COC news BEAT

PUP Library (NALLRC and the Satellites)

Campus Beat

           

EDITED BY: BABY RUTH

Six libraries in Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa, Manila were facing problems due to lack of budget and other things needed to sustain the main and the satellite libraries that were really needed by the students who use books and other sources from it.

            The College of Communication, College of Law, Hasmin, Graduate School, Laboratory High School and College of Engineering are satellite libraries under Ninoy Aquino Library Learning Research Center that was located inside the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Mabini Main Campus. Because of the distance of other PUP extensions, the administration came up with the idea of building libraries in different colleges and buildings. Libraries are supposed to be a source of rich and plenty information, but it seems that this is the major problem of the main and satellite libraries.

            The NALLRC is the main library in PUP. This was the largest library in Southeast Asia in terms of structure, but not as big as an information source because the books and other facilities that are lacking. That is one of their main problems.

There are also problems such as lacking of knowledge in using the library stuffs like card catalogues, etc. There are also other students and faculties that do not return books, which is why books are getting insufficient. The NALLRC also lacks in computer sets, not to mention that the “Athena” library computer system was not prioritized and was not continued because of the said cause.

“Budget kasi talaga ang kailangan namin, pero ngayon, kumukuha kami ng supply ng books sa National Library at saka i-a-adopt na namin yung system nila para mas mapunan naming yung mga pangangailangan ng mga estudyante” said Mrs. Ismaelita Narciso, the Chief of Social Services.

            If the main library has its problems, the satellites also have their own inconveniences. In the College of Communication Library which is headed by Ms. Cherry Landicho, the library opens late and often closed, the books were not allowed to be taken home and there are some books in the National Library that are not yet delivered in the college. In Hasmin library, their problems are the students that do not know how to use the library. Even some graduating students using it were not able to return the books they’ve borrowed. And the beautification of the library depends on the students and faculty who wanted to beautify it; this was from Ms. Leonida Llover, the college librarian. The problems on the Graduate school are mainly the space of the library because for the masteral students, the library is not spacious and also has insufficient books.

            “We really wanted to make the library as spacious as possible, pero alam niyo naman na walang budget, buti na nga lang kahit kulang yung mga libro,” stated by Ms. Avelina Lupas, the librarian of Graduate School.

In the College of Law, their main problem is the noisy environment, the broken door that can be a way for the books to be lost, the students who do not return books and the exclusivity of the books, because outsiders are not allowed to read books inside the College of Law Library as stated by Ms. Emily Mendoza, the College of Law Librarian. The College of Engineering and Architecture also has problems like insufficient books, the books required by the professors are not found in their library, lack of computers, lack of book shelves and budget. This was proved by the CEA Librarian, Ms. Sonia Amigable.

“’Yung ibang High School students kasi hindi marunong gumamit ng library, minsan nga hindi nila alam na may process pala ang paghiram ng libro, at saka budget din talaga ang kailngan namin dahil kulang ‘yung mga libro” stated by Ms. Bless Mendoza,LHS librarian.

As Miss Mendoza have stated, their problems are the students who do not know how to use the library and the budget.

We have observed that the main problem of all the libraries in PUP is the budget because they cannot make an action without budget in their hands, they cannot produce more books without budget and they cannot make the libraries more spacious and beautiful without budget.

If they have these problems, they’re also doing everything to deal with these issues. In NALLRC, they coordinate with the National Library by adopting their system for easy access and stuff like that. They also get books from National Library to facilitate the shortage of books. In College of Communication, their library is accepting donated books to have their shelves be supplied. The Hasmin library is said to be beautify by the faculty teachers who volunteer, and accepting donated books. The Graduate School dealt with their issues by acquiring books that is centralized or coming from the Main Library, they are also accepting donated books from other societies in the school. The College of Law library, CEA and LHS library dealt with their issue by accepting donated books like the other satellite libraries.

Regarding the dissemination of their information, NALLRC announce their activities through “E-Library” and they post their information on how to use the library on their bulletin board. The College of Communication Library disseminate their information by posting it on their bulletins and discusses it in freshmen orientation like the Hasmin and LHS library. In the GS Library, they also post their information on their bulletin boards and the librarian said that the masteral students know what to do on their library. The college of law library have their list of title books for easy access. Lastly, the CEA librarian said that they disseminate their information verbally because they are the one who is responsible for locating books for them.

The main and satellite libraries in Polytechnic University of the Philippines can handle problems well even though they are lacking of budget and other facilities. Students and other faculties just have to cooperate so that the librarians and other staff can take good care of the books and other facilities in the library. But still, it does not have to end like that, because even though they can give solutions to their problems, the PUP administration still has to provide enough budgets for the books and other facilities to serve the students and other people as well.