Malditang Librarian

Photo from Balay Mapanag on Facebook Balay Mapanag , the Municipality of Cuartero Museum, Library, and Archives in Capiz opened today, February 25, 2021.  The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) through its Competitive Grants Program has helped established this new cultural center in Capiz. The name 'Mapanag' is from the original name of the municipality which was for the creek that acts as the boundary between Dumalag and Cuartero.  Currently, the library contains books, as well as historical and informative materials on the municipality of Cuartero. Ongoing is an exhibit on Cuartero's weaving and textile industry. On display are materials made by the locals from the town's different communities. Prior to launching, there was a series of trainings on museum and library work. This was to prepare and equip the personnel, teachers, cultural workers, and school coordinators on the management of Balay Mapanag. Artist and curator Marika Constantino facilitate...

Spirit of America digital collection [ website ] Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Libraries launch the Marvin & Sybil Winer 'Spirit of America' digital collection The collection was donated by Marvin and Sybil Weiner in 2006. Marvin Weiner collected over 13,000 books and pamphlets pertaining to 16th to 18th century America. This collection is housed in the library's Special Collections and Archives. The digitized version of the collection includes almanacs, documents, letters, speeches, rare books, newspapers, and government publications. It is open and accessible for users not just in the university but globally. The librarians and staff of FAU digitized the materials. There are currently over 500 digitized documents available, with more being added daily. According to Carol Hixson, dean of the Libraries, "The Marvin & Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection brings the history of the United States and its founding principles to life. The ongoing digit...

Photo from their Facebook page @DSSCOfficial Davao del Sur State College planning to build a Virtual Library The Davao del Sur State College is planning to build a modern virtual library worth 10 million pesos. According to the University President Dr. Augie Fuentes, the planned online library is funded and supported by Sen. Sonny Angara. Construction is expected to start on the first quarter of 2021. According to Dr. Fuentes, "The project is indeed vital not just in the students’ journey but to the teaching and non-teaching personnel of the institution. The virtual library can be an ideal venue to blend face-to-face with virtual meetings, allowing the broad population of students who commute or telecommute to join their teams in project discussions. It would also invite students to devise their own approaches to their work and to transfer what they learn in one course to the work they do for another." Importance of digital libraries and online resources She also added...

Ever since I started this blog, I would post every new year about how the past year has been and what I hope to accomplish in the next. (My new year posts since 2016 is under the ' new year ' tag) 2020 has been very interesting (not in a good way, though). A pandemic that started in another part of the world, which once seemed far away, has affected every aspect of our lives and caused tremendous change like no other. It has been so overwhelming and I don't feel like mentioning it all. It's been talked about too much. Started a new job When the year began, I was looking for a job and waiting for opportunities. I started working in Henry Luce III Library of Central Philippine University in March, but two weeks later in my new job, it was lockdown until May.  When we got back in June, we had to adjust to changes at work and everyday life. Jobs, lives, and many things were lost. This is my first job after I finished my Master's degree and the first regular job (mean...

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in the 2013 movie adaptation (© Warner Bros.) F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby , the famous novel set in 1920's America, is now in the public domain 95 years after its original publication in 1925. The story has been adapted to a movie with the same title in 2013, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. This means you can create your own works based on Fitzgerald's story without fear of breaching copyright. What does Public Domain mean? Simply put, works in the public domain are those whose copyright has expired. It means that these works are now free for the public to use, modify, or build upon without the restrictions of copyright. Works usually enter the public domain when the copyright expires. In the US, intellectual property law usually stipulates that works are protected by copyright under the following options:  within the author's lifetime plus 70 years after their death 120 years from its creation 95 years after...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched the world's first national crypto library to protect and secure confidential information in the country. This was initiated by the Cryptography Research Center of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). According to Faisal Al Bannai, secretary general of ATRC, "The ever-evolving sophistication of cyberattacks should not be taken for granted. By developing a national crypto library in the UAE and integrating this within critical digital infrastructure, we can increase our security levels and build sovereign capability simultaneously." The library consists of algorithms that cryptographers use to protect information in different data-driven fields such as health care, telecommunications, and finance.  The research center have already released several versions of the library and are working on integrating it into UAE's data infrastructure. They work with scientists in cryptography and related fields such as post-qu...

Globe launches Ugnay, a learning platform using text or short messaging service (SMS). Though SMS has limited capabilities, it can be useful for those who have limited internet access. Ugnay aims to deliver accessible content to learners. Text messaging has its advantages as a fast and effective way to deliver information, and it can reach thousands of learners with less effort. Lessons can also be delivered in a short and concise way through text. It also saves the user from the hassle of logging in and out of different platforms. “This pandemic heightened the need for distance learning but there are a lot of challenges -  from the adjustments that have to be done by teachers and students to accommodate distance learning to the availability of content and limitations of accessing learning media that rely heavily on compatible devices and stable internet connection. This prompted us to look for ways to address these concerns,” said Ariane Nava, Globe Head of Channel Governance an...