Malditang Librarian

Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano, the new Director IV of the National Library of the Philippines, was sworn into office last April 6, 2017 (Photo credit: National Library of the Philippines website ) Last January 24, my Facebook feed was full of news about Ateneo de Manila Rizal Library Director Dr. Von Totanes (of the Filipino Librarian blog ) filing a complaint with the Ombudsman about the Director of the National Library of the Philippines. The issue about the new Director of the NLP, Cesar Adriano, is a controversial one - he isn't a licensed librarian. He isn't even a librarian, he previously worked for Pres. Duterte in Davao. He doesn't have any experience working in libraries before his current position. This is a big issue since the law, RA 9246 or The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003, states that only licensed librarians can work as heads of government libraries. Section 31: Employment of Librarians states that "Only qualified and licensed librarians shall b...

Matilda by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake. New York: Puffin Books, ©1988 As a librarian and book hoarder, it would surprise you to know that I haven't read Matilda until now! I was aware of her, but I haven't read the book or watched the movies. I did read one Roald Dahl book when I was a child, George's Marvelous Medicine. Matilda Wormwood is a very smart girl in a very unappreciative home. Her father is in a corrupt automobile reselling business, while her mother is preoccupied with her friends and her vanity. She has a brother who her parents like more than her, and she finds solace in books. At a very young age, Matilda was already using the public library to borrow books. It's not just children's books but high literature! With the help of the kind librarian Mrs. Phelps, she finds a peace in books that she doesn't find in her family. She reads Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, William Faulkner, H.G. Wells, and most classics. Her reading list is ...

Once again, Daryl L. Superio, RL, MLIS, Senior Information Assistant in SEAFDEC AQD Library (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center - Aquaculture Department) has published a research paper in Information Development , an information studies journal published by SAGE. His paper is entitled "The information-seeking behavior of aquaculture researchers at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center." His co-authors are also Centralian teachers and librarians: Jessica B. Canaman, a Statistics professor; Janet P. Jaco, Central Philippine University - Elementary School Principal; and Dr. Melda L. Estember, professor for Library Science and Director of the CPU Henry Luce III Library. Mr. Superio is also an instructor for the Library and Information Science program of CPU. Here is the abstract of the paper, and you can access it through this link . It was published online last January 22, 2018. Abstract: "Understanding the information-seeking behavior of libr...

Tongues on Fire by Conrado de Quiros, Manila: Anvil Publishing, ©2007 Thanks to my friend Roy who lent this book. Check out his blog: RODTrip . One of the writers that inspired me at an early age is Conrado de Quiros, who is most famous for "There's the Rub", his Opinion column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. His commentaries on the current happenings in Philippine politics is something that many people look forward to every morning. De Quiros is on medical leave now, his last article for the Inquirer was dated 2014, and I regret that he wasn't able to write about the current administration and recent events. I bet he has a lot to say about it, and I'm shying away from saying anything about Philippine politics. Its the worst of times. De Quiros has a unique style that makes him stand out from most writers, there's wit, poetry, and a rare rhetoric. Tongues on Fire is a book of his speeches spoken on different occasions. The only time I heard De Quiro...

"Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce. In summer, we work hard to make a tidy garden, bordered by pansies with rows or clumps of columbine, petunias, bleeding hearts. Then we find ourselves longing for the forest, where everything has the appearance of disorder; yet, we feel peaceful there. What writing practice, like Zen practice, does is bring you back to the natural state of mind, the wilderness of your mind where there are no refined rows of gladiolas. The mind is raw, full of energy, alive, and hungry - it does not think the way we were brought up to think - well mannered, congenial." -from Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg These are the familiar words of a book that I've read countless times. It opened my mind to writing. Before I trusted myself to write, I always thought that writing is a special talent that can only belong t...

Last Saturday, January 20, there was another exciting event for aspiring bloggers by Book Latte and Nile on Weekends , "Blog Over Breakfast." The topics are a continuation of a previous event, Creating Stories . This time, there was an in-depth workshop for beginner bloggers: introducing blogging, identifying your blog's focus and theme, finding your writing voice, creating meaningful content, and networking. For 150 pesos, it was really worth it. It was a small event with few people, but that is also an advantage since we can all share our plans for blogging and experiences we want to write about. There are some who have blogged before and discontinued them but want to get back to it, while others want to blog so they have a platform where they can share their stories. Some want to write about travel, life as a Filipino expat, and film. We were all from different backgrounds but share a common dream: wanting to share. Today, it's undeniable that bloggers and ...

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears." -Glenn Clark I used to pack many useless things the rare times I travel. I tend to bring too many books and unnecessary things that I think I might need. The first time I went outside the country, I resolved to pack light, mainly for the reason that I needed the space for gifts I will buy. In the end, we didn't get to buy much, but I was surprised that even if I bought very little and only the essential, there were some many more things I didn't end up using! Packing light felt good. Packing light meant no added burdens or over-baggage fees. Often, in life, we also tend to bring more than we can use. Old grudges, replaying memories, the past endlessly revisited. Life is a fleeting shadow, a blade of grass, a wildflower that appears today and is gone tomorrow. Death isn't real to us and we wish it would be far away, but only the kn...