July 1st this year marked two important milestones for the UP School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS): the celebration of its 60th anniversary and the swearing in of its 10th dean. The event was streamed live from the school’s official Facebook, YouTube and Twitch channels.
Productive pandemic. At 1 p.m., hosts SLIS professors Paul Jason Perez and Elijah Dar Juan began with the pre-show “Balik-Tanaw,” which recapped SLIS’ various initiatives and achievements in the year leading up to the anniversary, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These include lecture series #WebinarWednesday, For the Record and Coffee Break; the light-hearted four-episode series “Faculty Room,” focused on the SLIS faculty members and a segment on SLIS’ first ever virtual recognition rites.
In October 2020 SLIS held a joint webinar series with the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia (UiTM). Perez gave a talk on web scraping using Python while Dr. Farrah Diana Saiful Bahry of UiTM discussed web archiving.
Students were also able to create and publish their own webinar lecture series (livestreamed on the SLIS Facebook page) discussing concepts and aspects of digital scholarship as part of their LIS 198 elective, with each student conducting their own episode discussing topics such as guerrilla research.
SLIS@60. The program proper began with a short video memorial for SLIS faculty and staff who have passed in the past year, followed by an audio-video presentation depicting the history of the SLIS.
A flurry of congratulations and video messages from local and international affiliates were shown throughout the program, including current and former University Librarians, the Chairperson of the Board of Librarians of the Professional Regulation Commission, President of the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc., the President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Area Chair (Information Systems) of DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, UiTM and the School of Communication of the University of Technology Sydney.
UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, in his keynote address, said libraries “are central to the life of the University, because libraries help cultivate the culture of reading, the love of learning which are at the heart of what we universities do.”
New dean. Another highlight was the swearing in of Asst. Prof. Mary Grace P. Golfo- Barcelona as the SLIS’ 10th dean, over a year and a half after she assumed leadership in February 2020.
Barcelona earned her BS in Library Science from the then Institute of Library Science in 2002. By the time she earned her Master of Library and Information Science (major in Records Management and Archives Administration) in 2010, the institute had grown and changed its name to the School of Library and Information Studies. In 2016 Barcelona earned her Master in Archival Studies from the University of Manitoba, Canada.
The ceremony was done live during the Zoom call conducted especially for the event, with a live feed of Golfo-Barcelona swearing the oath to Nemenzo (representing UPD) infront of an image of the UPD mace.
In her message to the community, Golfo-Barcelona laid out several goals she would like to continue for the rest of her term: increase the SLIS course offerings such as the creation of a Master of Arts in Archives and Records Management and Master of Science in Information Science degrees; widen and strengthen the School’s linkages with other disciplines related to library and information science and forge deeper relationships among the school’s faculty, employees, students and alumni.
“Ang mga ito ay ilan lamang sa mga adhikaing aking isinapuso at isinaisip mula ng ako ay mahirang na dekana at siya ko ring magiging gabay sa natitira pang panahon ng aking pagiging dekana.
Nawa’y sa pagkakahirang na ito maipadama ko ang aking katapatan sa iyo, UP SLIS naming mahal at sa lahat ng nananalangin, umaasa at naniniwala sa pagpapalawig ng propesyon at ng SLIS,” she said.
Golfo-Barcelona also formally introduced the newest members of her college executive board: Prof. Yhna Therese Santos as college secretary and Prof. Jonathan Isip as graduate coordinator.
Among Barcelona’s projects is the construction and completion of the new SLIS building, taking over the location of the Institute of Biology’s old Zoology building along Quirino Street.
Her appointment was approved by the Board of Regents at its 1350th Meeting on Feb. 3, 2020 and took effect on Feb. 6, 2020. She will serve until Feb. 5, 2023.
Weeklong celebrations. This ceremony was the start of a week-long festivities. On Jul. 2, the school debuted its revamped, reader-friendly website and on Jul. 5, launched a digital exhibit that celebrates the milestones in SLIS history.
Jul. 6 is SLIS Students Day, where events were be organized and sponsored by their student organizations; on the Jul. 7 episode of their #WebinarWednesdays series were led by Golfo-Barcelona. On Jul. 8, there will be “SLIS Balik Tanaw,”. a gathering of retired and former faculty members and staff
Finally, two events will be featured on Jul. 9, the announcement of winners of the student poster making competition and a special Friyay Bingo: Reliving Traditions organized by UP Library Science Alumni Association.