Malditang Librarian

Suicide is always a complicated issue, especially teen suicide. Adolescence is a complicated time of your life, with peer pressure and crazy hormones and all the negativity. People always say that suicide is the most selfish decision a person can make, because those left behind will always have the grief to deal with, and everyone will also think of what they could have done to prevent the event. There is always grief and shock in the wake of news about suicide. I admit that I myself once entertained thoughts of ending my life, but it was more of a feeling of wanting to disappear as if I never existed. I could never bear causing stress to the people I will leave behind. No matter how much we think that we are so unpopular or that our lives are useless and didn't affect other people, we are not hermits who grew up without human contact. Now, I believe that as long as you are alive there is still hope that things will get better in the end (because trust me, they will). While i...

Me and my fellow board passers last 2015 gamely posing with their posters! Liza, Kristine, and Lenie. As a board exam topnotcher, people always ask me for advice and tips on how I did it. The truth is, for all passers, it all boils down to prayer and hard work. Though I know that the recognition is temporary, I will always treasure the time I prepared for the board. For three months, I lived in UP Diliman campus during the review. I spent that time breathing the air of UP! It was a time that I was so focused on one thing, and I did achieve it. I was asked to speak before the reviewees last year to motivate them in studying for CPU's review classes for the librarians' licensure exam. Good thing that 11 out of 13 test-takers passed from CPU last 2016! I'm just writing these here for future reference. Here we go: Remember: passing, and topping, the exam begins with the MIND.  The most important things are reviewing the basics, answering practice exams (and analyzing yo...

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...