Ruby Galvez, RL

  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."...

  ASIAN AMERICAN   HOLIDAY   PEOPLE OF COLOR A young twenty-something man was waving at people gawking at him in the parking lot while loading several pounds of burgers, loaves of bread, and cartons of beer into the trunk of our car. My boyfriend Tony was a sight to behold in any crowd, with his blonde hair and muscular build. But today, what was catching the crowd’s attention was his inside-out shirt, pants, and canvas hat.  I’m not too worried about people reporting my eccentrically clad hunny-bunny to the police. Rambling, crazy locals were normal for the day before the Superbowl when every adult in our town was on shopping duty. The crazier you looked, the less likely anyone would disturb you while you were taking all the beer. Only, today wasn’t a normal one for my crazy family, who we’re visiting for the Superbowl weekend.  It’s Backward Day, a tradition that our family kept going for as long as I could remember. Despite its name, it was not just one ...

Back in the University of the Philippines, it didn't take long for me to realize that most of what I knew about "studying for exams" in high school no longer apply. It was the first big exam after enrollment; the trial of fire. It was when each of the new students could get a feel of who among their compatriots are their competition. Because, to most of the freshmen in that school, everything is a competition.  So, a few days before the exam. I read and re-read the reference and my notes, and recited the material out loud. I took notes while I browsed the books. Everything I did in high school, I applied. But my final score was mediocre. To others, this would have been enough. But I wanted to know what else I can do, and even more badly, I wanted to know why my old study strategies didn't seem to work anymore.

In George Orwell's book '1984', we are transported to a totalitarian state that is uncannily like the very world we are living in. It's a politico-social novel that tells a lot about how power can be a dangerous thing when placed in the hands of a remorseless totalitarian government that punishes with impunity and rewards only those that cooperate.   It's so borderline non-fiction that many libraries have banned it a short time after it has been published. They say it's fear-mongering, but as many of us in the 21st century now know, it was somewhat prophetic. 

Why conduct your own research? I have often complained that many students now are spoon-fed, which means the information is available to them, collated and organized, and presented in the most accessible way possible. Then, I realize that I am a librarian, and I myself am responsible for collating, organizing, and making information accessible to users.  Does this mean I am spoonfeeding my users? No, I encourage research, but not haphazard research like a simple Google search of one keyword and end up opening just Wikipedia. I promote extensive research, and devoting time on it, even  if it's just for one topic.   Is conducting research worth it in this day and age?

  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.

  DRAMA   FICTION   TEENS & YOUNG ADULT Coming full circle usually meant going back to a place where everything started, after which, renewal is supposed to be possible. Self-overhaul is imminent. Alana wouldn’t have thought that going back to her hometown would be the best way to start changing her luck in relationships. “Well, damn.” Alana muttered as she looked at the dolled up shrubbery lining the driveway of her high school building. Reunions are good for lays, she’d always thought. But she reminded herself that she’s not supposed to think that way anymore.

Being the librarian in an independent research and reading library dedicated to the communities of the Northern Luzon, Philippines region and their global diasporas has its ups and downs.  On the plus side, our audience and guest traffic is eclectic, more so than any academic and/or school library can hope for. Eclectic they may be, but their priorities for going to the libary are nearly the same... to satisfy their curiosity and learn more about what makes this library special.