what is the impression of the library?
Since June 4, during the orientation we’ve already met with Mam Milagros Pasion. I also met with my co-apprentices from Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi: Sir Pepito and Muamar. I am always fascinated with the library and more so with the archives. When I was studying at De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, I’ve already touched based with the attached cultural offices to the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) such as National Library of the Philippines (NLP), National Archives of the Philippines (NAP), National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), National Museum (NM), Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) and of course the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). After I applied and got accepted as a NCCA cultural mapping facilitator, my interest was renewed when we took up social institutions and movable heritage. Yesterday, June 6 we were introduced to Mam Alice Esteves, the chief of the library and archives. She provided us a run through of the CCP library and archives: the archives section, technical room and audio-visual section.
what are the specific assignments given?
Last Tuesday, Mam Pasion told us apprentices that we would be coming with either an annotation bibliography or proposal for conservation and preservation of the library and archival holdings. Since the first week is not full, with the holiday and general orientation, we hope during the next three weeks there would be rotation so we would be acquainted with other areas and functions of the library and archives. I think I am assigned to library/archives collection management. While Muamar is going to deal with the organisation/ preservation/ digitisation of audio-visual materials. And Sir Pepito is given the task of collection/ staff development, automation database management and research methods with procedures.
what is learned?
I appreciate it much that we were given enough room to explore and discover on our own. I was able to see the drastic development from the inception of the center since late 60s to the present. I was able to see the CCP library and and archives division Manual of Operations. Likewise, I get to read the annual reports available online from 2009 to 2017. Over lunch, my co-apprentices informally propose to come up with a publication proposal on Sining Kambayoka if not an updated Mindanao Studies Annotated Bibliography. Meanwhile, I would like to focus on collections management, more specifically on collection development, conservation and preservation. When we get home, I think we can make something productive out of our month-long apprenticeship especially to our respective work and hopefully to the community. It is my life-long dream to establish a studies center with a library, publication and museum like that of the Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS), Center for Cebuano Studies (CSC) and Mindanawon Initiatives for Cultural Dialogue (MICD).