The Library and Information Services Month is celebrated every month of November. Libraries in the Philippines, especially school and academic ones, celebrate it through different activities geared towards the promotion of reading and literacy. So what?
Honestly, upon seeing this year's theme "Pandaigdigang Pakikipag-ugnayan sa Pamamagitan ng mga Aklat at Impormasyong Teknolohiya at Komunikasyon", which was then translated into English as "Global Linkages Through Books and Information Technology", I was kinda confused and left asking:
How am I going to explain this to my dear students?
For one, I work in a school library that caters to LOWER GRADES students, meaning Junior Prep to Grade 3. And second, my students don't understand Filipino that much [and oh yeah, you've given it the translation and still ...]. How do you think am I going to convey the message in a manner that they would easily understand [which even I don't get the total message that we really want to convey]? I mean, when you were in Junior Prep, have you ever heard or have you ever been taught of the word LINKAGES and its meaning? I daresay NOT.
So, our planned activities commenced which included on-the-spot poster making contest, essay writing contest, and costume parade, which were dubbed iDraw, iWrite and iDress, respectively, among others. Almost all my participants chose to draw. There were about 50 of them asking me what the theme was and so I gave it to them, and their next question was "What was that? We don't really understand." So, I explained that [correct me, if I am wrong] it is all about connections across the globe through the use of books, ICTs such as computers, e-mails, blogs, cell phones, IMs, etc. and cooperation of libraries across countries. And that is how I understand it.
Given that situation, I want to pose this question directly to the Philippine Librarians' Association, Inc. (PLAI), [because I know that they are the ones who conceptualize our annual themes]:
What do you think is the main purpose of a theme?
(a) Is it merely to tell the world that we are also celebrating?
(b) Is it to brandish or brag your lexicographer's side?
(c) Is it to make people realize our role as librarians, the importance of libraries, networks, ICTs, in the simplest way we can and the easiest way that they would understand it?
(d) AOTA
(e) None of the Above
I suddenly recalled what my thesis adviser used to tell me during my undergrad years, "Always assume that your readers know nothing, so use simple, non-complex words." I just hope that the theme next year would be more simple and easier to understand yet so hard to forget.
November 25, 2010 at 10:39 PM
I-formal letter mo na yan! Parang Fully Booked. Pero sa Phil Librarians Assoc Inc (PLAI) mo ipadala, wag sa PLA. Heehee.
November 26, 2010 at 11:10 AM
sorry naman. I stand corrected, acshali iniisip ko nga kung may Inc pa ba dapat sya. heniwei. haha! thenks! at tama ka, i-pormal letter na tow!