Malditang Librarian

Artist's rendition of the Ark of the Covenant. Reading the Bible is difficult. We can't just delve in and read it the way we would open a novel and relax into the story. It requires prayer, an open heart to receive the message and an open mind to study it and receive wisdom from its words. If reading it is hard, I find it even more difficult to write about my experience in reading it! Context is important, and we must first learn of the circumstances and historical setting of the events in the book we are reading. So, I will just write about the people and events that I found memorable. In the Old Testament, the Israelites (God's chosen people) have famously rebelled to God again and again. Instead of following God's will, they still followed their own wants and rebelled against God by worshiping false idols. After Moses died and Joshua replaced him as the leader, there did come a time when they have forgotten God's law and everything was in chaos. God did pun...

Last October, we had a tour in the different kinds of libraries in Iloilo City as part of the requirements for our subject Introduction to Information Science in MLIS. It is good to know that the most active libraries in our city are keeping up with technology. I'm glad to see some improvements that weren't there when we first visited years ago, and its even better to see proactive librarians! If not for them, these libraries would not be possible. School Library: Ateneo de Iloilo The school library of Ateneo de Iloilo in their new building is conducive for the school which caters pupils from the pre-school to high school. They have a separate pre-school and early grade school library with games and books for younger readers. This is the first library I've seen that has iPad tablets that can be borrowed by the students. The teachers for their subjects also use these iPads for educational apps and study materials. Research Library: Southeast Asian Fisheries Dev...

Last October 21, 2016, the PLAI-WVRLC conducted its annual Regional Conference and Assembly at the West Visayas State University in Iloilo City. This year’s topic was “CPD, Accreditation, and Research: Roles, Challenges and Opportunities Faced by Western Visayas Librarians.” The objectives of this conference are: to update librarians in Western Visayas about the RA 10912 (Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016); share and discuss experiences and best practices in complying with library accreditation; share recent research studies in the region; elect a new set of PLAI-WVRLC officers; and celebrate National Book Week. Research studies were presented and a panel discussion was conducted on librarians’ experiences in accreditation and complying with the requirements of the different accrediting institutions such as CHED.Undergraduate research papers were also presented, on the topics of: Faculty Perceptions of Librarians' Faculty Status (University of San Agustin) and Fac...

I've been trying my best to focus on God these past few months. I felt like I should try reading the whole Bible again. I tried in college, I did finish the whole New Testament and the first few chapters of the Old Testament. But I know that its not in reading and finishing the Bible or how many books you read, but how you will apply it to your life, establish a relationship with God, and improve how you treat others. And once you truly focus on the Word of God, you find that there is endless insight in each verse of the Book. I know that this is only my first read-through, as the book is a treasure trove of wisdom that you can use for a lifetime. If most of us spend our days glued to social media, I thought, if we spent that time reading the Bible instead, most of us would finish it in a few months! Even while I work, I try to squeeze in reading during breaks and I find that you can finish a few chapters this way. "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of...

After 9 months of unemployment, I finally got a job in the library of my university. It doesn't pay half of what I earned in Manila in my last (and first) job, but I find myself happier. I don't have to make a big adjustment because I already know the people and the work. Of course, its different that you are now a colleague and not just a 'former student', and you must learn to tread carefully with conflicts and other unavoidable issues.  For two weeks now I've been... exercising! In an actual fitness gym! With an instructor. A librarian friend invited me over and since its free for staff, I just went with her. I find it fun and the instructor is great and you don't feel so self-conscious sweating with everyone because everyone is also working hard and catching their breath and feeling pain... Its not like losing weight is my sole goal (though I really also need to do something about that) but focusing on your body and your exertion, you also somehow forget t...

" And oh there are days in this life, worth life and worth death. " -Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (quoted at the beginning of the book) Travel is often a test of patience. We need to get from where we are to where we want to go but we have to deal with the hassle of car or plane rides that can last hours long. Planes are convenient, but we have to admit, most of us are scared of them. I still have a little anxiety when I step in a plane. You're just in a small capsule of metal flying through the sky, and even with all the high-tech aerodynamics since the Wright brothers invented the airplane, you still harbor the small fear that you will all crash down anytime. Especially during turbulence where most of us (like me) already utter prayers and imagine the worst case scenarios. I get real scared when the plane is shaking and all you can see through the windows is the white of the clouds, because sunlight and the clear view below offers comfort and zero visibility i...

Evan is haunted by the loss of his friend Ariel. Then he finds a picture in his path. Pictures of nothing. Then pictures of him. Is Ariel back? Who is this unseen photographer who is following them, leaving picture after picture that only confuse him? The story progresses through the 'found pictures'. Evan talks about his friendship with Ariel, were they were *almost* in love. Everyone seems to be moving on except Evan. The only other significant person in his and Ariel's life is Jack, Ariel's pseudo-boyfriend who is doing a better job of moving on than Evan. The central mystery of the story is finding who is taking and sending these pictures to Evan. Evan realizes that Ariel was not who he thought she was, and she was different with each person she knows (and aren't we all? I notice that each of us shows a different side to all the people we know). Evan stirs up trouble in school and with his friends in trying to figure out that pictures' mysterious source...