DLSU LIBRARIES - 1ST WEEK
- CHRISTIAN NOE BONGALBAL
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 13
(FEBRUARY 17 TO FEBRUARY 21)
A. MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES
As one of the premier universities in the country, I felt so much pressure to be part of the lucky 5 interns trusted by the Philippine Normal University. That is why I made sure that I gave my best, starting this week, and I felt so fulfilled after doing multiple library tasks. I was assigned to the Access Resource Mangement section of the library for four days, where I was able to familiarize myself with their collection development and how acquisition matters. I had the help of Sir Kelvin, Sir Robert, who is the former president of PNU LISAA, Miss Kate, and Sir Kevin. I was introduced to their “Suggest a Purchase Form,” and I encoded and identified over 400 materials donated for the acquisition process.
Description: Cataloging and encoding in the Ex-Libris Alma.
On that same schedule, I was able to learn their cataloging practice and understand their in-house policy. With the help of Miss Jojie and Miss Roselle, I cataloged the special collection and encoded it in their system, which is the ExLibris. I also managed to experience using the Library of Congress Class Web, which is so expensive, and be reminded of the different types of cataloging I did, such as “for other edition (FOE)”, “addition to shelf list (ASL)”. Then, on my last day of this week, I was assigned to one of the sections in Learning and Resource Engagement, the Filipiniana Section, in which I first experienced assisting the students in the reservation rooms and answering reference queries. I also did some referencing and citation, and barcode scanning, with assistance from Sir Bob and reshelving from Sir Joel.
B. LESSONS LEARNED
Based on what I experienced, I can proudly say that I have learned a lot, considering that it’s just my first week here. First, it has solidified in my mind the importance of a “collection development policy” as it acts as the backbone for future collection and management of the library. It is also essential to have an exclusive in-house policy for the processes of your institution as it provides smoother execution of the tasks and easier transfer of information whenever there are changes or new staff. Also, my knowledge about Cataloging and Classification was refreshed by Miss Roselle, especially when it deals with multiple variations of collections and under literary works.
However, I also experienced a challenge this week in which a student misunderstood my response to her question, which led to minor inconveniences with the parties involved. I told her to not continue going to the Archives section of the library since it is restricted and has zero-usage for students, but, despite how clear my response was, she still went there. From that incident, I was able to grasp that as librarians, there are instances that are out of our control, and you should not let yourself succumb to stress and fear of failure. As per Miss Beth, it was part of the job, and it is normal.
C. BEST PRACTICES/FEATURES OF THE LIBRARY
I am in so much awe seeing how great De La Salle University Libraries are. At first, I was kind of scared since, unlike in Paco Catholic School, where we are all grouped, here at DLSU, we were assigned different sections individually, which I think was a pre-practice for the actual profession. Also, I consider their “Suggest a Purchase” form one of their practices as it can help the librarians assess and evaluate what material shall be procured next based on what the faculty deems essential for academic endeavors or what the students gravitate towards. Their integrated library system, which is the ALMA Ex Libris and the Animo Search, are top-notch.
I was able to somehow explore it and as someone who has not yet been exposed to that kind of ILS, it is overwhelming at some point as it has all of the modules discussed by Prof. Carlo and other professors, except an indexing module, making their library process efficient, particularly when I did the cataloging exercise I had. Miss Jojie and Miss Roselle made sure that I can learn the tools for easier cataloging, including the Cataloging calculator and the Library of Congress Class Web, which is a website to look for appropriate call numbers, authority control, and subject headings. Also, the way that librarians are not limited to the section they belong to is commendable. An example of this was Ms. Beth–she was assigned to the Periodicals Section, but she makes sure that she knows the processes of all of the sections in the Learning and Resource Engagement.
Furthermore, I can see the “Bibliotheca” self-check-in and check-out machine in the flesh, which develops students' self-reliance and independence when borrowing/returning books. During my time in the Filipiniana section, I was able to assist a student in how she could utilize the device.
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