THE MIGUEL de Benavides Library kicked off the 35th Library and Information Services Month with activities that seek to expand the role of libraries from a collection of books to a “center of connection.”
During the launch of the annual celebration, Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P. said that by promoting its traditional and innovative features, the UST Library could accommodate every student through its services and foster innovative ways to advance learning.
“The Library can enhance the excitement and adventure of the academic experience, foster a sense of community, and advance the institution into the future,” Aparicio, the Prefect of Libraries, said in his keynote address on Friday, Nov. 7.
The 400-year-old library must uphold its legacy in the physical and virtual space by adopting flexible learning and reading spaces that “inspire scholarship,” Aparicio added.
“I think, if it is to remain a dynamic life force, it must support the academic community in several new ways. Its space must flexibly accommodate evolving information technologies,” the priest said.
To promote its new online platform, the Miguel de Benavides Library will host an e-Resources Fair and Roadshow, where digital material providers would train students to use their databases from Nov. 12 to 14.
The Filipiniana Section will also host a competition titled “Wansapana-spine” until Nov. 22, wherein contestants will turn an assigned book they’re given into any expressive work.
“We’re opening the library [to the notion] that the library is a place not only just to study… You can be yourself in the library. There are no boundaries,” Filipiniana section head Lady Catherine De Leon told The Flame.
UST’s high school libraries will also conduct various competitions throughout the month, including a Rubik’s Cube competition and a roulette game.
In celebration of the 91st National Book Week, a book donation drive will be held for partner communities and libraries in Bamban, Tarlac. Thomasians can donate books from Nov. 17 to 22 at the drop box located at the entrance of the Central Library.
Festivities began with a game titled “MISSION: LibPossible (The Great Library Chase),” where students and staff collected stamps by visiting the central and branch libraries.
Other activities available in the central library this month include a reading area for mental health-related books in the Health Sciences area, a mini exhibit and creative corner in the Social Sciences Section and a podcast and video display in the Science and Technology Section.
The month-long program will conclude with a film showing on Nov. 26 and 27 organized by librarians and staff of the Music section.
November has been declared as the Library and Information Services Month under Proclamation No. 857 issued in 1991 to enhance awareness of the functions and services provided by libraries.
Carrying the theme “LACE UP: Libraries – A Hub for Cultural Exploration and Unity Through Partnership,” this year’s celebration is focused on bridging different communities and cultures.
All activities for this month are available to all students, academic and support staff in UST except for those hosted in high school Libraries. F
