Malditang Librarian

Last March, we had our library tour in UP, Ateneo, University of Santo Tomas , MAPUA, and La Salle. MAPUA is known for its technology courses, and De La Salle is also one of the top universities in the country. Let's take a look at their library technology tools. MAPUA-Intramuros Library The Mapúa Institute of Technology Library comprises the Main Library and two branches, namely, Architecture Library and Mapúa - Makati. Mapúa officials, non-teaching staff, faculty members, students, alumni, and outside researchers with referral letters may use the libraries. Mapúa Main Library and one of its branches are housed in Intramuros Manila, the other branch is in Makati which operation started in 2001; 1) the Main Library is located at the second floor, West Building 2) the Architecture Library at the fourth floor, South Building and 3) Mapúa-Makati, Library at the third floor, West-Wing of the School Building in Makati. The main library and its branches, fully air-conditioned,...

Last March, we had a library educational tour in notable university libraries in Manila. Last post was about UP and Ateneo Libraries, and our next stop was University of Santo Tomas. This was my favorite part of the day, and I was utterly amazed (I'm not exaggerating) of their library! Thanks to the librarians of UST who were so hospitable in catering us. We saw the step-by-step process of restoring books, and they have a special laboratory where books centuries old are restored as good as new. Its like magic, when you see the 'before and after' pictures of those books. University of Santo Tomas is the oldest university in the Philippines and also the first in Asia. Trivia: the library was first before the school itself! It started with a collection of books donated by a priest. There is the main Miguel de Benavides Library, and the Antonio Vivencio del Rosario Heritage Library, which specializes in preserving, restoring, and digitizing rare books. We had to make a sepa...

Last March 16-17, we had a tour in notable university libraries in Manila for our subject in MLIS 607, Advanced Library Management. We went to UP, Ateneo, UST, MAPUA, National Museum, and De La Salle. There were many setbacks but we managed to push through with the tour. We did learn a lot from these libraries and their librarians. For students of Library Science, educational tours to other libraries are a must. Through tours, we gain new ideas for services and can ask other libraries about their problems and best practices. We've seen the latest library technology and also great historical resources still preserved for centuries. It was a great learning experience! I will divide the posts about the tour into three: this first part for UP and Ateneo, the second for UST, and the third/last for MAPUA and La Salle. Our first stop was Quezon City, where UP and Ateneo are located. Both are considered to be the top universities in our country, and as expected, their libraries also ha...

Belle's Library: a collection of literary quotes and inspirational musings , written by Brittany Rubiano and art by Jenna Huerta. Disney ©2017 Someone once told me that I wasn't used to adventure or traveling around. They probably see me sitting around a lot, just reading. I'd like to tell them how much more adventurous reading a good book is! It has the ability to transport us into worlds of imagination and magic. I'm glad about the success of the latest movie Beauty and the Beast and its bookworm heroine Belle. Belle longs for adventure outside the confines of her village. Since I try to read modern books with the word 'library' in the title, and I watched Beauty and the Beast anyway, I picked this up from a National Bookstore in Manila. Its a simple book with quotes from Belle's (of Beauty and the Beast) favorite books, and her own thoughts about them. In Belle's library are classics such as Romeo and Juliet, A Thousand and One Nights, Don Qui...

The long Holy Week vacation is over, and I'm already thinking of next year's holidays and where I'd like to go. We went to my grand-aunt's house earlier this morning to ask about the flight arrangements of my first out-of-the-country trip on the first week of June. I'm excited but I don't want to post too much about it! I just hope that after this, I'd also tour other countries as well. It's just timing that I will travel a day after my contract at my current job is over. I just remember that when we were children, one of the frequently-mentioned dreams is to 'travel the world' before we die. I think the money for experiences and new learnings is always worth it, and investment in them is better than wasting money on material things. Today is Easter Sunday. Yesterday night I watched The Passion of the Christ on YouTube for the Lenten season, and as I wrote on Facebook: "I didn't really cry like I thought I would, and I think that t...

One more take-home exam left, but so far all the requirements for two other subjects have been passed. While its interesting to have a group of classmates, grad school is a challenge. I told myself to study bits and pieces during the week but end up cramming. With work, you're always tired. I should enjoy the subjects first, because the thesis in the end will have its own challenges as well. At least I have time to read now. Tomorrow, I will join a church camp for the Holy Week. I don't know anyone there except for two people in my weekly small group but I hope to know more. I continue to hope and pray about my next job after my current one. Questions in my heart. Am I meant to teach? Where should I be? What about the future after my Masteral degree? What about all the stories I want to write? Do I still have what it takes to be a writer or has inspiration given up on me? Doors close, doors open, and I'm also on the lookout for other possible doors. I haven't writ...

Finals season for this school year! I topped the 2015 Librarian's board exam. Meaning, out of 1,000+ who took it from the whole country, I had the highest score. You'd think I'm an expert on exams by now, but I'm not. Topping the board exam seems like an irony considering all the suicidal stress I had over grades and exams before. I'll tell you a secret. Once upon a time, in April 2011, a momentous event happened that changed my life somewhat, and its about exams. The best moment about exams I had in my life was not topping the board exam. But the first time I exempted a final exam. It was on an easy subject, English 1A, but it was the last final exam I had for my first semester in CPU (I failed a lot in UP Visayas - Miag-ao before that). I somehow forgot that I was exempted, and when the teacher only told me during the exams as a surprise. It felt like if I can exempt this exam, then I can do anything! I started to love school at that moment. I wasn'...