National confab to highlight 107th Public Library Day

Public librarians from all over the country will brush elbows during the National Conference of Public Librarians at the Bohol Tropics to highlight the 107th anniversary of Public Library Day on March 9. In a memorandum, National Library Director Prudenciana Comiling Cruz called on all regional, congressional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay librarians to attend the conference scheduled on March 8-10, to celebrate the theme, “Enhanced Knowledge and Skills, the Retooled Public Librarian” for this year's Public Library Day.

The National Library sponsors the activity to raise awareness among public librarians on new developments in the library environments, for public librarians to gain insights and skills that are applicable in their workplace, and to update them with issues and trends relative to the practice of Philippine Librarianship. The first session of the seminar will focus on “Public and School Library Management” which Cruz will discuss. In the second session Professor Salvacion Arlante, Librarian of UP will discuss “Collection Development with Emphasis on Local History. In the third, Myrna F. Acedera, city librarian of Cagayan de Oro City will discuss “Descriptive Cataloging and the Basics of Classification”.

For Session 4, Professor Edgardo Quiros, ITC of The National Library will tackle “Indexing, Abstracting and Bibliography-Making”.

Session 5 will focus on the “Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials” by Professor Salvacion Arlante, librarian of University of the Philippines .

Other topics will be on “Information Technology” by Professor Quiros, “Reference and Information Services” by Professor Fe. Abelardo, chief of the reference division of The National Library, the “Library Services for Children and Special Patrons” by National Library Director III Flora A. Valmonte, the “Public Relations in Libraries, including Code of Ethics” by Lawyer Antonio M. Santos, chief librarian, of UP Law Library, “Issues and Updates on the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI)” by Susima L. Gonzales, president of PLAI.

A demo will also be given on “Access to EBSCO Complete Academic Package On-line Full Text Databases and product demo by C & E Publishing House, Inc.

Participants from outside Bohol will be arriving here on March 7. Registration of participants starts at 7:30 a.m. of March 8. Then the opening ceremonies will follow at 9:00 a.m. Vice President for Academic Affairs of Holy Name University, Fr. Romeo P. Bancale will lead the invocation. Cruz, director IV of the National Library will give the opening remarks, while Governor Erico Aumentado will give the welcome address. National Commission on Culture and the Arts Chairman Ambet R. Ocampo will give the keynote address. Mrs. Corazon B. Garcia, president of the Bohol Librarians Association (Bola)will explain the mechanics of the seminar. Members of the BOLA, Inc. will host a fellowship dinner on the first day at the Bohol Tropics. Then the participants will be have fine time at the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River Cruise and Sagbayan Peak .

A registration of P3,000 is collected from each participant for the conference kit, conference papers, lunch and snacks for three days, tour expenses, and honoraria for the resource persons. Participants from Bohol will have to pay P2,250 only if they choose not to join the tour. Those who registered on or before March 2 can enjoy a discount of ten percent on the fees. BOLA, Inc. led by its president Garcia, who is the director of Holy Name University Library, co-sponsors the activity. Garcia and Bonifacia Cloma will serve as coordinators, while the following committees were created to facilitate the activity: Registration Committee chaired by Fatima Belderol as assisted by committee members, Orvyn Orcullo, Grace Orbeta, Fe Eter and Simfrosa Baloco, Documentation Committee chaired by Nicandro M. Pagaran, the vice-president of BOLA as assisted by Cecilia Samson, Nemia Dahab, Rosario Pabulario and Ana Mainit, tour committee chaired by Lilibeth Buslon as assisted by Ursina Datoy and Rodelyn Manlangit.

l