Skip to main content

Topnotcher Review


Being in the library means I'm studying and watching other people study as well. I admire those who make the effort to deposit their bags and their phones in the corner away from the tables where they are reviewing.

Some give up after a few minutes and fetch their phones to take advantage of the free wifi and do some "research" online.

To make your learning through self-study more effective and your review time more productive, here are some topnotcher tips: These are also the basic tips I can share for would-be board exam examinees.

1. Organize your thoughts by drawing a simple mind map for all aspects of librarianship and information science. For example:

  • Concepts like reference transactions/interview, information sources, and Samuel Swett Green all belong to the main topic of Reference Librarianship; 
  • DDC, LCC, subject headings, Cutter tables, and RDA belong to the main topic of Cataloging and Classification. 
  • WiFi, Ada Lovelace, virtual reality, automation, library systems, MS Access, CMS, database management belong to the main topic of Information technology.
  • RA9246, RA6966, Library Organization, PLAI, PRC-BFL all belong to the main topic of Library Management. 

Why do this? -- This will help you divide your tons of thousands of BLIS notes/hand-outs into separate folders before you even start reviewing. In the beginning, they're all jumbled together into one pile of mess (in your head or literally). Remember that the LLE itself is divided into the main subject areas. This will also help you mentally condition yourself to pass each subject area.

2. Have a study time every day. A good study habit means you know exactly what time you will start reviewing and what time you will end your daily review. Even if you're attending review classes, e.g., Libraryanihan, you still need a time to synthesize and summarize, even if it's just 30 mins after your classes.

This way, you'll be anticipating your review time, and you can arrange the rest of your work/leisure around it. Studying also means no distractions (netflix or social media), no noise, and no food.

This will help you attain level of discipline to prepare yourself for crunch time, a.k.a., cramming time, during which you'll both be panicking and cramming simultaneously. You'll forget to sleep and eat, and you'll be dependent on coffee for a few days.

During this time, only your strict study schedule will make sense to you, and you may even depend on your developed study routine as a security blanket. Nothing's making sense, but you draw comfort from the fact that you're at least attempting to study more.


3. Take Notes
  • In two of my posts (PLAI Takeaways I and II, I demonstrated how I would take notes during a lecture.
  • The main line should be the topic being discussed, then below it, list the details in bullet points format. Here's the template:
(1) Topic
(1a) Main information about the topic (what, where, when, how, why - FAQs)
(1b) Supporting information - what else do we need to know, assumptions, unconfirmed reports
(1c) Question about the topic that can be answered by research or interview. 
4. Make a Bibliography
  • For each subject area you are studying, you should have several credible references that you go to for advice or to verify something. These can be books, serials, even people.
  • Organize your bibliography according to type. If these are websites, make sure you don't just lift off Wikipedia. List the name of the site along with the URL. 

5. Make a Who's Who / Trivia List

  • Any topic has a 'father' or someone who studied the topic intensively at one point in history. For instance, if the topic is "cats," who discovered them? Who was the person who coined the name?
  • This will spike your interest about your topic and make you more eager to study it.
  • This list will keep you from getting bored. 

6. Sound off to someone else

  • Talk at length about your topic with someone to synthesize your thoughts. You're picking the brain of someone.
  • This person you talk to may or may not be an authority in the field, but he/she must be as interested as you are, e.g., a classmate or professor.
  • If there is no one in your immediate circle who knows something about this topic, find specific interest groups on the internet, especially social networks. Forum communities are usual in the early 2000s, but now these have been replaced by Facebook communities.
  • Use hashtags to find people who are already talking about your topic on Twitter and Facebook. 








Popular posts from this blog

10 Benefits of Becoming a Board Topnotcher in the Philippines

Becoming a board topnotcher in the Philippines is a highly esteemed achievement that can have significant benefits for an individual's professional and personal life. These benefits span across various aspects, including career opportunities, personal growth, and societal impact. 10 Reasons Board Topnotchers are a Big Deal in the Philippines 1. Enhanced Career Opportunities : Achieving topnotcher status in board exams in the Philippines often opens doors to a plethora of career opportunities. Many employers, particularly in competitive fields such as engineering, accountancy, and law, view topnotchers as individuals with exceptional capabilities and a strong work ethic. As a result, topnotchers often receive job offers from prestigious firms, government agencies, and private corporations. Additionally, they are frequently offered higher starting salaries, leadership roles, and opportunities for advanced training and education. 2. Professional Recognition and Credibility : Topnotche...
Read more

Simple Way to Ask Library Users to Rate the Library Service

  Library users do not always share their thoughts on how the librarian or school can improve their library service. In fact, some won't ever, unless prompted. Soliciting their thoughts using a suggestion box is also not as good a strategy as it is predicted to be. After all, the blank piece of paper near the suggestion box doesn't really guide the user. I also noticed that users would only use the suggestion box if they have a complaint, but not if they just want to go about their business and leave.  There must be a more pro-active way to solicit users' opinion.  A simple solution would be to offer a short survey to measure how successfully users were able to complete some common activities in the library. This assessment uses the Likert scale, which is typically a five, seven, or nine-point agreement scale used to measure respondents' agreement with various statements. For example, the scale can range from "very unsuccessful" to "very successful."...
Read more

Weekly Facebook Reel Plan 010: Learning 90s Dance Moves

focusing on a single theme like "Learning 90s Dance Moves" can be a great way to engage your audience for an entire week. Here's a one-week reel plan with actionable steps for each day: Day of the Week Concept Execution Monday Macarena Demonstrate the basic steps of the Macarena, then perform the full dance. Tuesday Running Man Break down the Running Man into key movements, then show a sequence incorporating the move. Wednesday Electric Slide Perform the Electric Slide, emphasizing footwork and hand movements. Thursday Cabbage Patch Teach the Cabbage Patch by showing the arm and hip movements, then combine them in a routine. Friday Tootsee Roll Execute the Tootsee Roll, focusing on the hip and leg actions, then dance to the original song. Saturday Vogue Show the iconic hand movements of Vogue, then perform a short routine to a 90s hit. Sunday Roger Rabbit Break down the Roger Rabbit into its core steps, then incorporate it into a freestyle dance. Each day focuses on...
Read more

3 Ways to Make the Library a Civic Innovation Center

Libraries have always been more than just book-lending places. They’re public trust spaces, open to all, with no pressure to buy, perform, or belong to a certain group. In today’s fast-changing world, we can go one step further: we can make libraries civic innovation centers. That means transforming them into active spaces where citizens work together to solve local problems, grow ideas, and build stronger communities. Here are three simple but powerful ways to do this: 1. Host Community-Led Problem-Solving Events Many cities and towns face common challenges—unemployment, food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or poor digital access. What’s often missing is a neutral space where people can come together and think creatively about solutions. This is where the library comes in. Libraries can host regular “Civic Hackathons,” “Idea Labs,” or “Solution Circles.” These are not just for tech people. A solution circle, for example, can be as simple as a group of locals, librarians,...
Read more

Short Story: To What is Owed

  FANTASY   COMING OF AGE   FICTION In the stillness of the faerie woodlands, a low keening sound emerged from the dense vines of an old valete tree. A dryad was dying, and the entire forest knew it. The trees shuddered in sympathy, while the woodland faeries flitted in and out of the branches in distress. They whispered amongst themselves, fearful yet curious. It was always a great event when a dryad reaches his golden age and is in the precipice of being one with nature. The event is especially grand for a male descendant of an ancient Unseelie family. Usually, the event was celebrated with dancing and merriment. Sadly, a proper send-off was not in order, as the dying dryad had been in the throes of excruciating agony for days. Inside the tree, a crowd surrounded the old dryad.
Read more

Ilokano Folklore Art: Fabulous Traditions with Modern Interpretations

Ilokano folklore art refers to the artistic expressions and creative representations of the cultural stories, myths, legends, and traditions of the Iloko people, who are an ethnolinguistic group native to the northern Philippines, particularly the Ilocos Region.  This art encompasses various forms of artistic expression, including visual arts, literature, music, dance, and even crafts.  Visual Arts : Ilokano folklore is often depicted in visual arts, including paintings, sculptures, and textiles. Artists may create images of legendary figures such as Lam-ang (a hero in Ilokano folklore) or scenes from traditional stories and myths.  Literature : Ilokano folklore has been passed down through generations through oral tradition, and many of these stories have been documented in written form. Traditional epics, chants, and folk tales often serve as inspiration for Ilokano writers and poets.  Music and Dance : Ilokano folklore is also expressed through music and dance. ...
Read more

Better Library Shelfing by Colocation: Grouping Similar Items

As librarians, we've all faced the challenge of making the most of our shelf space. It's like a puzzle, figuring out where each book belongs so that people can find what they need without a treasure map. This is where colocation – or putting similar things together – comes into play. It's a simple idea, but it can make a huge difference in how we manage our shelves and help our library users find their way around. Let's talk about how this approach can make our libraries more user-friendly and efficient. Why Colocation Matters  Imagine you're looking for a cookbook. You go to the section where cookbooks are supposed to be, but instead of finding them all in one spot, they're scattered all over. Some are with the gardening books, others are near the science fiction. Frustrating, right? That's the problem colocation solves. By keeping similar items together – all the cookbooks in one place, all the science fiction in another – we make life easier for everyone....
Read more

Why Create a Homeschool Library?

  You need a homeschool library if you’re homeschooling your children.  Homeschooling has become a big thing in recent years, especially with the pandemic. It is difficult for parents to cope with the workload of tutoring their children, especially if they have mainly depended on the school systems to take care of their children’s educational needs. Fortunately, parents and guardians have plenty of support from various sources like social media groups and non-profit organizations that aim to help with the teaching part. Now, the resource part of the homeschooling journey is another matter. What should your library contain? A homeschool library should contain books that support the homeschool curriculum. These resources can be encyclopedias, dictionaries, fiction books, and others. Objectives of a Homeschool Library Like a school library, you need to build your home’s resource space with the following objectives: 1. To develop an awareness of the importance...
Read more

Lecture Notes on Philippine Toy Library, Collaborations, and Linguistic Diversity Campaign

Part I: Takeaways from PLAI 2018:“Connected Actions, Collective Vision: Libraries Transforming Society” 1. Lecture Title: “Philippine Toy Library” Website http://www.philippinetoylibrary.org/ Partnership page: http://www.philippinetoylibrary.org/donate-share-or-partner-with-ptl/ What is it? A special library built by partnerships between and among organizations Toys become tools to reinforce love for reading. Books and toys in the same space. Philippine Toy Library (PTL) transforms idle spaces in barangays, schools, parishes, and partner organizations into fun and educational playrooms for the children in the community. Playtime is associated with library time. The toy library’s popularity has become a beacon for national government agencies (NGAs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) to implement their own programs, e.g., “handwashing day at the PTL” and “storytelling at PTL by community leaders” Children are encouraged to read by being promised a toy after several visi...
Read more

Let us Teach Kids How to Become Lifelong Learners

  Lifelong learning is a journey that shapes who we are and who we become. It’s not just about formal education; it’s about embracing curiosity, the desire to grow, and the drive to understand the world better. For children, this journey begins with reading. Teaching kids to read isn’t just about helping them understand words on a page—it’s about unlocking a lifetime of possibilities. The Foundation of Learning       Reading is the key to all learning. When a child learns to read, they don’t just grasp language—they unlock the ability to explore any subject, from science to history to art. It’s a tool that helps them understand complex ideas, fuels their imagination, and gives them the confidence to tackle challenges. Reading is the doorway to knowledge, and by teaching kids to read, we give them the tools to explore the world with curiosity and independence. Reading Builds Confidence        As kids become better readers, they gain confidence...
Read more