A Reflection on Archives and Records Management

By: Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

 The Society of American Archivists (SAA) defines an archives as a place where people go to find information. But rather than gathering information from books as you would in a library, people who do research in archives often gather first-hand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other primary sources. From this definition alone, we can initially comprehend how relevant and archives is to all of us, especially to future learners.

I really appreciate the purpose and mission of an archives because it preserves and safeguards the records and documents that have historical, cultural, fiscal, administrative, and enduring value to make them available for future endeavors. When we talk about an archival institution nationally, we have the mother of all archives here in our country which is the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP). This institution is really a big help to our country because it aims to augment transparency, public responsibility, and genuine governance. Furthermore, what I like about this establishment is that it upholds freedom of information (FOI), provide access to official records, and preserve and popularize Filipino cultural heritage so that we can make these relevant records available to the next generation.

Since this archival institution is a national establishment, the primary clienteles of the NAP are the Filipinos. As what its mission says that it aims to promote freedom of information, it should be open to the public. Those Filipinos who want to conduct research studies or other educational related activities, the NAP is the perfect place to visit and explore. I, myself is dreaming that someday I can explore the place for it will be a great achievement for me if I can step my feet there. You know I am passionate about my craft that is why I am so eager to navigate more about Library and Information Science, specifically in the field of archives and records management.

I am so amazed because NAP has also an official website that is very useful especially to those who cannot go directly to the place. While navigating the pages of the website, I was surprised because there is a lot of useful information you can access like archival records of the Government and other primary sources pertaining to the history and development of the Country.  You can also find there the list of records that can be traced back to at least the 19th Century when the Spanish colonial government and the American colonial government in the Philippines. It also embeds the General Records Schedule of the Government. Aside from its Records Management and Reference Services, it provides Technical Assistance and Continuing Education services to the general public. When it comes to content, I commend the website because it embeds relevant and historical documents that are useful especially when you want to conduct research or just do some educational related activities. It is really an excellent site because it promotes information literacy and upholds freedom of information.

When it comes to the services offered, what I really love is that it offers various services like Archives Preservation, Archives Collection, and Access, Records Management Services, Reference Services, and Technical Assistance and Continuing Education services to the public. The site is easy to navigate or browse. I find it easy to locate every feature it provides. Though there is a little bit of difficulty that I have experienced at first, I still love the site because it is easy to navigate. Overall, the site is very useful and relevant, especially in today’s generation.

I want to commend Ma’am Aine Mecisamente for her efforts in sharing with us more about archives and records management. I have learned a lot from her. I am so happy that she chose this topic because, in my master’s studies, Archives and Records management is one of the subjects that I have to conquer in the first semester. Our instructor for that subject is Prof. Annabelle P. Acedera. She is one of the exceptional and brilliant professors at Lourdes College. She has a lot of ideas and interesting facts about our craft that is why I am also excited to attend our class. What is also amazing about the subject is that we got the chance to explore different archives and museums in Cagayan de Oro City. We have already visited the City Archives of CdO, Archdiocese of CdO Archives, Capitol University’s Museum of Three Cultures, CU Art Gallery, Xavier University’s Museo de Oro, and the Museum of Cagayan de Oro City.

I want to share something about my experience in the City Archives of CdO. Last July 20, 2018, the whole MLIS 108 together with our instructor, Prof. Annabelle Acedera visited the amazing City Archives of Cagayan de Oro City. It was a very wonderful experience because I got the chance to experience what it feels like to be in an archival institution. I have learned a lot because during my undergraduate studies, our instructor only tackled the concepts and we did not get the chance to visit an actual archival organization.

From the first area alone, you can see so many things that are historically valuable because there are photographs that are displayed like the photos of the former city mayors. There are also photos showing the significant and historical events happened here in Cagayan de Oro City. The archivists there also assisted us in order for us to be aware of the existence of this archives and the records and documents it houses.

          The most exciting part was when we went inside. I saw boxes or compilers and what came first on my mind was that those boxes are non-acidic and they contain significant documents. The archivist explained to us that these resources must be preserved that’s why they give extra effort in handling them. They must protect these resources for they are rare and sensitive to agents of deterioration. They must follow the preservation measures and policies so that they can prolong the life of these materials.

As I have said on the reflection that I wrote last time that, I dream to establish an archives in my workplace, Saint Michael College of Caraga. In addition, in the Evidence-based Librarianship Scenario that I made, I really focused on the establishment of an archival institution in SMCC. I want to scan and evaluate SMCC’s available records and documents. SMCC alone has documents and records like the memorandum of agreements, permits, accrediting agencies certifications, written historical reports, development plans, important institutional manuals, relevant documents of the former administrators, and many more.

Moreover, I believe that the Saint Michael Church has massive records and documents like files on congregations and conferences, Church historical resources, church publications, memoirs, records on evangelical proceedings, bibles, and other important religious documents and records. These records and documents are worthy to be preserved in an archives that is why if given a chance, I would really love to do it. With the help of my fellow librarians and our administration, I know this dream will be realized. I know that what I have learned from my professors will be very useful and I am so exhilarated to apply all of the concepts, approaches, and ideas that I have accumulated from them, in my workplace, Saint Michael College of Caraga. 

How to Evaluate Internet Sources?

As a Readers' Services Librarian, I am bothered of how students assess every information source they access online. It's really alarming that there are some students who will just easily copy and paste information without considering its authority, accuracy, validity, and recency. There is a lot of dogs out there and you know it's hard to identify what is fake and not. With that, I would like you guys to check these following links for you to be guided on how to effectively evaluate information sources on the web...

• Building Sustainable Collections of Free Third-Party Web Resources June 2001 (Louis A. Pitschmann. Council for Library and Information Resources.)

• Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources (University of Southern Maine Library)

• Criteria for Evaluating Internet Resources (Aleteia Greenwood. Science and Engineering Reference Librarian. University of British Columbia.)

• Critical Evaluation of Resources on the Internet (University of Alberta Libraries)

• Evaluation Information Found on the Internet (The Sheridan Libraries of the Johns Hopkins University)

• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to apply and Questions to ask (Library. University of California, Berkeley)

• Evaluation of Information Sources. [PDF format: 39.3 KB/4 pp.] (World Wide Web Virtual Library, maintained by Alastair Smith)

• How Should We Look at Internet Information? (Hope Tillman, Director of Libraries, Babson College.)

• The Internet: Window to the World or Hall of Mirrors? Information Quality in the Networked Environment (Jack Solok)

• "The Six Quests for the Electronic Grail: Current Approaches to Information Quality in WWW Resources." InReview Informatique et Statistique dans les Sciences humaines (RISSH)", 1996. No. 1-4. Centre Informatique de Philosophie et Lettres, Universite de Liege, Belgium, pp.45-71.

• Testing the Surf: Criteria for Evaluating Internet Information Resources. (Alastair G. Smith), The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 8, no. 3 (1997). (Refereed Article)

• Technomonitor: What is Credible Information? by Donald T. Hawkins. In ONLINE Magazine, September 1999.

You can also follow these useful link:

Evaluating Internet Sources

References:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/beonline/selectbib.html

http://catawba.libguides.com/c.php?g=459566

A Reflection on Accreditation and ISO Compliance

By: Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

     

      Why institutions should be accredited and certified? This question would stir our mind when we’re asked about the importance of accreditations and certifications. I think there are two words that should be considered: Efficiency and Effectiveness.

          
     As defined in the presentation of the lecturer, accreditation provides and maintains continuous review with the goal of raising academic standards in addition to improving minimum standards set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). With that definition alone, we can understand that it is really a “must” to undergo accreditation and certification in order for an organization to function effectually based on the standards, requirements, and mandates.

     So what is the role that librarians should play? Of course, when there are endeavors that an organization undergoes, the library as the heart of the institution must be considered as one of the factors that would affect the accreditation processes and results. I strongly believe that if a specific learning institution would take its library for granted, there will be a big tendency that it will not prosper and surely, it will not be triumphant in any accreditation it will undertake. The librarians keep and safeguard the important records and documents that will serve as pieces of evidence that would prove that a certain school is positively doing its part when it comes to instruction, research, and extension.
         
     In the article of Prudence W. Dalrymple entitled “Understanding Accreditation: The Librarian's Role in Educational Evaluation”, she emphasized that librarians are involved in accreditation because the provision and utilization of library resources and services influence the quality of the students' educational capabilities and progress. With that, the administration and even the institution as a whole should support the library in terms of the procurement of necessary resources and establishment of state-of-the-art facilities that can cater with the educational and research needs of the 21st-century library patrons.

     As a librarian, I am aware that accreditations are like labyrinths. It is so hard to find the way out because it is too complicated, critical, and comprehensive. I know how it feels like when you are involved in an accreditation because the library is always bombarded with lots and lots of tasks like facing the paperwork, meeting the requirements, preparing the existing and lacking records and documents, having abrupt acquisitions, answering questions and defending what you have and what you are doing. However, librarians are trained to handle colossal responsibilities. Others think that we are just into simple tasks like organizing books, without even knowing that we have this immense role in the success of every institutional endeavor.

     Bennett (2009) stated that accreditation is a rare opportunity for progress not just of the physical environment and resources but also the professional and economic status of the library personnel. I think that it is indeed true that the library has this ultimate role to stir the accreditation process. With the wholehearted desire of libraries and librarians to augment the quality of learning, every learning institution will surely have an edge to conquer any accreditation as long as all of the departments will work together to achieve their common goals. Moreover, libraries continuously innovate in terms of embracing the greatness of Information Technology by automating or computerizing their functions, services, and facilities to cope up with the increasing needs and demands of the modern world.

     In my workplace, Saint Michael College of Caraga’s Learning Resource Center, we really see to it that we follow the standards and comply all the requirements since we are already ISO 9001:2015 certified. The procedures and processes that are approved by ISO must be strictly observed because even though the school has the certification already, it does not mean that we are free to get wild again. 

    Being ISO certified is not just about the recognition and popularity, it is more of a responsibility that a certain learning institution must heartily commit to itself to be able to provide quality education. I can say that our Learning Resource Center contributed a lot for that success even though there was a finding that we failed to control the loss of books in the LRC. Because of that finding, we realized that we must focus on that matter. We created an intervention or an action plan to solve the problem and we presented that during the audit. In addition, we need to improve our inventory and monitoring of library materials so that we can effectively identify if there are problems like missing books. Moreover, the management approved the intervention that we suggested. We are so grateful that we now have a Safety Officer to monitor the entrance and exit of the library and to safeguard any resource inside the milieu. As of now, the library is doing fine and the safety officer is performing well on her duties.

     Since I am the Readers’ Services Librarian, I was tasked to make the documented procedures manual for Circulation Process for students, faculty, staff, and special researchers, and the utilization process for Discussion Room and E-Sources Room. For the circulation, it covers the borrowing and returning of library materials and its objective is to ensure that all materials/resources in the Learning Resource Center are controlled and monitored and the inventory shall be conducted every year during summer. For the utilization of Discussion Room and E-Sources Room, it focuses on the process for inquiry of availability and reservation for discussion room and e-sources room and the process for scheduling for the utilization of the discussion room and e-sources room. The objective is to guarantee the appropriateness of the process and procedures in the utilization of the Discussion Room and E-sources Room. I also identified the issues, risks, likelihood, severity, and controls or mitigation. It was really tough but I found it as a challenge that is why I really did my best to prepare the needed evidence. With the help of our Library Director and colleagues, we successfully compiled all the requirements.

     The lecture of Mr. Alon really made me recall the struggles and efforts that we have done in order to conquer ISO. I also learned other things related to accreditation and certification. I am so happy as well that Lourdes College is now ISO 9001:2015 certified. It is just a manifestation that LC is giving excellent education for the students. As its MLIS student, I am so proud to say that I made the right decision to have LC as my training ground to update and upgrade myself as a librarian. I feel so privileged to study in an ISO certified learning institution and to work in an ISO certified school. I feel like I am an internationally competent student and employee.

     As of now, we are preparing for the PACUCOA. We still have to gather all the documents needed for the accreditation. I am now excited to apply what I have accumulated during the ISO audit and on the lecture of Mr. Alon. I know ISO is different from PACUCOA but I think that there are similarities when it comes to the requirements. Still, you need to provide shreds of evidence like a list of the resources, statistical reports, and other important records and documents that support the instruction, research, and extension. Indeed, librarianship isn’t fun if there are no accreditations and certifications that libraries and librarians must surmount!

Writing Research Papers: Do’s and Don’ts

Prepared By: Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

I know you know that we want to submit a superb research paper. If you want your efforts will pay you off, you better consider these Do’s and Don’ts in writing research papers…

Of course, you absolutely need RESOURCES!

BOOKS

Do you want to find a specific book in our LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER? You can access our Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) without a sweat!

Online Public Access Catalog

An online public access catalog (OPAC or simply library catalog) is an online database of materials held by our libraries. Users search a library catalog to locate books and other material available at our library. In simple language, it is an electronic version of the card catalog. OPAC is the gateway to the library's collection.

Basic Search Procedures

1. Search in a variety of ways: Keyword, Title, Author, Subject, and Series Title

2. Type the word/s, Enter, and Find results.

Search Tips:

■ Finalize topic, check to see what is available first.

■ Check the Circulation Section to see if the material is available.

■ Think like a thesaurus! Try “Child rearing” instead of “Child raising”.

■ If you are unable to find a category in a keyword search, try just using one word. The more words you put into a search, the more limited it is.

Staff Assistance:

The Library Staff are available to assist patrons on basic computer procedures in using the OPAC and finding library materials.

IF NOT BOOKS, WHY NOT ELECTRONIC RESOURCES?

Remember: GOOGLING is NOT RESEARCHING!

 GOOGLE IS SO MUCH EASIER BUT…

We have the GALE VIRTUAL REFERENCE LIBRARY that offers our users an award-winning, hassle-free eBook experience—anytime, anywhere, and on any device. GVRL, Gale’s eBook platform, provides comprehensive support from many of today’s top publishers!

Just Ask the Librarian on how to access it!

We also have List of Open Access Online Journals, Databases, and other Sources!

You can also use the GOOGLE SCHOLAR!

• Google Scholar   

Instead of “Google”, Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites.

DON’T FORGET TO USE CREDIBLE WEBSITES!

WEB SITES URL Endings:

These are most of the URL endings you will find throughout your online research:

• .gov = Government Web Site

• .edu = Educational Web Site

• .org = Special Interest Groups (intended for non-profit groups)

• .com .net .biz = Commercial Web Sites (use these with caution)

• .name = Personal Web Site (Do Not Use!)

NO TO FAKE NEWS! 

Bibliography/Works Cited/Resources

Don’t you ever forget to acknowledge the authors! Cite properly! Respect Copyright! Avoid Plagiarism!

If you want to generate a citation (any style) as easy as 1,2,3, you can use these two sites:

http://citationmachine.net/
or
http://www.easybib.com/

You can also watch these very short but informative videos for you to be enlightened more about Plagiarism!

https://youtu.be/k3Lwlfy5FHM
http://library.acadiau.ca/sites/default/files/library/tutorials/plagiarism/

Reference: https://www-nhs.stjohns.k12.fl.us/media/research-dos-and-donts/

Google Images

Photos:
 From: http://www.spencerauthor.com/taking-research-to-the-next-level-in-project-based-learning/

Photo From: https://www.123rf.com/photo_49156415_stock-vector-happy-cartoon-pencil-bring-a-book.html

http://www.hopeinstituteofbengal.org/opac_list/

Because Google is Never Enough!

Feeling anxious?

...Because you don't have enough sources for your assignments, projects, research studies, and other educational related endeavors. 

Worry no more! 

This is a list of online resources for you to browse and navigate! SMILE coz life is not as hard as you think!

LOCAL
1. Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas	The BSP monitors and compiles various statistical series on monetary, financial and external variables useful for the formulation and analysis of monetary, banking, credit and exchange policies.
2. Chan Robles Virtual Law Library	This website is known to be the "Home of the Philippine Online Legal Resources." It "features on the world wide web its Comprehensive Electronic Library on Philippine Legal Resources."
3. Philippine E-Journals	The Philippine E-Journals is an expanding collection of academic journals that are made accessible globally through a single web-based platform. It is hosted by C&E Publishing, Inc. a premier educational publisher in the Philippines and a leader in the distribution of integrated information-based solution which includes e-Learning products, library automation, and interactive media systems and online library resources containing databases, e-Books, and online journals.
FOREIGN
1. ADB Statistical Database System (SDBS)	The Statistical Database System (SDBS) is the Asian Development Bank’s central statistical database that stores macro-economic and social data of its developing member countries (DMCs). The SDBS data come from statistical contacts that are mostly national statistics offices and central banks of the DMCs. SDBS also store data from other international organizations' databases and websites.
2. American Memory	American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
3. Bartleby.com: Fiction	Bartleby.com provides the best works of fiction from a wide range of classic authors.
4. Bartleby.com: Non-Fiction	Bartleby.com publishes a diverse and intelligent nonfiction corpus, including many works of political and social history.
5. Bartleby.com: Verse	With thousands of poems by hundreds of authors, Bartleby.com offers one of the largest free collections of verse on the web.
6. Bartleby.com: Reference Books	Bartleby.com combines the best of both contemporary and classic reference works into the most comprehensive public reference library ever published on the web.
7. Beech Tree Publishing	Free full-text access to a collection of Beech Tree Publishing publications like Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Outlook on Science Policy, Politics and the Life Sciences, Research Evaluation, Science and Public Policy.
8. Biography.com	Bio is about real people and their real lives.
9. Biomed	BioMed Central is an independent publishing house committed to providing immediate open access to peer-reviewed biomedical research. All original research articles published by BioMed Central are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication. BioMed Central views open access to research as essential in order to ensure the rapid and efficient communication of research findings.
10. Gateway for Free E-Journals	Access more than 700 Free E-journals covering Subjects like Business & Managment, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, General Works, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Library Science, Life Sciences, Material Science, Mathematics, Media and Communication, Physics & Social Sciences.
11. Highwire Press Free Online Full-text articles	HighWire Press is the largest archive of free full-text science on Earth!
12. J-Stage (Japan Science and Technology Aggregator, Electronic)	J-Stage (Japan Science and Technology Aggregator, Electronic) In order to support the information transmission function of user organizations, the "Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic" (J-STAGE), developed by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), set up the hardware and software necessary for electronic journal release within JST to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By taking advantage of the hardware and software, the user organizations are able to computerize bulletins of academic societies and research papers currently appeared with ease and at low cost. Computerized documents can be accessed from anywhere in the world with this system. This project also links up with the National Institute of Informatics (formerly the Ministry of Education National Center for Science Information Systems (NACSIS)).
13. CERN Document Server	CERN offers full-text preprints, articles, books, journals, and other documents of interest to persons working in particle physics and its related areas.
14. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)	J-Stage (Japan Science and Technology Aggregator, Electronic) In order to support the information transmission function of user organizations, the "Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic" (J-STAGE), developed by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), set up the hardware and software necessary for electronic journal release within JST to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By taking advantage of the hardware and software, the user organizations are able to computerize bulletins of academic societies and research papers currently appeared with ease and at low cost. Computerized documents can be accessed from anywhere in the world with this system. This project also links up with the National Institute of Informatics (formerly the Ministry of Education National Center for Science Information Systems (NACSIS)).
15. Free Medical Journals	Promotes access to medical journals over the internet.
16. Computerized Index to Philippine Periodical Articles	Computerized Index to Philippine Periodical Articles
17. BookBoon	Bookboon's free online textbooks for students are focused and to the point. They are all written by highly respected professors from top universities in the world and cover topics such as economics, statistics, IT, engineering and natural science.
18. The eBook Directory	The biggest directory of free eBooks Online
19. Open Culture	The best free culture & educational media on the web
20. Questia	Enjoy a selection of over 5,000 public domain, classic and rare books for free! You can search them by title or keyword, or browse them alphabetically.

You can also try this:

• HERDIN

URL: http://www.herdin.ph/index.php

Description:

Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN) database is the national health research repository of the Philippines.

HERDIN database provides quick and easy access to more than 50,000 citation and bibliographic information from published (Philippine health research journals, conference/convention proceedings, International databases and publications) and unpublished (research institutions research projects and reports, thesis and dissertations) health researches in the country. Citations may include links to full-text content from publisher websites or downloadable at HERDIN.

REFERENCE: https://www.ue.edu.ph/manila/library.html?page=library&link=open_database
Photos: https://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic1/research-essays-evaluating-online-sources/