Malditang Librarian

The librarians' licensure examination results were released this Monday. Some passed, some didn't. If you didn't, this may be a difficult time. You have the right to feel disappointment and regret, but don't stay there. See this as an opportunity to assess yourself and know your weaknesses. Give yourself time but don't be stagnant. Keep moving.  I am a (new) teacher and taught for the review classes, and before I started I gave a presentation on Board exam tips. I emphasized that for the review, you must be realistic about your own abilities. Visualize success, but always keep in mind that the board exam is a test of analysis and a game of chance - we can't predict the questions and there are only two outcomes: you either pass or fail. You must accept that there will always be the chance of failing. Though, we see failure as something negative, especially regarding exams and grades but its a matter of perspective - sometimes failure can also teach u...

The board exam results for librarians this 2017 was released last Monday . I know there's still the euphoria of passing and the warm, good feeling from all the greetings. Finally, you passed and all your effort was worth it. But let's not stay there, because the board exam isn't the end of professional life, it is the beginning of it. Be ready for another journey with new challenges! You may be busy right now looking for work (or returning to your job), but here are some things to remember: Don't forget to officially register in the PRC as a new Registered Professional.  As a new professional, its your responsibility to be informed and updated on the latest news, laws, and updates regarding your profession and the state of professions in general. The first step is to know the schedule of initial registration and prepare all requirements for your professional ID and certificates. Join groups and official organizations related to your profession.  For librarians ...

The results of the Librarian Licensure Examination last September 19-20, 2017 was released today. Here is the news from the PRC News Website : "The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 545 out of 904 passed the Librarian Licensure Examination given by the Board for Librarians in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Tacloban and Tuguegarao this September 2017. The members of the Board for Librarians who gave the licensure examination are Yolanda C. Granda, Chairman and Lourdes T. David, Member. The results were released in two (2) working days after the last day of examination. From October 4 to October 6, 2017, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be done on-line. Please go to www.prc.gov.ph and follow instructions for initial registration. Those who will register are required to bring the following: Notice of admission, duly accomplished Oath ...

Image Source A week ago, a post by someone on Twitter spread throughout librarians' social media circles and as expected, the comment by said ignorant person backfired on him when librarians answered back. Well, let's give the person a break first - at least he admitted his own mistake, apologized, and was educated as well on what librarians really do. Though I feel that the apology was quite 'plastic' (though this is only my opinion). By the way, a few librarians also posted brilliant replies: this essay by Gillian Reyes and a short comment by Sir Stephen Alayon (my LIS teacher). I would like to reply, wow, this guy is saying that about UP Library Science, which is one of the best LIS schools in the country? I mean, almost all LIS schools, teachers, and librarians look up to the UP-SLIS and they're being underestimated by an ignorant person? By the way, as a Cataloger, I kind of want to explain to him MARC records, RDA, and show him examples of software...

There was one day I procrastinated in preparing for class and watched the whole 9 episodes of TV5's JASMINE  (2014) starring Jasmine Curtis-Smith playing herself. It's a mystery story with lots of people getting killed off, so I got intrigued and watched it on iflix (because I found out that there's a free subscription with our PLDT plan). It's quite a refreshing take on show business and making teleseryes. It is a TV series about Jasmine making a TV series. The story starts with Jasmine, a struggling actress making her way into mainstream media. She wants artful acting projects for indie films, but her manager wants her to focus on the mainstream and her making a name. Jasmine has other friends: Carly, her best friend/sidekick; Wendell, the showbiz blogger; and Miguel, a senator's son interested in her. Jasmine auditions for the lead role of TV5's new show, URLoved. Selena Pascual, another actress, bullies her and wants to be the bida  of the show. In an...

WATCH: TOP 10 TIPS on passing the board exam for Librarians This post is about the 2017 Librarian Licensure Exam. For information about the current exam, please go to: 2021 Librarian Licensure Examination: What you need to know Today, my students in the Librarians' Licensure Exam Review in CPU will be taking the board exam until tomorrow. I hope that anyone who reads this will also pray that they will have the wisdom to answer and succeed in the exam. There are 10 students who will take the exam from CPU and I have confidence that they will do well. PRC just opened a testing center in Iloilo and there will be 17 who will take the exam. Most of my students will be taking it in Manila. It's my first time to teach this semester and also my first time to teach in a review class for the board exam. The important thing is to know the basics of each subject, learn to analyze multiple-choice exams, and the most important thing is faith coupled with hard work. The results will ...

Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) is an Argentine writer and Librarian. He was the Director of the National Library of Argentina in 1955. Collected Fictions is a comprehensive collection of all his short stories from 1935 to 1983 is an exciting, scary book full of surreal and mythological elements. Though, I don't really like his stories that deal with reality compared to his magical and surrealistic stories. Libraries with an infinite number of books, books with infinite pages, many mazes and labyrinths, dreams, impossible texts, and objects. Here is my list of top 12 stories from the book with links to where you can read them. I recommend that you click on the links, since most of these are short stories you can read in one sitting, and I think this writer is very skilled in creating atmosphere, character, and plot in with a limited word count. The House of Asterion And the queen gave birth to a child who was called Asterion. This is a story about the Greek legend...

Daryl L. Superio, Stephen B. Alayon, and Mary Grace H. Oliveros, Librarians from Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center - Aquaculture Library (SEAFDEC AQD Library) has published a paper on "Disaster management practices of academic libraries in Panay Island, Philippines: Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan" in Information Development , an information studies journal published by SAGE. Abstract: "A disaster management plan is essential because it can guide library personnel on what to do in a critical time. Using an eight-part survey instrument, this paper documents the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on 22 academic libraries in Northern Panay, Western Visayas, Philippines and the disaster management practices that were implemented. The results revealed that although the majority of the libraries do not have a disaster management plan, they all had common disaster management practices that enabled them to save parts of their collections. Moreover, the study revealed that librar...

I wrote about the experience in the #ZineZoned3: Iloilo Zinefest 2017 last time, and now here are my reactions to the few zines I bought during the event. I think next time I should buy as much as I can afford because from a librarians' perspective these are rare materials that would be difficult to acquire in the future. I also think that zines showcase local culture in a more personal and interesting way than traditional print media. Since they are made by the authors in any way they want, the authors and artists can freely express themselves in a genuine way without the dictates of the market or censorship. As a librarian, we were taught that Filipiniana (books made by Filipino authors, about the Philippines, and Filipino culture in general) are rare materials and if libraries can afford them, they should be a library collection priority. It would be interesting if librarians and libraries also collect zines, which are small self-published efforts that reflect local interest ...

The last day of August 2017 started like any other normal day. Around noon, we heard some people panicking outside and thought there was just another fight or drug raid. Then someone said there was fire! The smell of burning was so strong and filled the air. I panicked myself and quickly gathered things that might be important: my folder with vital documents, ATM cards and IDs, my laptop, wallet, and stuffed a few changes of clothes into a couple of backpacks. Good thing my father was at home, and we loaded our stuff in the car just in case the fire reaches our house. I ran outside and saw the largest fire* I ever laid eyes on, just four houses away from ours. Then I panicked like never before. I was alternately praying and making a mess of my room, trying to think about what to save. Then I pulled out the large plastic box filled with my diaries since 2008. Then I thought that it was really useless and hauling this heavy box into the car isn't a matter of life and death. My ...