2007-2008 Accomplishment Report

by Roderick B. Ramos
St. Michael's College-Laguna


PNU-LISAA, Inc. is a very young association. It is only an eight-year old group of PNU LIS alumni members.

It also tries to be one caring alumni group to help provide both alumni and non-alumni an exceptional line up of professional activities which can deliver authentic learning to all – library & office personnel, faculty and LIS students, and alumni members as well.

Good Afternoon.

This year has to end and please agree with me that PNU-LISAA, Inc. is ending 2008 with winning streaks as an alumni organization.

In behalf of the PNULISAA Executive Board, I proudly present to you the following accomplishments for the year 2007-2008.

SCHOLARSHIP GRANT

Our first scholar (also last year’s scholar), Ms. Johanna Jayne S. Tacus, won first place with her classmate-team mate Donna Lyn G. Labangon in the recently concluded 17th LIS Wizard competition held last November 24, 2008 at the National Library with opponents from UST as 2nd placer, UP as 3rd placer and other contestants from AUP, BSU, BU, PUP, and UE. This year, the Association submitted an amount of four thousand (P4,000.00) pesos to the Cashier’s Office of the Philippine Normal University intendedly for Tacus through the generosities of the this year’s pillars of the Association’s scholarship namely Cayaban, Celedonia R. (DLSU, CSB), Ladlad, Jocelyn (DLSU); and Nera, Corazon (PRC). Tacus served and did secretarial work and assisted in some occasions of the Association.

Your annual care means a lot to our LIS scholar Ann!

Ann is 3rd year 17 year-old LIS student this year. She said that she’s thankful that she can study and truly grateful for this scholarship. “With your help, I will finish college and in turn, help my family too. I promised myself that I will do my best. ”

PRC BFL Corazon Nera said in her letter:

“I believe in the Association’s noble objectives in realizing my dream to elevate the status and image of the profession by recruiting the best potential librarians imbued with good work values and high ethical standards.”

MEMBERSHIP/ ALUMNI DIRECTORY

There are more than 1,402 documented alumni names in the roster of PNU LS alumni in one blog (http://librarysciencealumniofpnu.blogspot.com) I keep. It is a partial/unofficial list of Library Science graduates of the Philippine Normal University taken from the souvenir "Library Science Golden Jubilee (1957-2008)" of the Department of Library and Information Science of PNU with the theme: THE PNU LS PROGRAM THROUGH THE YEARS under the leadership of Dr. Linda M. Tayona with Dr. Maria A. Orendain, University Librarian.

Last year, Montejo, 2007 president reported a total of 178 alumni in the general membership, active or not, while this year, 2007 Executive Board made only a handful of less than a hundred (17) plus it’s during this year that the Association started to collect 150 pesos for membership fee.

NEWSLETTER

We have two issues of the PNU-LISAA Newsletter. The first one featured "Library Science Golden Jubilee (1957-2008)" of the Department of Library and Information Science of PNU with the theme: THE PNU LS PROGRAM THROUGH THE YEARS.
Elnora Conti was outstanding librarian as the Department’s choice while Mrs. Zarah Grace C. Gagatiga, a pride of her batch in 1994 (Xavier School library chair) served as the celebration’s speaker. The Association financially assisted the Department. (food & speaker’s stipend)

This has reminded us about the career talk at DLSU with 2008 BLIS graduating class of the Philippine Normal University, consisting of 3 male and 9 female students. They attended a roundtable career talk at the DLSU EDRC Multi-Purpose Hall with Library Director Ana Fresnido as lecturer on February 29, 2008.

Fresnido explained and showed her expertise as an alumnus and a practicing librarian through an informative Powerpoint presentation and for this she received a certificate of recognition for her support to PNU-LISAA, Inc. in its mission of assisting Library Science graduating students in shaping their career paths in librarianship by serving as lecturer to the Association’s Career Talk program-activity.

In another occasion, Ladlad and I, your president, attended PLAI meetings at the National Library (March 4 & September 17). The alignment of seminars, workshops, etc. of each association was the main objective of the meeting and Library and Information Services Month. PNU-LISAA, Inc, also, enjoined to give an amount of P2,000.00 as donation to the Philippine Librarians Association or PLAI approved by its Board of Trustees during its second meeting on March 8 as its official response to PLAI’s Resolution No.9, Series of 2007. Other library organizations like ASLP, MAHLAP, PAARL, PATLS, etc, were also represented.

PNU LIS Prof. Ruben P. Marasigan and Librarian IV Evelyn P. Nabus of Pamantasan ng Marikina officially accepted their roles as advisers to 2008 officers of PNU-LISSA, Inc. Nabus is the Association’s 5th president and former officer to public librarians’ association while Marasigan is former chief librarian of the Philippine Normal University. Both of them are first years’ incorporators of PNU-LISAA, Inc way back in 2001.

Both Eileen D. Magadia of DLSU-Lipa and Flordeliz Siochi of NCCA resigned from their positions as board member and secretary, respectively, due to health reasons. Elsa Guarino of Lyceum-Batangas was considered for the former’s position but declined for the same reason and was replaced by Jocelyn Haling of St. Michael’s College-Laguna while Elvira Reyes of St. Paul College-Paranaque replaced Siochi beginning June 1.

Library Tour and Forum

PLAI and TJIC Director Ryza Alenzuela opened their doors to PNU-LISAA, Inc. PNU-LISAA, Inc. acknowledges generosity of both The PLAI Office and TJIC Director Ryza Alenzuela in accommodating its participants to the forum: Handling Donations and Exploring Web Sites last May 13, 2008. Forum participants were given more than 15-page handout of free online resources consolidated by Mrs. Consuelo J. Estigoy (Chief Librarian of Eduardo L. Jose Memorial College) and were encouraged by TJIC staff and Ms. Jocelyn Ladlad of ASRC-DLSU to set up their own American Corner or begin with an American Shelf for countless online information sources through their lectures. TJIC Director Alenzuela iterated her support to both libraries and librarians and also advised the participants to write the Thomas Jefferson Information Center or TJIC to serve them well.

Seminar-workshop

Fifty-eight (58) seminar-workshop attendees crowded the conference room of the Edilberto P. Dagot Hall – library building of the Philippine Normal University for “Library & Information Literacy Power Packages� of the PNU-LISAA, Inc. – a caring alumni group and were wowed by authentic speakers last September 10-11, 2008.

Two (2) LIS students registered – Nelah Miado from the University of the Philippines and Johanna Jayne Tacus from the Philippine Normal University.  Tacus is the Association’s scholar and president to one PNU LIS undergraduate society.
40% or 23 LIS alumni of PNU with three LIS faculty namely University Librarian Dr. Maria A. Orendain, Prof. Ruben P. Marasigan and Prof. Miguel M. Cobaria were in attendance.

The planning we made in Dona Jovita Resort in Laguna in May and the teamwork we have had resulted to a more fruitful year for the Association. Kindly congratulate each one of us and extend a hand to everyone as your way of appreciating what we would like to fulfill as a caring alumni group and that is, long life to the Association and good health to every member, paid or not paid!

Thank you very much and enjoy the 8th year of PNU-LISAA, Inc.