To our distinguished Dean, dedicated professors and staff, our honorable guest speaker, family, friends, and fellow graduates, a pleasant afternoon to all of you!
Well, we finally made it! Congratulations to us! We accomplished another milestone in our lives. The diploma awaiting us is a testament of our commitment, determination, persistence, hardwork, and of course pride. We worked hard for this, but we are all aware that we did not do it by ourselves. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our parents who nourished and loved us unconditionally; to our relatives who prayed and gave words of encouragement; to our partners and spouses who inspired and never left our side; to our Dean who provided valuable insights to our study; to our professors who have shared their knowledge and thoughts in their field of expertise; to the library staff who provided us with relevant resources for our study; to all the people who helped us in any way they could; and most of all to God who never failed to listen and answer our prayers. On behalf of the graduating class of 2018, I thank you all!
Personally, I would like to thank Dr. Diljit Singh for sharing his expertise on information literacy. It was last year, 2017, when Dr. Singh conducted a seminar on the said topic. It was also the time when I am developing the information literacy modules for my thesis. I was confused and doubtful if I am doing the right thing. But thankfully, I was I was able to attend and listened to his lecture. It gave light to my almost faltering hope. Again, I thank you Dr. Singh! J
Reminiscing about our journey as MLIS students, there are a lot of words that can be used to highlight the experiences and challenges we have encountered. But I would only like to summarize it in three words: LEARNING, INNOVATION, and SERVICE.
LEARNING is vital to everybody, no matter what age or education one has attained. Learning can both maintain a healthy body and mind. It further enriches our being with things that ignite our inquisitiveness to know the hows, whats or whys of life.
It was eight years ago, when I decided to pursue my graduate studies in UP SLIS. Yes, you heard it right, eight years! It may have been long, but it is truly worth it! Those years have empowered my being personally and professionally.
Professionally, I have enriched my skills in selecting, evaluating, and organizing reading materials for children and young adults. I have obtained sufficient knowledge in developing literature-based reading and information literacy programs. I discovered new trends in media technology and information science. My knowledge in statistics has been augmented from mean, median, mode to z-score and t-test. I gave credit to our professors for all these learning.
As an individual, I have learned to accept rejection. According to Bo Bennett, “A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.” True enough as my first thesis proposal was rejected or should I say I was asked to “change topic.” At first, I was upset, felt lost, and discouraged. But then I realized rejection is one of those things that we all have to deal with at some point in our lives. Any kind of rejection, whether in love, education, or career is devastating, however it is healthy to accept that it is part of life, a test on our being. What matters most is that we acknowledge it and we find a way to get back to our perspective. So instead of sulking, I decided to start all over again -- think, observe, read, and research until I found the topic that led me to this momentous occasion.
I also learned to be more determined and persistent in chasing my dreams no matter how impossible it may seem. Having a master’s degree is not only a dream, but a promise my husband and I made to my parents. This is the primary reason why I did not change my surname after getting married, to honor the promise we made! Now, I am truly happy that I have fulfilled it! I am also thankful that I am sharing this special moment with them.
I also learned to embrace change. As we all know change is inevitable. It is a big part of our life. Every day we experience change whether in our academic life, workplace, and relationships. This is something we cannot avoid.
There were two significant changes in my life that I have gladly embraced. First, change of job. Upon graduating in BLIS I was hired as a librarian in Araneta Group of Companies. Working in a special library entails versatility. For two years, I have not only managed their library but also handled events such as painting exhibitions. However, to give way in my desire to obtain a master’s degree, I decided to quit and applied as a school librarian in Marist School, a private school in Marikina. It was not an easy decision for I have pretty well adapted to the unique set-up and have established good relationship with my colleagues. But still I took a leap of faith! There were feelings of doubt and uncertainty when I was hired as a school librarian. Doubt for I do not know if I possess the skill to become a good school librarian and uncertain for how this will affect my future. But, this change provided me with an opportunity to amplify my skills as a librarian. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. It even squeezed out all the creative juices within me.
The second was the change of status from single to married. As we experienced, graduate school is not meant to be a walk in the park, it is challenging for it involves rigorous tasks such writing reports, working on research projects, doing presentations and field works, completing paperworks, and of course writing thesis. For one to succeed, hardwork and commitment is needed. This goes the same with marriage. Marriage is not a joke for it entails burden of responsibilities such as doing household chores, descision-making, budgeting, and to some parenting. In order for it to work, hardwork and commitment is vital! That’s why maybe to some getting married while in graduate school is a terrible idea. Fortunately, it was different in my case. Marriage gave me a companion while going through all the challenges brought by graduate school. My husband was my stress-reliever, my motivator, and my inspiration. I can say that life-changing decision I have made four years ago have brought out the best in me!
INNOVATION is not only about developing new ideas but also improving existing ideas to achieve better results. Libraries innovate to adapt with change and improve existing programs and services. Nowadays, libraries are embracing new technologies to develop a more dynamic environment for their patrons.
The thesis/special problem we have designed/conducted is a good representation of an innovation. We did not only do it as partial requirement for our degree but also to explore new ideas in the field or to help particular institutions improve their existing programs or services. For instance, my thesis aimed to expand the K-6 library instruction program of Marist school by designing and assessing an information literacy program integrated to K-6 Marist School courses through collaboration with faculty members. The outcome of the study is currently used to enhance the current information literacy program of the said school and at the same time it can be used as guide for other schools who may want to integrate their library instruction in their curriculum.
Now that we have successfully finished our thesis/special problem, what’s our next step? Do we stop here? Of course not! The future is unpredictable and pace of change is unstoppable. Libraries as well as their users are constantly changing. One day, they might need exactly what we have to offer, and the next day, they might need something else. Hence, we must continue to innovate and explore. We must not stop thinking and creating programs that may satisfy their needs!
This leads me to my last word, SERVICE. Let us all remember that service is the core of librarianship. New technologies may have greatly influenced the profession, however, its central purpose remains the same, and that is to help people access and use information. Providing quality service is the reason behind our desire to learn and innovate. Therefore, as we go back to our workplace or face the reality of library life, we are challenged to continually develop programs that will adapt new technologies not only to keep abreast of current trends in librarianship but to further enhance customer experience in the library. In doing so, more patrons will visit the library instead of accessing information from rival sources such as search engines, online databases, video sharing sites, and social media. Thus, we make sense to the purpose of our existence – serve the people!
To conclude, I will once again reiterate the three words: LEARNING, INNOVATION, and SERVICE. Let us keep on learning, don’t deprive ourselves in equipping with necessary skills; do not be scared to innovate, explore ideas, and create programs; and always aim for excellent service. Bear in mind that these three words are vital in keeping LIS INVICTUS today and in the future!
Again, Congratulations Class of 2018! Mabuhay ang mga librarian ng bayan!
To our dear guest speaker, Dr, Diljit Singh, Dean, Professor Kathleen Lourdes B. Obille, College Secretary, Professor Benedict S. Olgado, UP SLIS Faculty and Staff, guests, friends, families, and parents, a wonderful afternoon to you all. To my fellow graduates, sa wakas we are finally here.
I am truly grateful and honored to the UP SLIS community for giving me this opportunity to present the Class of 2018 and speak here in front of all of you. I still remember the night I decided to write Bachelor of Library and Information Science as my first choice in the application form for UPCAT. When I was younger, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor and that I could care less what my “pre-med” course would be. I just knew that someday I would be wearing that white coat and I would treat and care for those who are in need. So someone from my family suggested to my father this course and then he told me “ito na lang, puwede daw siya for law and medicine. May board pa daw.” At first, I was impressed since that was the first time I heard of board exam for librarians, I asked “ano sinasagot doon, cataloging? Mga libro dapat memorize from A-Z?” and I also found the “Information Science” very interesting. Months passed, and I found out that I passed the UPCAT under this very course.
My start in college began with the implementation of the calendar shift. This was the period where we, as incoming freshmen, had a four-month transition from high school to college. During those times when I see my friends or relatives they would ask me where I would be attending college and what course I would be taking, the usual stuff. Whenever I answer their questions their usual reactions were “wow galing naman, UP” followed by “so paano yun magiging librarian ka lang?” I would always just smile and try to brush it off, but after sometime, I got tired of hearing those words and their responses. From then on, whenever they asked me I would just whisper the library part and put emphasis on the information science. With that I felt coming into UP and taking this specific course a little bit disheartened and also kind of confused. I always asked myself “mababang profession ba ito?”
“I LOVE BOOKS”
As I entered UP, there has also been a constant question of why I wrote Bachelor of Library and Information Science as my first choice; as much as I hate to admit it, my reason before was because “I love books.” In my honest opinion, I think this is one of the most clichéd answer there is when asked why one took LIS. However, through the years as we took on many majors and subjects related to this course, we realize that there is so much more than just “I love books.” In this profession, it is not only about how to fix or organize books, but it is also about cataloging, indexing, abstracting, management, coding, and so many more.
There’s more to it than meets the eye. So, I would like to answer what freshman Rhianne has been wondering, to that I say: “hindi ito mababang propesyon. Isa itong napaka progresibo at kagalang-galang na propesyon.” LIS can make us choose and take different specializations and tracks. Such as librarianship, information technology, archives and records management, health information, legal information, informatics, digital humanities, and data science. Just by mentioning these tracks, it can be seen how diverse and versatile our course is. No one should be ashamed nor disheartened because of taking this course and being in this profession. With the professors, subjects, and support we have, finally, we can say loud and proud, we graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Library and Information Science and Master of Library and Information Science.
INVICTUS
Every year, the graduating batch chooses a theme that starts with the letter “i.” This year’s theme, for the Class of 2018, is Invictus. For those of you who may not know what Invictus means, it is a Latin adjective that means “unconquered, unsubdued, invincible.” Not only that, as heard awhile ago, it is also a poem by William Ernest Henley that can showcase how despite the hardships, challenges, situations, and circumstances we face, if we continue to keep fighting and face all that has been given to us, then at the end we will be unafraid, unconquered, and be the masters of our fates and the captains of our souls. With the message of the poem and the meaning of the word, Invictus is the perfect theme that fits this batch.
We have been challenged by the nature of our profession, from people who belittled our course or the stereotyped image of a librarian being masungit and always wanting everyone to just be quiet; in spite of this, we still continue to stand proud and defend the LIS profession. We resisted them unafraid and faced them with we do best as information professionals – by giving them the correct and proper information and showing them what our course is really about. We are also dedicated and persistent in making others see the true value of librarianship and information in society and how much passion we have into molding it and making it better.
Through our stay here in UP, may it have taken four, five, six, seven, or even more than ten years; we have found a home in the LIS community. Coming from different backgrounds and pasts, may it be transferring from a different university or shifting from another degree, UP SLIS welcomed us wholeheartedly and with open arms. They shaped and assisted us in becoming better versions of ourselves. They taught us to think critically and look at all possible information available until we make a stand or decide for ourselves. We have faced so many challenges and difficult tasks, yet, here we are; with our guests, friends, families, and parents in our very own College Recognition. From the quatros we turned to tres, the INCs we completed, the many singkos we bounced back from, the late night cramming of a paper due tomorrow, the projects and readings we stayed up late for, the midterms and finals we studied hard for, finding that one bug that will not make your code work, finally understanding chi-squared test of independence, realizing there’s a difference with CPD and CDP, understanding (or trying to understand) Derrida’s work, understanding the art of cataloging, having an idea of what user context is, balancing our studies with work, life, friends and families, finding out Ranganathan’s full name and comprehending his five laws, making our annotated bibliographies and long RRLs, presenting our theses, and finally passing our bound theses to the UP SLIS Admin, to today. Our recognition. We can really say, we did it, we are invincible. We deserve to celebrate what we have achieved today and be proud of ourselves.
RECOGNITION
This is also a moment for us to appreciate those who have supported and encouraged us in reaching our goals and achievements. On behalf of the Class of 2018, we would like to thank the UP SLIS Faculty and Staff who aided us in accomplishing where we are today. Thank you as well to our theses advisers who have continuously assisted us and were very patient enough to wait, edit, and go through our drafts to be able to pass our bound copies and graduate. To our friends, relatives, family, and parents, thank you for being our main fans and supporters in reaching our dreams. I would also like to thank Sir Bono, my parents, lola, lolo and sisters for giving me their never ending support during my stay here in college. Thank you SLIS SC, FLIPP, Quiella, Rielle, Aldrin, Gem, and Frances, without you guys I know I would not have survived and had fun in this course, and to Patrick, thank you for being one of the sweetest surprises I had in my four year stay here in UP. Again, thank you to everyone, without each one of you, we would not be where we are today.
CONCLUSION
As this chapter of our lives is about to end and a new one is about to begin, let us continue to strive for honor and excellence in this field or wherever our paths may lead us. Let us not forget the experiences, may it be successes or failures, we encountered in our journey. Use those successes and failures as catalysts to push ourselves and reach our goals and dreams. As what was said in William Ernest Henley’s poem: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” It is all up to you on how you will be able to reach those. Congratulations to us UP SLIS Class of 2018! Thank you.