Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Cavite Provincial Library Goes E-Lib

by Emelito Rio / Cavite Times Journal, October 20-26, 2009
emelitorio@gmail.com

In an effort to modernize library services and afford the reading public, especially the students, the convenience of a fast, easy, unimpaired and free access to knowledge and information, the Cavite Provincial Library has gone E-LIB. Computers were installed in a room on the ground floor of the Legislative building to meet the needs of the modern times and keep abreast with the advent of ultra-modern information technology.

The project, which is the brain-child of Vice-Governor Dencito "Osboy" Campana and fully supported by Governor Ayong S. Maliksi aims to transform the present library into a world-class store-house of knowledge and information available and accessible to the Cavitenos, especially students, teachers, researchers, and other clients who could avail of the services via the use of computers.

"With this transformation, we expect our clientele groups to make avail of our library services designed to meet the requirements of the modern world. Libraries nowaday are not anymore confined to books lined in bookshelves available to readers through the use of card catalogues. Important news, significant world events, vital statistics, developments whether political, social, economic or scientific, and the latest breakthroughs in various fields of human endeavor like science amd nedicine will be available to readers in just a click of the "mouse". The world has changed and we must adopt ourselves to that situation, otherwise we will be left behind in our primitive ways, we will find ourselves lost in our own space and time", explained Campana.

Campana also said that there is a grand plan in the future to have a separate library, museum and archives building , not just a space in the Legislative Building. "We as Cavitenos have our distinct history, culture and the arts to preserve to present them as a showcase to our future generations . We can only do this if we can build, maintain and operate a single edifice housing all of these. This will contain all our historical artifacts, documents, writings, and boo/ks. This will be our gift and legacy to generations of Cavitenos ahead of us", said Campana.

This latest development in the provincial library is also in accord with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)/UNESCO Internet Manifesto Guidelines , an offshoot of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations which the Philippines is signatory. It aims to provide and guarantee freedom of access to information and freedom of expression among individuals, known as IFLA/FAIFE in international parlance.

The Internet Manifesto Guidelines are specific to internet access programmes in libraries and concern service policies and procedures that will lead to the implementation of the Internet Manifestos values in everyday library work. These guidelines are intended to offer guideline to library and information professionals, policy-makers and politicians in drawing up policies concerning public access to networked infromation in libraries . They provide a framework for implementation of polices guaranteeing freedom of access to information and fredom of expression on the internet as well as access to information held by cultural institutions such as libraries.

The Provincial Library is headed by Milagros Panganiban as Provincial Librarian,assisued by Connnie Villanueva, Librarian III who is currently pursuing her masteral in Library Science, Ma. Lourdes Guemo, Nerissa Monton and Charlie Garrido.

The Provincial Library is under the supervision of the Office of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan Secretary Jose de Castro.