz Laguna

Look at these photos:

This is the new school library of the Laguna Sino-Filipino Educational Foundation. The school library was set up by Ms. Yasmin Ong, Language Teacher and the designated Library Coordinator. She is not a librarian. But, she loves books and she is an avid reader. Yes, my dear librarian friends, we are not the only ones who can set up and organize libraries.

Nope. This is not an April Fools' Day joke.

When Ms. Ong was introduced to me via Facebok by a common friend, she and I started a three month long conversation on setting up and organizing a school library. This all happened in Facebook! Last March, she sent me these pictures of the library. How lovely!

Our initial "convo" was about the Dewey Decimal Classification. We librarians learned the DDC in university for one semester. So what I did was to explain the concepts of library organization to Ms. Ong in the most practical and simplest of ways. Uniformity, Accuracy and Reliability are key concepts "to live by" when organizing a library collection. The rest, procedures and structures, will follow. I also recommended her some reading materials like the IFLA-UNESCO Manifesto and School Library guidelines. Since Ms. Ong is a teacher, I encouraged her to work with her students when dividing and organizing the books by genre: FICTION and NON-FICTION. It is in fact ideal if students can be given a role in helping set up a system of organization since they are the immediate beneficiaries of the library. Teachers can take part too, as they are involved in teaching and learning. The library is a place where learning and teaching are nurtured and developed. Much of library development is anchored to its community's context and culture.

For librarians who are helping teachers, community developers and people in Non-government organizations set up libraries, remember to begin with the knowledge of the community and their experience of libraries. We are creating learning spaces and avenues of thinking. The books and formats of information we organize must be contextualized to a philosophy and a culture. That culture and philosophy is in part found in the community to which the library belongs to.

This is going to be a running post so do watch out for more tips on library set up and helping library advocates organize reading centers and libraries.

Filipino Librarian of the Month: Dolly Dolado-Carungui

Filipino Librarian Dolly Dolado Carungui shares her library story and the path she has taken towards becoming a librarian at the National Library of the Philippines.

What's your lib story? 

I am actually a graduate of a 2-year course, Computer Technology under the College of Engineering at University of the East, Manila way back April 1994. Since our building was also a library building, my classmates and I usually find time to visit the library during free time. This constant practice of making “tambay” in the library opened my interest to work in the library. Thus, after my graduation in my 2-year course I immediately enrolled for the program Bachelor of Science in Library Science (BSLS) in June 1994. While studying I was given the opportunity to be a Working Scholar (working student) in the Library. As a Working Scholar my tuition fee was free plus I got a monthly allowance of PhP400.00/month in exchange of 4 hours duty in the library in a day. I graduated in October 1997, got my license in December 1997 and landed my first job as librarian at the National Library of the Philippines on January 13, 1998.

What has been the greatest challenge you've faced so far as a licensed and working librarian? Why do you say it's a challenge?

I can't recall having any challenge/s being a licensed/working librarian. Probably because I love my profession, I love my work, and I love what I am doing in my Institution. For 16 years being a public librarian, I still find happiness and contentment servicing the public in the best that I can.

What is your area of expertise in LIS?

It's a tough question for me because I really don't know what particular library work I am an expert on. Let's just say that my experience include: being a reference librarian, multimedia librarian, children's librarian and recently since NLP is embarking into projects servicing PWDs I can probably say also as a “special librarian”.

What do you think are the requirements and preparations necessary for becoming a LIS professional?

First, you just have to develop that appreciation for libraries – its role in fostering education. Second, you should set your principles in delivering your services based on the Code of Ethics and while setting your principles be flexible. Librarians cater to different individuals and sometimes various environment.

What rewards have you reaped from being a LIS professional? 

I consider as a reward the opportunities to travel and meeting people which gives me the chance to collaborate with them and even learn from them. Also, simple compliments from my clients, colleagues and bosses is already a reward for me.

Pinoy Kwentista: Dyali Justo

With Dyali Justo at DepEd Laoag

Last November 13, 2015, I had the sheer joy of being with Dyali Justo, teacher and storyteller, in the Booklatan sa Laoag workshop of the National Book Development Board. She answers a few questions about storytelling, an art she is so passionate about.

1.  Kailan at paano mo nalaman na isa kang storyteller?
Grade school- volunteer sa Home for the Aged, I wrote a poem for the grans, then I delivered it. From then on, I was invited to do storytelling. 

2. Ano ang paborito mong ikwento at bakit?
Ang mahiyaing manok- poem form kase ang dating ng rhythm, fun,very interactive. Yun tema makatotohanan. Maraming mahiyain at insecure dahil sa maling pakiramdam sa mga tao sa paligid.at may true friend na magsasabi ng totoong sitwasyon. May nanay na supportive na ina-aasess ang kakayahan ng anak. Yung dulong part na ng kwento, may desire to help others so they can overcome their own weaknesses. So real. 

Dyali in action. Telling the story, The Monkey and the Turtle

3.  Magbigay ka ng isang karanasan sa pagkukwento na hindi mo makakalimutan.
Marami, lalo sa mga out of town trips: sa Masbate, umakyat kami ng bundok, ang mga bata dumating nakasakay sa kabayo o di kaya sa mga hinihilang sasakyan ng kalabaw, para lang makakinig ng kwento. May language barrier, pero naging fun kase pareho ang tilaok ng manok sa maynila at sa masbate. Sa Palawan, nagtanong ako: "ano ang iyong wish? (Ang kwento ay Wishing Well) may isang boy na sumagot lutu lutuan. Nagtawanan ang mga kakklase at tinatawag na bakla. Pagkakataon un para maituro ang konsepto ng wala sa gawain ang gender preference. My mga tatayna naglalaba, nagluluto, may mga nanay na nagpapalit ng bumbilya o sirang gripo. 

4.  Ano ang isang "tip" o payo na maibibigay mo sa kwentistang nag sisimula pa lamang
Know your purpose why are you a storytelling.

Book Review Inventory 2014

This post is supposedly a New Year post on my books I read and reviewed in 2014. But, life happened. So, here's another catching-up-post. Come back to memory lane with me!

Modern Day Heroes, Bookmark 2014 These wonderful books were donated to Jnaopol Elementary School in Batangas after I have read them.

Reviews in Goodreads2014 was the year I got back to using Goodreads. I'm on a slump again, but I'm giving myself this week to recover.

Another book review using a digital tool. Well, it is more like a web app. I have to credit colleagues from 23 Mobile Things for introducing me to Vine.

2014 was my year of reading kilig books. You know that Rainbow Rowell floored me over because not only did I write a review in the blog, I also did an interactive book talk of Fangirl

This one was for my high school students and co-teachers.</>

My review of Mythology Class by Arnold Arre is my way of bridging the literacy gap with my kids. They are big fans of graphic novels!

I also get a lot of good recommendations from friends who read a lot! If Tarie Sabido introduced me to Rainbow Rowell, Honey de Peralta encouraged me to read G. Willow Wilson.

Another Rainbow Rowell book, Attachment was a cute love story set in the 90's. I finished the year reading another romance book by Rowell, Landline.

Looking at the list, I can say that 2014 was my year of reading books beyond the print format and using apps to communicate my responses to a bigger world out there. It was also the year I read a lot of romance books. In fact, I even judge in the 2014 Readers Choice Award for the Romantic Filipino Novella! What does 2015 look like so far? Here's hoping to post another reading inventory for the first quarter of 2015.

Librarian Mentors

A few weeks back,  a comment on one of the blog's post on a featured Filipino Librarian made it public. The blog that got this comment was about Joy Fajardo Nera's mentoring to a younger staff at Assumption College in San Lorenzo.  The comment came from Ms. Aza Salva who thanked Mrs. Joy Fajardo Nera for encouraging her to do more on the job and to go beyond the expectations of the profession. Ms. Aza Salva is no longer a librarian in Assumption College but she keeps fond memories of her boss and her style of mentoring.

When I sent Mrs. Nera this bit of good news, this was her reply --

I read your  blog and the message written by Ms. Salva.  That message from my former staff made me realize that I am on the right track. Knowing Aza is doing well in Brent International School and that the other young librarians who started  their careers with me are also doing their best  wherever they are right now, makes me feel proud that  they learned something from me (kahit na pabalik balik mga reports nila sa akin noon). Imagine! I took the chance of getting newly graduates of LIS whenever we have available slots in schools, train them, teach them what I know and later on set them free to become heads or coordinators too.

I suppose this is one area where library research can have a look at: mentoring programs in libraries as indicators of success and professional growth.  If not in the area of research, perhaps mentoring is one aspect of library management where LIS professionals can engage in deep thought and conversation as far as professional practice is concerned.

ILN: Favorite Place at Work and The Library I Work In

Catching up on the activities in the ILN peer mentoring program, here are photos of my favorite places in The Beacon Academy.

I took this photo in early September. When the sun is up early, I would take a walk around campus before the 8.05AM bell. I bring my breakfast when I walk. Just coffee, bread and some fruit. Then I would find  spot under a tree, on a bench near the gym or in the school cafeteria where I could eat my food in silence. When the school buses arrive at 7.55AM and 8AM, high school life begins on campus.

I took this photo of a yellow bird circling around a tree while calling out to its mate. I am not sure what kind of bird it is, but we have plenty of colorful birds on campus: blue kingfishers, swallows with golden brown wings, this yellow bird, pheasants, crows, sparrows, some egrets that fly over the hills and little black birds that play on the green grass in the early morning. If you listen hard enough, you will hear them calling to each other. Each bird producing a distinct sound.

And, my favorite place: by the pool where I often sit and eat lunch.

I love the library where I have been working for four years now. It is the second school library I was able to set up and organize as a full time school librarian. I am proud of it and I make it a point to keep it alive to gain the continued support of the learning community. The surrounding environs of the school is yet another place I love about my work place. I go out of the library often because there are so many things to discover from the outside that inspire innovation.

Now here is the second discussion topic where I talk about the school library specifically.

What kind of library do you work in now? What is the physical environment like, and who are your patrons? 

I work in a school library catering to high school students, grades 9-10. The library is small, just two classrooms. It has the basic reading area that can be converted to small and big group discussion areas; general circulation; work station and computer terminals. It also has an audio-visual collection, an ebook collection, online subscriptions. I think we have the basic services put in place, including an OPAC. What I wish to see developed in the next three years is a virtual library to further enrich the physical and intellectual structures already in place. What I hope to continually do is to campaign for reading and the use of information sources for research in the various subject areas.

Have you ever worked in any other kind of library?

I have worked in a library for a non-government organization and have been a library consultant to a UK based charity involved in building school libraries in Batangas province, Philippines.

What’s the most unusual library you’ve heard of – and what was unusual about it?

I have heard about the Philippine Toy Library. I have yet to see it.

What kind of libraries do you think you’d like working in – do you prefer public or private, big or small, physical or digital?

I prefer to work in small private school libraries. The battles I need to win for the school library if it is in the private sector can be won with hard earned effort.

What professional issues do you believe are shared across libraries?

The common issues are: setting up effective research management systems, Information Literacy programs, enriched professional growth programs and mentoring, leadership and management.

These are all for now. Until next ILN discussion topic!

The Book Spine Poetry Contest is Back!

The Book Spine Poetry Contest is back! It was launched yesterday during the school assembly in line with March 21 being World Poetry Day and March 16 being Teen Tech Week (USA).

The same rules apply from last year's contest. Instead of running the contest for four months though, a month is only given for students and faculty to join and send in entries. Here are the rules:

Book Spine Poetry Contest

How to do it: simply compose your own found poetry using the books' spine. If you're not done with your poem yet, you can leave the books you pulled out of the shelves with Mr. Flynn for only a day. He will return it back to the shelf the following day. Cut off time is 3.30pm.

If you have no intent at finishing the poem, YOU must return the book to its proper place in the shelf by following its call number.

Once you've composed your book spine poem, I'll take a photo of it; I'll tag your name and this becomes your batch's entry to the Book Spine Poetry Contest. We'll feature poems completed and submitted to us at the end of each week.

For the prizes: Finals = Ice Cream / Grand prize winner = Pizza Party

And yes, you can work in pairs, in triads or in teams of four.

 To campaign and promote the contest, I have made my own book spine poems.

 Book Spine Poem 1 

You Know Where to Find Me
When It Happens
By the River
The Boy With the Porcelain Blade


Book Spine Poem 2

Warm Bodies
In Between the Sheets
Breathless
Beauty
Sunshine
A Ring of Endless Light

ILN Partner and Peer Mentor: Wanda Sliwowska

This is Wanda Sliwowska. She is my partner in the ILN peer mentoring program. She is a school librarian from Poland. She works in Gimnazjum nr 3 z Oddziałami Sportowymi im.gen.Mariusza Zaruskiego w Świdnicy. Świdnica is a city in west side of Poland, near the big city of Wrocław. Vsit the website of G3 Swidnica. It is a school for students age 13 to 16.

Wanda claims that reading is her "bad habit" that is why she took a bachelor's degree in Library and Information Science. She is interested to learn about the school system in the Philippines and its school libraries. Joining ILN's peer mentoring program is one way for her to improve her skills in English. I am very confident that I can convey to her basic information on our educational system and the current state of Philippine school librarianship. I hope I can do this using the correct and the proper English grammar.

In her last email, she mentioned about book elections, an activity I look forward to knowing more about.

Storytelling: My Daddy! My One and Only!

Teacher Dyali Justo reads aloud my book, My Daddy! My One and Only! during the NBDB Booklatan in Laog City. Here is a snippet of her storytelling.

This is the first time I witnessed my story read aloud by a storyteller. Teacher Dyali had all the right adlibs and embellishments that amplified the story's theme. By focusing on the little son's fascination and hero worship for his father, Teacher Dyali brought out the simple acts of kindness a parent can do for his or her child.

She is an amazing storyteller!

An Award for Tales From the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories

The book I co-wrote with Dianne de Las Casas, Tales From the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories (Libraries Unlimited, USA 2011) won The Storytelling World Resource Award 2015 for Category 6: Storytelling Resources. The full list of winners can be viewed in the  Storytelling World website where you will find winners and honor books in different categories. I am amazed reading the titles of books included in the list because it shows diversity, global mindedness and multicultural perspective. For our work to be recognized by a host of credible judges and experts in the field is a great honor.

I am still reeling from this surprising news weeks after I learned about it. The book project came at a time when my family and I lost almost everything to typhoon Ondoy (2009). Working on the book with Dianne was a cathartic experience. Stories, indeed, have a way of healing the spirit.

The Storytelling World Resource Award is meant to help storytellers, librarians, teachers and parents choose stories to read aloud and perform in schools and libraries or simply be told in the comfort of one's home.

Teen Tech Week 2015

The 2015 IASL Conference: The School Library Rocks

The International Association of School Libraries 2015 Conference is on June 28, 2015 - July 2, 2015 in Maastritch, The Netherlands. There's a pre-conference that focus on instructional design of Information Literacy programs in the school library level. This is a session I wish I could attend, at least, if not the entire conference. I learned of a virtual participation to the conference from IASL people. So, there's an option for the likes of me who wish to attend but can't for some reason.

I will definitely post that info here in the blog and on my social media sites too.

Checking the conference program on the website, I found a lot of amazing and interesting research papers on school librarianship, program implementation, management and leadership issues. There are also plenty of professional papers on library instruction and information literacy.

And what delights me is the knowledge of a lone Filipino Librarian in the roster of presenters! Visit the IASL 2015 Conference website.

Welcome Video for Participants of ILN Mentoring Program

Preview of Upcoming Book: Big Sister

 

I hope to see this new book launched this year! 

The 5th Asian Conference on Literature and Librarianship

I am registered.

My flight is booked.

I am excited to present my paper on school librarians and leadership in LibrAsia 2015 The 5th Asian Conference on Literature and Librarianship in Osaka, Japan.

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 :-)

Books on Love Part 2

This is the Valentine's Day post I promised to do a few weeks back. It's the last day of February, I know. Better late than never.

This is my counter post on all 50 Shades of Grey raves out there. For those who've read the trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed it, consider this list as recommendations. There are better written erotic romance books out there.

1. Landline by Rainbow Rowell because love is dearer if it has been lost and regained.

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because true love waits and does not barge in your apartment uninvited even if true love would mean a billionaire who owns half the city's businesses.
Love respects your own space and your own person.

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer because love survives in the chaos of war and destruction.

4. The Legend of the Wandering King by Laura Gallego Garcia because despite our pride, love humbles us. Love will redeem and save us and when it is real, it finds a way.

5. Eleanor and Park  by Rainbow Rowell because intimacy is not just physical.

6. Love Story by Erich Segal because love means never having to say you are sorry. Love is a choice.  You choose to love.

7. Forever by Judy Blume because saying no and letting go are acts of love.

And the last three are authors whose books I have read lately. They write about romance and erotica and their novellas and novels did not offend me one bit. That's where I draw the line.

8. Cora Seton's Heroes of Chance Creek and Cowboys of Chance Creek Series. What I like about the series is the equal roles that Seton establishes between her female and male leads. It is a battle of the sexes, yes, but in the end, both lead characters realize how their differences can complete each and the other.

9. Tessa Bailey's Brazen Series because Tessa Bailey is very good at depicting the love-hate-love relationship and opposites attract trope. Her intimate scenes are really sizzling! She is fun and funny to read as well. Her female characters are feisty and spunky.

10. Nancy Warren's Changing Gears Series because there are other things going on apart from sex, sex and more sex. Nancy Warren shows you context and human conflict. Of the three books I have read in her series so far, it ends with love saving the day.

So, there. Take it or leave it as you wish. Just keep on reading!