Philippine Journal of Librarianship and Information Studies

Cover and Table of Contents

PhJLIS — 2024-06-01

Staff Box

PhJLIS — 2024-06-01

Rethinking and Repositioning

Elijah John Dar Juan — 2024-06-01

In this age where data, information, and knowledge are premium commodities, standards, norms, and practices about information processes are challenged, information issues and concerns abound, and information institutions as social structures are shaken. The study and teaching of LIS have been standing at a pivotal crossroads since online technologies allowed access to information. We are compelled to reflect on the role of libraries and librarians, the philosophy, identity, and values of LIS, and the future direction of LIS theory and praxis. Like a living organism, it is necessary for LIS to adapt and evolve to survive successfully and not suffer extinction. Through our efforts, LIS will endure; it will remain relevant and indispensable in the years to come.

Employment Issues of Philippine Academic Librarians in the Private Higher Education Sector

Crizell Joy Garcia — 2024-06-01

Presents the current conditions of librarians employed in private higher education institutions (HEI) and their views on the ideal practice of every private HEI. Five cycles of employment were investigated: recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, career development, performance management, and training and staff development. Respondent librarians from private higher education institutions (HEI) were selected regardless of their rank, current employment status, gender preferences, and years of service. Results show that librarians in institutions supporting their well-being promoted high employee retention and increased job morale. Factors contributing to high employee retention include comprehensive salaries and benefits, regular salary increases, and transparent promotions. Factors related to job satisfaction and career development include honesty regarding work descriptions, job responsibilities and workload, service recognition, support for career and professional growth, and post-retirement assistance. A thorough review of the recruitment and selection techniques should be implemented, establishing clear duties and responsibilities of librarians through librarian and human resource department coordination. A living wage should be used as the baseline wage for librarians, and the employer’s support for professional growth, standardization of the performance evaluation scheme, and analysis of performance evaluation should be considered.

Evaluating Curriculum Quality

Joemar Sajona — 2024-06-01

The Library and Information Science (LIS) program is vital in educating and training library professionals in the Philippines. To further illustrate the embodiment of professionalism among librarians, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) promulgates the adoption of the National Competency-Based Standards for Filipino Librarians (NCBSFL). The Standards are used as a reference by all LIS schools in crafting and implementing curricula on librarianship. The Philippine Normal University (PNU) is one of the institutions offering a Bachelor in Library and Information Science (BLIS) program, which already follows an outcomes-based design. A curriculum audit was done to assess the alignment of the revised BLIS curriculum of PNU vis-à-vis the NCBSFL using its language. Basic and differentiated auditing, including a heat map, was utilized to identify gap/s. The audit covers only the LIS Specialization Subjects (Core and IT Courses), Elective Courses, Reading Courses, and Library Practice Courses. Content and linguistic analyses were used to facilitate the study, and a CQA form was used to document the mapping. Findings revealed that the BLIS curriculum is fully aligned with personal and professional competencies when analyzed using the language of the standard. Several gaps not addressed in the standard and partial alignments were identified.

Road to Completion

Kevin Vincent Enriquez — 2024-06-01

The article is a self-reflection of the author on his thesis journey. The author wrote about his lived experiences within the context of his enrolment in UP SLIS as an MLIS student who chose the Thesis track option. The purpose of this article was to document his positionality and show how it shaped his perspective on his research topic. The author notes four points of positionality that influenced his perspectives. First, the author noted that he is bound by the structures of UP School of Library and Information Science in the research classes and its programs’ Thesis writing requirement. Second, the author acknowledged that he had experienced a unique approach in his research methods class that may not be the same as what other classes have done. Third, the author has experience with having a “thesis buddy.” The thesis buddy was a classmate going through the same rigors, and they helped each other in their respective theses. In addition, the author also hoped to shed light on what LIS graduate students go through in writing their theses. The author highlighted two challenges: isolation and time and energy management. The author found that the Master’s thesis was designed as an individual endeavor that led to a feeling of isolation among LIS graduate students. The author also found that while time management is indeed one of the main challenges in thesis writing, energy management had more weight in limiting the progress of writing research.

Iberian Dreams, Philippine Colonial Realities

Liladhar Pendse — 2024-06-01

The colonization of the Philippines was a complex and lengthy process that led to the emergence of Spanish-language non-fiction and fiction literature in the archipelago. Filipino intellectuals, emerging from the Spanish-imposed education system, became a force against colonialism by producing Spanish fiction and non-fiction. Despite the shift to English during American colonization, Spanish-language literature continued to evolve, reflecting Filipino resilience. The Catholic Church significantly shaped Filipino society through the Spanish education system. This article focuses on themes of identity, colonialism, and aspirations for freedom found in Spanish-language works published in the Philippines or Spain, and the Filipino intellectuals who contributed to this narrative. Theoretical frameworks by Benedict Anderson and Partha Chatterjee provide insights into how Filipino authors used Spanish to articulate a collective identity, fostering a unique national consciousness even within the colonial power's language. The University of California, Berkeley’s location on the Pacific Rim has prompted the library to collect these works for scholars and students. The author provides insights into the subject matter of Spanish-language print books from the Philippines and demonstrates how digital humanities tools like Meta AI, ChatGPT, and Voyant can be utilized to offer additional insights from the Spanish-language narratives written by Filipino intellectuals in the 19th century, deepening our understanding of colonial-era literature.

Gender-Specific Machine Learning Analysis of Sarcopenia Risk in Aging Filipinos

Maria Maura Tinao — 2024-06-01

This study investigates the demographical and lifestyle risk factors for sarcopenia-specific gender risks to which the aging Filipino population would be predisposed, including age, occupation, smoking history, alcohol use, and existence of comorbidities. The predictability of physical performance measures—lifting strength, need for assistance with walking, and ability to climb up/downstairs—utilizing machine learning models was assessed. Demographic factors, such as age and gender with the type of occupation, influenced the risk of sarcopenia. In contrast, lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol intake, were not found to be predictive of sarcopenia in this sample. Such a high prevalence among males demands an approach by health intervention differently tailored to be gender sensitive.
For the performance of the different machine learning models, this study further gauges the different performance machine learning models and finds that SVM predicts the risk of sarcopenia with 85% accuracy as opposed to other approaches. In terms of recall, SVM did well in the case of prediction of males but underperformed in females and non-binary classifications, which may indicate an area of calibration. This research suggests that integrating predictive modeling into clinical practice can enhance early detection and targeted interventions for sarcopenia. It is advisable to implement. Further studies on sarcopenia using machine learning in the aging Filipino population is essential to determine novel risk factors, improve therapies, and predict disease progression, fostering evidence-based public health policies and better disease management.