LibrarJuan Writes!

By Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

Writing is my passion and I always consider it as art. It serves as my sweetest escape from this tormented world. It's also my weapon to conquer the unconquerable. Honestly, there are so many things in my mind that need to be unleashed and I strongly believe that writing is my only way to organize my fiery thoughts.

I would love to share with you some of the literary pieces (poems and short stories) that I wrote when I was still part of Southern Collegian, the official student publication of Southern Christian College, my beloved alma mater.

.......................................................................................................................................

SHE'S LINA INVERSE

 My love story is just so preposterous;

I met a lady and she is extraneous.

She has dark skin but she walks with no flaws;

She has pale lips but she puts shiny lip gloss.

She is so exotic but very flaunting,

She’s foxy, crafty, artful, wild, and cunning.

She looks formidable but still appealing;

Yes, she rocks and her beauty is stunning!

Believe me, even if I am crazy and I’m a stalker

Even if I’m addicted and I can’t stop loving her,

They saw it’s mawkish but I know its hunger;

I hunger for her love and it tastes bitter…

Then I asked her if she wants to be my girl,

She just laughed so hard like a mean joker;

She just walked away after a long chatter,

She just broke my heart and made me suffer.

My story is just so ridiculous

That lady I met is really fabulous,

She’s so cute and cuddly like a platypus

I still love her though she looks like a fungus!

...........................................................................................................................................

SHE'S MY FLOWER AND I'M HER BEE

Before, I used to walk alone, bullied and treated like a fool

And so, I hate the fact that I must go to school,

I just cried in the open field!

And I prayed to God that my fate will change.

In my first day of journey to college,

I’m an aquarium fish in the ocean,

I met strangers and this girl too

I met a friend and she’s not a foe!

She’s there when I’m in my darkest hour,

She’s there when I’m out of power,

She’s now in her way to make a living,

And I’m still in the shadow of the sun’s rising.

If only she could read this,

She will know that she’s the one,

My one and only girl friend;

My one and only best friend.

......................................................................................................................................

NINJA

Naunsa man ning atong gugma?

Naglibog gyud ko sa atuang duha.

Gapangagot man gud imong papa,

Mahadlok ko kay ginasigahan ko niya ug mata.

Nganong dili sila gusto nako?

Gwapo ug buotan man unta ko,

Sa imoha ako aduna’y gusto

Sa paghigugma sa imoha, seryosa raba gyud ko,

Kalisod ba aning sigeg tago,

Nahimong ninja sama ni Naruto,

Sobrahan ra gyud sila ka-istrikto

Mas honest pa man ko kaysa kay Honesto!

Imong mama galagot sa akoa,

Imong papa nihulbot ug espada;

Ako nidagan, hastang hadluka,

Balik lang ko kay mag-biko ta!

Sige lang ah, magtarong ko’g eskwela;

Ipakita gayod nako sa ilaha, bisag sa akoa wala silay gusto,

Nga ako matinud-anon kanimo,

Ikaw ra gyud mao’y akong gihigugma!

.......................................................................................

RHAPSODY

I.       Floating in the placid air so light and fair,

Defying gravity in the atmosphere,

Reaching the lewd skies without doubt and fear,

Watching the fireflies as they spark and flare;

II.     Ceaseless fall in a frightening barranca,

Swaying with the rhythm of a sweet sonata,

Writing freely this extended fantasia,

Tracking the lost vessel called cornucopia;

III.    Sometimes, a hideous serpent would just nigh out,

Its body is slithery and stout,

It is mysterious and has no whereabouts,

It is horrible; I could not move my mouth!

IV.     It is neither enchantment nor delusion,

They say it’s just a form of premonition,

Some would say that it’s just a false perception,

Yes, it is just a dream—a mere illusion!

....................................................................................................................................................

YANG

Going to school isn’t an exhilarating routine for most of the students. Only a few of us consider it as a hobby. Yes, I honestly love being in school not for the enthralling lessons and activities or the gripping allowance, but because there is someone I am athirst to meet every day. She is different. She’s one of a kind.

Anyway, I’m Gray, the campus crush. Nah, just kidding! I’m actually a geek, nerd, weenie, or whatever! Why on earth they consort me with piteous bookworms? Is it because I am a super fan of weird eyeglasses? It’s not my fault to be visually impaired, man. Is it because I’m wearing outlandish getups ridiculously? It’s my mom’s preference and my dad wears the same.

Oh, I know exactly why! I’m a consistent dean’s list-er. I’m a quiz bee master. I’m terribly the chairperson of the GEEK CLUB!

Now, that’s awful!

But, you know what… There is someone I consider as my one and only chum. She’s amenable to hear my ultimate nuts! She gives me then adjurations. She understands me and the whole thing about me. She’s Yang and she’s young too. She’s really solicitous, unlike those juvenile tykes who tease me always. They laugh at me like I’m some kind of an insane lad!

 Am I crazy? I’m just a wonk, not a funk.

Oh well. I would be considerate as always since my buddy wants me to be nice to all even if they treat me like a fool. I’m cool.

Yes! Finally, I’m here! School definitely rocks!

Wait… Where’s Yang? Usually, she waits for me near the school entrance. This is woeful! I missed her like for two days.

Saturday…Sunday…

Today is Monday and I wretchedly want to see her!

Aha! I have a good idea. I’m going to call her.

But, she doesn’t have a phone. How will I suppose to call her if that’s the case?

Oh no… This is absolutely absurd! Are you thinking of what I’m thinking?

Missing someone this bad could be a sign…That could be love. Love?

Dude… No way! Did I just say…?

Never mind. We are just… FRIENDS!

I wonder where she’s at right now. Hmmm… I can’t help myself but hanker for her. I have to see her…
I need to see her...
I'm scared...
The teachers are...

(Someone knocked him out)

(Mozart song playing)

(One hour later...)

What happened? Where am I? What is this place? Yang?
Where are you, Yang? I need your help… Yang!

Those obnoxious bastards wearing white uniforms are coming for me. I have to hide.

They torment me… torture me… revile at me like I’m a complete brain-sick!

They biff me hard and slap my face. Bam! Bogs!

It hurts so badly, Yang! Please… I’m scared… terrified…

I’m honestly begging…Get me out of this horrendous cell!

All I can see is white, nothing but white. White paint in the wall… Everywhere…

Why am I here? Yang, where are you?

They’ll inject me that slimy liquid again! The needle hurts…

Please... Help me leave this dungeon.

I’m not crazy!

I’m not craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzzy!!!

Yang! Yang…. They’re coming!!!

........................................................................................................................

ZED

“No one must know who I am. No one must know my real story. No one must know my secret. No one must know… or else…”

Hi! I’m Zed. Let’s just say I’m a happy-go-lucky guy and I’m a Fourth Year Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management student of Southern Country College (SCC). I really love foods and I wanna marry them! Though I have a huge craving about foods, I am awesomely not fat. I’m actually fit. Yeah. Girls love brawny hunks so I work out in the gym regularly. 

Aside from munching, I also love partying and bar-hopping. I like to go out with my buddies and have some shots. The nights are my days.

Night time means fun time!

“Honey… The sun is really scorching hot today. Bring your umbrella and wear your hoodie. And oh! Don’t forget to wear your sunnies!”

Oh, that’s my mom! She’s a really really really protective mom! She manages my dad’s small businesses. Oh, I forgot to tell you… My dad is dead… 
My mom told me that he was stabbed by a drunken man… Blah blah blah… 
It was a very long story… Anyway… I have to go now. I don’t want to be late. Late? Oh no! I’m late!

“Mom! I gotta go…”

“Okay… Take care… Don’t let the sun bite you… I love you, honey!”

“I love you too mom!”

School time!

Speaking of school… Darn! I so hate school! I’d rather sleep than hearing the maddening voices of our teachers. I don’t understand why I need to go to school. I mean, I can live without it. If it wasn’t for mom, I would not give a damn about it. My mom is my motivation. Look at me now! I’m on my senior year. Oh yes… I’m almost there!

By the way… I notice that SCC has a lot of hot girls. I don’t know why these ladies are insanely addicted to me. I hate science but I am now starting to believe that there’s a magnetic force and I’m the magnetic field. Well… It’s in my blood. My mom said that my dad was a chick magnet. Of course, his son has his blood. What do you expect? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

“That ends our class today! See you next week. Have a great weekend everyone!”

Finally… TGIF! Nightlife! Tonight is going to be a bloodbath! Oh yeah!

Home Home Home!

“Honey… Are you going out tonight?”

“Yes, mom! I want to drink with my buddies!”

“Bring with you your brother… He’s thirsty…”

“Sure… He’s going to have some real fun!”

Yes. I have a brother. Didn’t I tell you something about him? Never? Oh, I'm so sorry... My bad! He’s Liam. Tomorrow is his 18th birthday and I want this night to be his first! 

Hey! Yes. You! Who else do you think is reading this story? 
Can you do me a favor? 
Please… It’s for my brother. 
Can you be his first? 
I mean… Can you be his “first blood”? 
No?
Oh, come on! You don’t have a choice anyway! 
I’m coming for you. 
Probably, my brother is… 
Remember the first paragraph? 
The intro… Does it ring a bell?

“No one must know who I am. No one must know my real story. No one must know my secret. No one must know… or else…”

...........................................................................................................

PROCLAIMED (SELF)

He’s cool and absolutely boy-next-door

He’s so smart and shiny like a waxed floor

He walks like a splendid man of grandeur

He talks much like a cute and lordly actor

I love him so bad; I could kill just for him!

He’s the sweetest man with that fierce violin

His smile is so addictive like cocaine

His charm is magnetic, He’s Wolverine!

I wonder why he’s definitely handsome.

Yes, his mom and dad are terribly awesome!

Hey! That man I love is inside the mirror!

Oops! That is me—the narcissistic actor!

LibrarJuan's Way of Fighting Back Against a Basher!

            This Facebook post of Jake Abella really pissed and triggered me!

FYI: It's Bachelor of Library and Information Science, not BS Librarian, you fool!

Actually, modern librarians and information scientists wholeheartedly embrace the goodness of Information Technology. We also have skills in IT because our libraries nowadays are computerized and automated. Some of us know how to code or make programs already. We are also knowledgeable about different systems and online databases! We are trained to effectively and efficiently manage, organize, preserve, retrieve, and disseminate knowledge and information to our clients. We don't only manage books, dude! We are also trained to organize different resources in various formats (Books, Periodical materials or Serials, Audiovisual materials, Online/Digital/Electronic resources, government publications, and many more).

I believe you have a very limited way of thinking! I really don't know what is going inside of your pathetic brain! Don't you know that we are very important catalysts for instruction, research, and extension? Without us, your education will never be the same. Moreover, in research, we are expert in citations, bibliographies, and references. We are always part of the research team, Dude! Don't you know that?

Another strong point is that the schools/colleges/universities can't pass the accreditations and certifications (like ISO) if they don't have full-time librarians and well-established libraries. All courses and academic programs will absolutely die without us! You can't even open any course or program if without us!

Furthermore, don't you ever limit our career paths because we have lots and lots of opportunities after graduation. Aside from school and academic libraries, we also have public libraries (Barangay, Municipal, Provincial, City, Congressional), Special Libraries and Information Centers (ex: Law Library, Corporate Library, Library of Medicine, and many more), Archives, Museums, Digital Libraries, Records Management Office, and many more. I can't even mention all!

For your information, to be a full-blooded librarian or information scientist, we need to earn a Bachelor's Degree and conquer the Librarians Licensure Examination (With 6 brain-draining subjects for two days). We can also earn a Master of Library and Information Science with thesis and Doctor's degree with dissertation! Also, librarianship is one of the in-demand jobs inside and outside the country. We even receive a considerable salary. You don't have the right to say that we are irrelevant because you don't know anything about our profession!

You know what... You have a microscopic brain which functions so stupidly! I pity you, Sir! You are such a shame to your family and to this country! How dare you to insult these noble courses? Mangmang!

Why don't you read and comprehend so that you can enhance your mind just a little bit!? Or visit my blog and read my articles so you can learn more! Here's the URL: librarjuan.blogspot.com.

How to be an Awesome Librarian in this 21st Century?

By Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

Working with Significant Catalysts

Indeed, no man is an island. Librarians are expected to be great leaders and at the same time humble followers. Librarians can’t stand on their own that’s why it is very essential for us to learn to work prolifically with other people.

In the book entitled “The Atlas of New Librarianship” that is authored by R. David Lankes, it is stated there that librarians must acquire core skills such as the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams. In working with these teams, librarians should foster a harmonious relationship with other domains and paraprofessionals. Having a fruitful relationship with these individuals, librarians can do their responsibilities successfully and they can render reliable services to their valued clients.

Moreover, because of the differences that we have, it is also hard for us to work with these individuals. Librarians should understand the essence of diversity. We must be educated about the importance of harmonious relationships amidst social classes, political, religious, and cultural differences. Also, we must appreciate everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so that we can formulate possible strategies, programs, and activities that will augment the quality of our services. Thus, working with them will bring academic excellence, research development, and community progress.

            Effective communication is also a must in order to disseminate and deliver what are the necessary reports and messages that we want to convey for the betterment of our library functions and services. You know when we deliver effectively what we want to address, everyone will be informed and enlightened on the objectives and the goals that we want to attain. I believe that if all of us are good listeners, we can avoid conflict and misunderstanding.

            I just want to share something about my personal and professional experiences. As a Readers’ Services Librarian of Saint Michael College of Caraga, I have to work pleasantly with my fellow librarians, support staff, and student library assistants in order to efficaciously do my responsibilities and for me to provide the information needs of my valued library patrons. I also need to collaborate with the faculty and other members of the academic department for they have subject expertise. Moreover, when we procure library resources, we need to ask for their knowledge regarding the subjects they teach. We absolutely need their recommendations regarding what library materials to be acquired, that’s why we facilitate annual collection mapping and evaluation with their assistance. Also, I need to solicit bits of advice from my fellow Caraga Librarians because they also have the proficiencies that I don’t possess. With the helping hands of these significant catalysts, we can do the things that we think are impossible!

Coping with the Evolving Higher Education

            The evolution in higher education is quite a challenge to all librarians. It is a very serious disruption in our part as information professionals because it brings so many changes to our perspectives, approaches, methods, and systems. I think that it will mainly affect our functions and services because, in this new world of information, we should expect the unexpected! New things must be welcomed and embraced.

            When it comes to the curriculum, of course, there are major disruptions because, in this 21st-century world, information technology is dominating. Higher education is evolving and upgrading because it demands more. Physical classrooms aren't the only learning milieus we can have nowadays. Teachers can now do their instruction online. Actually, there is now a learning management system for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and corporations that enables users to create, manage, and share contents and resources. It is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that is a cloud-based platform that provides tools to manage any classroom and learning environment. I am talking about the Schoology.com. The teachers can now give assignments and other activities through this and they can also assess the performances of the students by using the effective tools that this technology provides. Schoology is just one of the massive online instruments that educators can utilize. I encourage them to deeply navigate and explore the world of IT. If only all Filipino teachers are positively willing to embrace what we have today, like in other countries, instruction here in the Philippines will be one of the finest!

        In the field of librarianship, our library functions and services are already influenced by IT through automation and computerization. As librarians, as I always mention, we must cope up with trends. We should really work hard to familiarize IT concepts and its applications. We must integrate what we have with the goodness brought by IT. We should not only focus on the traditional ways because, as of today, it is also very necessary to embrace emerging technologies for these tools will enhance the quality of service that we render to our patrons.

            According to Eric Jennings on his article entitled “The Relevance of Academic Libraries in the Twenty-First Century”, the major challenge for the 21st century academic librarians is to keep the libraries and the profession relevant to the users especially that Google and the Internet are on the peak. These noticeably affect the profession in different aspects. However, they are not absolutely threatening because there are now possible ways that academic librarians can do in order to stay significant throughout the twenty-first century. As librarians, we need to re-evaluate what we do and what we have so that we can cope up with the sudden changes that influence our library services and functions.

I have read a chapter in a book entitled “Reflecting on the Future of Academic and Public Libraries.” It conveys on how academic and public libraries should look and work like in the future. Of course, it is expected that there will be big and critical changes when it comes to the services and other library endeavors but as librarians, we need to be adaptive to these changes. There are many ways we can do like:

·         Examine the current state of the library, summarizing existing literature on the topic to sketch in the historical background;

·         Project into the future, using SWOT analysis, environmental scans, and other techniques to posit how library infrastructure (such as staff, collections, technology, and facilities) can adapt in the decades ahead; and

·         Construct potential scenarios that library leaders can use to forge paths for their own institutions.

I just want to add something about the responsibilities of an academic librarian. Dr. Marianita Dablio, our Master of Arts in Library and Information Science (MLIS) professor at Lourdes College, Cagayan de Oro City, shared to us in our class about knowledge management. It is now the newest trend in the field of library and information science. We, librarians, should now effectively organize and manage the knowledge that our libraries can provide to our library clienteles. We should efficiently handle every information or resource within our libraries so that the users can fruitfully use them in their academic or research endeavors.

Furthermore, I really admire Dr. Dablio for she’s very eloquent and proficient when it comes to librarianship and information science. I honestly consider her as one of the coolest seasoned librarians because of her brilliance and adeptness in the field. I am so fortunate to be an MLIS student of Lourdes College because the instructors/professors are conversant and adroit. It’s really great to have individuals who are really capable when it comes to our profession because you can really learn so much from them.

Indeed, it is really hard to adapt to these fluctuations but since we are awesome librarians, we are expected to be catalysts for change. We should not stumble. We should believe in ourselves. Let us be more open to new things. Learning mustn’t stop. Librarians must work hard to be always on the top!

References:

Hernon, P. & Matthews, J. R. (2013). Reflecting on the Future of Academic and Public Libraries.

            London: Facet Publishing.

Jennings, E. (2013). The Relevance of Academic Libraries in the Twenty-First Century.

Retrieved last November 14, 2018 from https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/65093/jennings_relevance_libraries.pdf?sequence=1

Lankes, D. R. (2011). The Atlas of New Librarianship. Retrieved last November 13, 2018 from

http://www.acikders.net/pluginfile.php/1874/course/section/940/R.David_Lankes_The_atlas_of_new_librarianship.pdf

Photo: https://www.sunfrog.com/5084907-63461087.html

Spying a Fake Online Info: Learning How to Be an Agent of Truth!

By: Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

According to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), critical thinking is a key skill in media and information literacy, and the mission of libraries is to educate and advocate its importance. It is really true that libraries and librarians play a very important role in battling fake news!

In this contemporary world, it is very alarming because there is a lot of individuals who can’t efficiently identify if the information they accumulate from the Internet is reliable or not. With that, as librarians who are tagged as information professionals and scientists, we should be the frontrunners of truth and transparency. We must familiarize the techniques on how to spot fake info.

As a Readers' Services Librarian, I am so curious about how students evaluate every information source they access online. It's really upsetting that there are some students who will just easily copy and paste information without considering its authority, accuracy, validity, and currency. As I always say, there is a lot of dogs out there and you know it's hard to identify who is fake and not.

Dr. Genaro Virador Japos, the President of the International Association of Multidisciplinary Research and the Founder of the Philippine Association of Multidisciplinary Research, mentioned that the only credible sources we can have in the web are the scholarly online databases which store peer-reviewed journals and other electronic resources. He also encouraged us to utilize the Google scholar if we want to identify the correctness of the information we access online. Furthermore, you can also visit www.harzing.com and download its software they named “Publish or Perish”, that can provide information about online papers and resources. It also presents resources to assist with academic publishing and the assessment of research and journal quality, as well as software to conduct citation analysis. This website has been online since 1999.

However, it is also important to avoid Predatory open-access publishing. Gina Kolata, an American science journalist and a writer of The New York Times, defined it as an exploitative open-access academic publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without providing the editorial and publishing services associated with legitimate journals (open access or not). The idea that they are "predatory" is based on the view that academics are tricked into publishing with them, though some authors may be aware that the journal is poor quality or even fraudulent.

Moreover, we should be very vigilant about the author/s of a certain article. We should determine their previous publications, the historical backgrounds of their works, educational backgrounds, and their affiliations. You can also use the Publish or Perish because it provides a quick evaluation to assess a specific set of academics for a large variety of functions. The creator advises everyone to not use it as the only evaluation mechanism. Nevertheless, it can be your last resort for it allows you to immediately lessen your options to a smaller group to assess in more detail. You can also utilize it to evaluate reviewers, examiners, keynote speakers, referees.

In addition, one factor to consider is the date of publication. Once the info is outdated or obsolete, it could be inaccurate. Currency is absolutely important when your research involves current events, focuses on topics that need current data and theory, and focuses on a specific contemporary era or event.

It is stated in the Website of Western Sydney University that in the information technology, medicine, and business, current information is mandatory. However, for some topics, the use of recent information may not be quietly required. Sometimes, it is necessary to consider the uniqueness of a topic or the in-depth analysis.

Moreover, human beings are considered to be critical and rational thinkers and that separates us from other animals. We are expected to think first before doing something. For example, the activities we do on the Internet (particularly on the social networking sites) such as sharing and posting without thinking if these posts, blogs, or articles are reliable or not. There are also misleading headlines or titles that others can’t digest effectively that’s why it is a must to analyze the content first and read beyond. It is also important to check the supporting sources or the list of references. The links often help you distinguish if the info is concretely supported by these sources. Also, be very careful about articles that are satirical, opinionated, and biased. Examples of these are lampoons and editorials that are not that factual and proven right.

Lastly, we should always remember that librarians are your human search engines and they are better than Google! The famous author, Neil Gaiman even said that Google can bring you 100,000 results and answers but a librarian can give you the right one. They are information scientists and they are trained to be meritorious when it comes to retrieving every resource. They know how to efficiently assess the accuracy, currency, authoritativeness, and validity of information! This is not an exaggeration. Librarians are always there as your academic and research supports! Don’t be afraid to ask them because they won’t bite!

Library: Society’s Threshold of Knowledge and Unending Possibilities

By Irah Marie A. Mananggit

From the classic and mundane interior to the innovated infrastructure, libraries still commit their fundamental function, to guide and give a home to the members of the society to cultivate their knowledge and cognitive capacity.

As Neil Gaiman said, libraries and librarians are frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and lack of imagination. People often perceive libraries as a mere room full of books, where in fact it is the threshold of profound knowledge and unending possibilities. A ‘boring’ book could actually open up a world of vast information and peculiar reveries. The librarian seating behind the desk is actually a superhero always ready to endow any educational data need.

Imagine an unembellished seed, it would not grow unless you expose it to sunlight, give it water, and bury it in the soil, sometimes it even needs fertilizers just to be sure. The same goes with every individual that has great potential waiting to be cultured in order to bloom, to reach its full ability to be used in any field of endeavor. The society is full of untouched seeds that only libraries and librarians could metamorphose to propagate into a beautiful garden of literates.

Libraries and librarians have already adapted to the new era of learning. Numerous offer electronic platforms for gaining new information, to enhance erudition, to educe what is possible within people. Hand in hand, let us understand that the only thing left to do is to recognize its capacity to make a little seed grow and bear the fruit of knowledge and establish the society's transformation flow.

Note: This is the winning piece of Irah during the Regional Essay Writing Contest for the National Book Week 2018. She got the second place among massive contenders in the Caraga Region. As part of the top 3 winners, she qualified to compete in the National Level.