Malditang Librarian

The American Library Association (ALA), the oldest library association in the world, just elected its latest President. Patricia "Patty" M. Wong is a city librarian in the Santa Monica Public Library in California, United States. She won 6,718 votes while her contender, Steven Yates of the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Science, got 2,448 votes. She began her librarianship career as a children's librarian of Oakland Public Library. Currently, she is a part-time faculty at the San Jose State University iSchool. She is the former director of library services of Yolo (California) County Library. She studied MLIS and BA in Women's Studies in University of California Berkeley. She also received many awards such as the 2012 ALA Equality Award, Member of the Year of California Library Association in 2012, and the CALA Distinguished Service Award in 2014. ( Source ) She will serve as a president-elect for a year before assuming her...

In light of the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon, the Philippine film industry along with many other local businesses continue to be impacted as normal operations and services are put on halt. Globe recognizes this pressing need and continues its efforts to help frontliners and daily wage earners who have been affected by these developments through a new unique collaborative effort with film artists. Globe Studios via .giff festival of new cinema has teamed up with Lockdown Cinema Club, a coalition of independent Filipino filmmakers who wish to reach and help their colleagues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to raise funds for daily wage film industry workers in the country. Workers affected by the crisis include crew members, electricians, caretakers, camera men, artists, post-production assistants, and everyone who is vital in creating a film.  Majority of them are freelancers and are compensated on a per-project basis. To raise funds, director...

Globe launches its eLibrary to give K-to-12 students, educators, and parents nationwide free and quick access to hundreds of ebooks and videos provided by the Department of Education (DepEd) and other sources.  This will allow for continuous learning during the enhanced community quarantine which prompted many schools in Luzon and other parts of the country to suspend classes. The Globe eLibrary is a web platform that features age-appropriate and engaging e-books and e-learning videos which can be accessed through mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. You can access the online library through its website:  http://globeelibrary.ph/ It is, likewise, available on DepEd Commons (commons.deped.gov.ph), DepEd’s pilot program on learning continuity which also contains online quizzes and exercises for K-12 learners and content for Alternative Learning System (ALS). “We want to give the children an opportunity to continue learning even when they are at ...

Mayor Jerry Treñas with PLAI WVRLC Officers for the National Book Week last 2019 The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. - Western Visayas Librarians Council (PLAI-WVRLC) has donated 5,000 pesos to the Iloilo City Government for their operations to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (See: Bato Iloilo Donations on Facebook ) Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City has acknowledged the help of generous donors in the fight against COVID-19. Donations will be used to aid frontliners and for the distribution of relief goods to the community. "Bato Iloilo: Kaya ta ni!" ("Fight Iloilo, we can do this!") has been used as a slogan to highlight the city's proactive efforts in containing the disease and preventing it from spreading. Iloilo City has been placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine from March 20 until April 14, 2020. Iloilo City is supposed to be the venue for the annual PLAI National Congress this 2020. Due to COVID-19, the conference is currently on ...

My Hero is You: how kids can fight COVID-19! is a free storybook for children on how to understand and cope with the pandemic. The story was developed after a global survey on children's mental health during the virus outbreak. The story was first shared through storytelling and feedback from parents and children was used to improve it. It is published by the United Nations' Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG), written and illustrated by Helen Patuck. Download the book It is recommended to be read to children with the guidance of a parent, teacher, or guardian. A supplement to the book, 'Actions for Heroes' will be published later and it will include more topics on helping children cope with the current situation and more activities related to the book. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO license ( CC BY-NC-SA ...

Around 1,400 books and 97 academic journals published by John Hopkins University Press are free to access through Project MUSE until May 2020.  One of the journals available for free access at this time is Library Trends, a quarterly research journal on the librarianship field. Volumes 54 (2005) up to the current issue are accessible. Access Library Trends journal Browse their free and open access books According to the description, " Library Trends is an essential tool for professional librarians and educators alike. Every issue explores critical trends in professional librarianship and includes practical applications, thorough analyses, and literature reviews. Each issue brings readers in-depth, thoughtful articles, all exploring a specific topic of professional interest. Every year, Library Trends covers a wide variety of themes, from special libraries to emerging technologies." Johns Hopkins University Press (established in 1878) is America's olde...

In a matter of days, life as we know it changed. There is a calamity, but it's something that we cannot see. Earthquakes, fires, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, wars, and countless disasters have occurred in this country and the world, but nothing like this with a global magnitude. In a war, one can run or fight. You can see, feel, and touch volcanic ash, you can walk away from it. If a typhoon destroys your home, you know you can rebuild it and start again. Instead, there is silence in the streets. People are forced to stay home. Some, like the poor and those who have no choice but work, are the most affected. Almost all stores, restaurants, and places where people meet are closed except for the essentials. The virus is sly, one can carry it in the body without symptoms and can affect thousands when a chain of infection starts. Even one person infected can shut a city down, just like what happened with Patient 31 in South Korea. I am more aware of the things I am touching an...