Librarianship in the Philippines

Brief History

The history of libraries in the Philippines is intertwined with the country’s political history.  From early collections during the Spanish colonial period to the foundations of modern librarianship during the United States occupation to the current government mandated licensing process, the library profession in the Philippines has responded to and been shaped by the country’s political climate.

Spanish Period

The earliest library collections in the Philippines date from the 16th century when Spanish conquistadores and missionaries first arrived in the islands.  While some Filipinos knew how to write in an indigenous character set, writing was mostly confined to correspondence and before Spanish contact there were no book collections.  King Philip II of Spain decreed that only religious books were to be brought to the Philippines, to discourage any distractions from their mission of spreading the Catholic faith.  The first documented collection was the 1583 private collection of Bishop Domingo de Salazar.  Other early collections like those at the Convent of San Pablo and the Convent of San Agustin also focused on religious texts (Hernandez, 330-1).

The next major development in Filipino libraries occurred in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe.  Spain instituted several social reforms that spread to its colonies, including the Philippines.  One reform was the creation of the Sociedad Económica, which aimed to “foster agriculture, industry and craftsmanship by engaging in the distribution of books and the establishment of libraries” (Hernández, 332).  Governor José de Basco y Vargas established the first SociedadEconómico library in the Philippines in 1781.  This was a significant event because it was the first time that a library in the country encouraged public access to secular literature.  These libraries were associated with religious educational institutions and were staffed by teachers.

In the 19th century, several types of libraries emerged in the Philippines.  Exclusive private libraries opened in members-only social societies like the Manila Club and the CasinoEspañol.  Libraries in seminaries, religious schools and the new secular academic institutions continued to expand their collections to support their curriculum.  In 1887 the Department of Civil Administration founded the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas in Manila.  This library was innovative in several ways.  It standardized its organization and circulation procedures, it published a catalog and a library bulletin, it had legal authority from the government, and its director was a Filipino scholar, Pedro Alejandro Paterno.  Its collection eventually became the basis for the National Library of the Philippines.

American Period

The period of occupation by the United States in the Philippines began in 1899 after the Spanish-American War.  The U.S. military opened a library and reading room in Manila for enlisted men and officers called the American Circulating Library.  The collection was soon integrated with the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas collection and became the National Library of the Philippines in 1900.  Because of this American involvement, the library system in the Philippines took its cue from trends that were occurring in the United States at this time.  U.S. civil servants who worked in libraries in the Philippines introduced cataloging rules and Dewey’s classification system.  Influenced by the increasing professionalism of librarianship in the U.S., librarians in the Philippines established library courses at the University of the Philippines in 1914 and founded the Philippine Librarians Association in 1923 (Santos, 2).  Although the standards and organization of Filipino libraries came directly from American practices, Filipinos contributed greatly with their collections and scholarship. 

Post-War Period

Libraries continued to grow until the outbreak of World War II, which “tolled the death-knell of almost all the rich depositories of Filipiniana materials in the country” (Hernández, 337).  By the end of the war, most of the libraries had been destroyed or looted.  The National Library collection decreased from 733,000 to 36,000 volumes.  The library of the University of the Philippines, which had 147,000 volumes before the war was only able to salvage about 3,000, mostly books returned by students after liberation.  The year 1946 saw the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines and the end of U.S. and Japanese occupation.  Libraries focused on reconstruction, organization and modernization in the years following the end of WWII. 

Secondary source literature about Filipino librarianship during martial law under the Marcos regime in the 1970s-1980s is scarce.  It would be an interesting and worthwhile research topic to pursue for a more in-depth paper.

LIS Education

Library education began at the University of the Philippines in 1914.  The classes taught there did not lead to a degree, instead they were designed only to train library staff members in basic library skills.  Students who desired more advanced training to become library leaders in the Philippines traveled abroad to complete degree coursework.  One early exchange program was with the library school at the University of Wisconsin.  The Institute of Library Science at the University of the Philippines was established in 1961, becoming the first master’s degree program in the country.  Today, it is the country’s top LIS program, the only one equipped with a dedicated computer lab and publishing the Journal of Philippine Librarianship.  It offers a Bachelor of Library and Information Science, a Diploma in Librarianship, and a Master of Library and Information Science.  The curriculum covers “all areas of research and information science, such as information theory, information storage and retrieval, information management and analysis, information dissemination, electronic publishing, and intellectual property rights” (ILIS).

Librarians in the Philippines are licensed professionals who must pass a certification exam upon graduation from an LIS program in order to find employment.  The licenses and exams are regulated by the Board for Librarians, which is a department within the government-run Professional Regulation Commission.  Since 1990, librarianship has been one of only 43 professions that are formally recognized and regulated by the state. This was achieved by the passage of Republic Act 9246 or “The Philippine Librarianship Act of 1990,” which has recently been revised and is now called “The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003” (Congress of the Philippines).  This status is the culmination of efforts by the Philippine Librarians Association whose members wanted the professional prestige that comes with the licensing process.  Inclusion in the Roster of Registered Librarians indicates that the librarian has “gained the entry-level knowledge, technical skills and competence he needs to practice his profession [and] also implies that the professional possesses good moral character and the commitment to serve others” (Santos, 4).  As of 2002, there were 3,806 registered librarians in the Philippines.

The licensing exam is quite rigorous, with the average passing percentage about 50%.  Candidates are tested on organization and management of libraries and information centers; reference, bibliography and user services; selection and acquisition of materials; cataloging and classification; indexing and abstracting; information technology; and laws and practices related to librarianship.  The Board for Librarians, as the regulating body, works in conjunction with the Philippine Librarians Association to ensure that licensed librarians adhere to the profession’s rules and ethics.  They reserve the right to suspend or revoke a librarian’s license to practice if he or she violates these professional standards.

LIS Issues

There are three main issues that the Philippine Librarians Association and the National Library are focused on: automation, accessibility and digital initiatives. 

The Philippines is a developing country, and while computer access and library automation is available in Manila and other big cities, small towns in the outlying provinces do not have ready access to these technologies.  Rural libraries struggle to make do without the technological tools that better-equipped libraries take for granted.  As one provincial librarian writes:

Instead of searching the Web to answer reference questions, I rely on several aging sets of encyclopedias. Instead of accessing patron records, I flip through the borrowers' cards fastened with paper clips and filed in a wooden box (Doyle, 50).

Librarians in the Philippines are also concerned about accessibility.  As of 2002, there were only 507 municipal libraries serving 1,509 municipalities.  These municipal libraries often receive little funding from the local government.  One mandate of the National Library of the Philippines is to support and upgrade local libraries’ facilities and collections and so each year it supplies local libraries with reference books and other reading material.  The National Library also runs a Bookmobile program, with 13 bookmobiles that travel to remote regions of the country.  However, the fleet is often stranded by the cost of repairs and gasoline, as well as by the volatile political situation in some provinces.

The National Library is currently working on two digital initiatives: the Public Libraries Information Network (PUBLIN) and the Philippine eLibrary Project.  PUBLIN was initiated in 1999 and aims to link local public libraries with each other and with the National Library through an intranet.  The goal is to have staff computers in all local libraries to facilitate information and resource sharing so that interlibrary loans and patron requests become more automated.  Currently about 100 libraries are connected through this network.  The Philippine eLib was launched in 2005 as a collaborative project of the National Library, the University of the Philippines, and several other educational organizations.  It is an electronic resources portal that is accessible via the National Library’s website.  Here, users can access the online catalogs of the participating libraries; digitized Filipiniana materials; and full-text articles found in subscription electronic databases. 

Conclusion

Librarianship in the Philippines is thriving.  Its history is rich with influences from Spain and the United States shaping its current practice.  Yet it differs from U.S. librarianship in that it is a licensed profession, whose practitioners must be certified by a government regulating board.  Because of this, librarians enjoy career prestige, one that is furthered by their active role in digital initiatives to make information accessible to all Filipinos.


Resources

Congress of the Philippines. “Republic Act No. 9246: The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003.” Republic of the Philippines Official Website. Home page on-line. Available from http://www.gov.ph/op_issuances/ra_no9246.htm

Cruz, Prudenciana C. “The National Library and the Public Library System in the Philippines.” CDNLAONewsletter 45 (November 2002).

Doyle, Miranda. “Letter from the Philippines." School Library Journal 46 (May 2000): 50-2.

Hernández, Vicente S.  “Trends in Philippine Library History.” Libraries & Culture 36 (Spring 2001): 329-44.

Institute of Library and Information Science.  ILIS Official Website. Home page on-line. Available from http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ils/.

Philippine eLib Project. Philippine eLib Portal. Home page on-line. Available from http://www.elib.gov.ph/.

Professional Regulation Commission. “Board for Librarians.” Republic of the Philippines Professional Regulation Commission Official Website. Home page on-line. Available from http://www.prc.gov.ph/portal.asp?pid=53.

Santos, Antonio M. “The Professionalization of Librarians in the Philippines: The Role of Library Associations.” In Management of Library Associations: Proceedings of the 69th IFLA General Conference and Council Held in Berlin 1-9 August 2003.

 

LIS 610 Spring 2006

 

© J. Quirante, 2005-2006