PACO CATHOLIC SCHOOL - 3RD WEEK
- CHRISTIAN NOE BONGALBAL
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 8
(FEBRUARY 03 TO FEBRUARY 07)
A. MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES
Like my previous weeks, I continue to do reference and circulation tasks I truly enjoy. I could engage in a deep conversation with students as they asked me to draw them and teach them how to read. Also, what I truly enjoyed in this part was planning for our Valentine’s Day event. That was something that I was looking forward to as I saw the event led by our seniors last year. Thus, all of us put in our effort in planning for this year’s celebration. I was also assigned to the program rationale, drafting of publication materials, and event mechanics. I also helped cut and design the butterflies that will be used for the event. However, this week’s highlight was when we went to Colegio San Agustin-Makati. There, we had our benchmark, in which I learned so much about their practices and their grade school library.
If I were a student there, I would love to visit the library as it was so appealing and conducive. I also met one of our seniors at PNU, Sir Russen, who introduced us to their huge and comprehensive collection. It was such a great experience, comparing their library to PCS and critically examining what practices PCS-IMC may adapt to their institution.
B. LESSONS LEARNED This week, I have been able to realize how challenging the profession is. It started to sink into my mind that we are noble and responsible for providing for the needs of students, especially during their inquiries and library questions. I am also starting to feel “separation anxiety” as I have established a relationship with my supervisors and the students. I have a student that I truly like since he rarely visited the library, and as I approached him, he told me that he liked me there as a librarian and he was excited to visit me every day.
This is the proof that Prof. Wilma has mentioned in our previous term that the school library is the most fulfilling type of library. Also, during our benchmark activity, it has come to my attention that it is necessary to conduct such activity as it opens the mind of the institution and the librarians on how are they going to improve their services. This week, I also learned the importance of having the support of the administration on whatever plans and progress of the library, especially if it focuses on digitalization and embracing the technology. This has been the major concern of librarians in PCS-IMS and was discussed during our benchmarking activity.
C. BEST PRACTICES/BEST FEATURES OF THE LIBRARY
As this week has ended, one of the major practices of the PCS-IMC that I have observed is how librarians value Events and Program celebrations. Miss Arlyn, Sir Darren, and Miss Mari have given us enough time to prepare, plan, and distribute the tasks. However, there is a concern that we, interns, have experienced as we became reliant that led to us being pressed for time. Luckily, we made enough arrangements to finish our draft proposal. Also, I appreciate the continuous assistance and visitation of John and Johann in the library. As a teacher-librarian, it brings me so much joy to see LWDs participating in the library. Something that I think and advocate for that should be more visible, not just in PCS-IMC or school libraries, but also to public, special, and academic libraries. Lastly, the benchmark activity was just the cherry on top for this week. My co-interns and I enjoyed it. It was such an awe-inspiring experience for us pre-service teacher-librarians, who might want to work in a school library in the future, to learn, observe, and become familiar with how big and advanced institutions were being managed.
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