Standards for Special Libraries in the Philippines

Revised 2013
Task Force Members Revision of Philippine Special Library Standards 3rd NCSLP, Hotel H20-Manila, October 25, 2013

Purpose of this presentation

Wide

dissemination to members Awareness Comments

Deadline:

October 15, 2013 Super deadline: October 25, 2013

Former BFL
Board for Librarians CHAIR : CORAZON M. NERA MEMBERS : MILA M. RAMOS
ARABELLA M. ANANORIA

Current BFL
Board for Librarians CHAIR : YOLANDA C. GRANDA MEMBERS : LOURDES T. DAVID AGNES MANLANGIT

Chair
Mila M. Ramos Chair, Task Force on Revision of Philippine Special Library Standards

Introduction
Article

II, Section 8, of Republic Act 9246, signed into law on February 19, 2004. The BFL is tasked to formulate and implement standards for different types of libraries.

2007 Standards Committee

Ms.

Helen C. de Castro (Presidential Management Staff, Malacaan) Ms. Erlinda SB. Mimay (Securities and Exchange Commission) Mrs.Milagros S. Ong (Supreme Court), Chair, and Mrs. Ma. Luz Salting-Verdejo (Department of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service Institute Library).

 The

Road Map of Philippine Librarianship identifies improving the image and status of Filipino Librarians as one of the major challenges to be faced. A chief strategy to address this is to update/revise existing standards and to monitor their strict implementation.

Task Force on the Revision of Philippine Library Standards (2013)

Name Mr. Stephen Alayon Designation/Affiliation Data Bank Senior Information Assistant, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Iloilo Sector Represented Research Libraries

Ms. Rhea Rowena Apolinario

Assistant Professor, UP School of Library and Information Studies (UPSLIS) Information Resources & Services Administrator (Library), Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Academe

Ms. Nelia Balagapo

Corporate Libraries

Ms. Maria Teresa Cabance

Head Librarian, Department Employment (DOLE)

De

of

Labor

and

Special government libraries

Mr. Joseph Yap

La Salle University; President of the Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines (ASLP)

Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines

Hon. Corazon M. Nera Hon. Arabella M. Ananoria Hon. Mila M. Ramos

Chair, BFL Member, BFL Member, BFL (Task Force Chair)

BFL BFL BFL

Special Libraries

Special libraries are libraries established and supported by private and government agencies, corporations, research institutions, international organizations, and others (i.e. academic, school) that collect, manage, preserve, and provide immediate access to knowledge resources dealing with specialized subjects, and focused information services to its clientele.

 The

following standards are intended to guide special librarians in developing and maintaining a special library that is well-equipped with the appropriate resources and services that would cater to the needs of organizational staff and other users in the digital age.

Objectives, Vision and Mission Administration Human Resources Collection Management and Organization Services Physical Facilities and Work Environment Information Technology-based Services Budget Collaboration

I. Objectives, Vision and Mission

The library advances the goals of the organization it serves and prioritizes the fulfillment of staff/clientele information needs. I.1. It shall develop a clear statement of its vision and mission which is aligned with the goals of the parent organization. I.2. The vision and mission shall be displayed on a strategic place in the library and on the librarys internet portal or website.

II. Administration
The

library shall be managed, by a full-time licensed Head Librarian with the appropriate subject specialization, experience or expertise needed to support the organizations area(s) of interest and goals.

III. Human Resources

The library shall be headed by a full-time licensed librarian, preferably with a Masters degree and with relevant experience involving management and supervision. He/ She shall demonstrate excellent communication, social and Information Technology (IT) skills to effectively work with senior managers, colleagues, clients and other stakeholders.

III.1. Librarians

The minimum requirement shall follow the prescribed number of full-time licensed librarians with subject specialization for each type of special libraries:

III.1. a. Special academic and school libraries shall follow the librarian-client ratio prescribed by the Board for Librarians Standards for Academic and School Libraries: 1 licensed librarian for every 500 students; 1 additional licensed librarian for every increment of 1,000 students.

III.1.b. Special government libraries shall follow the standards for personnel requirements for government institutions or shall base the number of librarians on Full Time Equivalents or FTEs[1]* (1 full-time librarian for every 500 FTEs). III.1.c. Research libraries shall have 1 full-time librarian for every 50 FTEs. III.1.d. Corporate libraries shall have 1 full-time librarian for every 100 FTEs.

[1] Full Time Equivalent (FTE), as used here, refers to the number of actual and potential users of a library.

 III.2.

Paraprofessionals There shall be at least one paraprofessional to assist each Librarian.

III.3.

Continuing Professional Development The Library staff shall engage in continuing professional development.

IV. Collection Management and Organization

IV.1. Collection Management IV.1.a.The librarys collection, regardless of information format, shall reflect the information needs of its service community, and shall be made available to them and other stake holders. IV.1b. The Head Librarian, in collaboration with the management or appropriate committee, or whichever is applicable, shall have the authority to select materials to be purchased/subscribed to by the library.

IV.1.c. There shall be a well-written and updated collection development policy (CDP) that shall include, at the minimum, policies on selection, acquisition, deselection, evaluation, and gifts and exchange. IV.1.d. The library shall address issues on preservation, disaster risk management, and legal concerns, such as, intellectual property rights, access, and resource sharing of its materials. IV.1.e. Collection maintenance practices, such as inventory, evaluation, and care of the collection, shall be undertaken to ensure that library materials are relevant and responsive to the needs of its service community.

IV.2. Organization IV.2.a.The librarys collection shall be cataloged and classified using any one of the internationally accepted standards (i.e., The Library of Congress List of Subject Headings, Sears List of Subject Headings, Special subject Thesauri, The Library of Congress Classification Scheme, Dewey Decimal Classification, Resource Description and Access, and others). IV.2.b. If the need arises, the library shall devise its own organization system, preferably compliant with internationally accepted standards.

V. Services

To support the information needs of the institution it serves, the library shall provide services based on the demands of users from within the organization. V.1. Technical Services V.1.a. Collection development of a wide variety of formats V.1.b. Cataloging and Classification V.1.c. Creation and Management of Databases V.1.d. Archiving and Preservation of Information Resources V.1.e. Indexing and Abstracting

V.2. Readers Services V.2.a. Circulation V.2.b. Conventional and Digital/E-Reference V.2.c. Research Support V.2.d. Non-print and Multimedia V.2.e. Document Delivery V.2.f. Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) V.2.g.Training on Information Literacy V.2.h.Marketing the Library V.2.i. Photocopying and Scanning Services

VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment

VI.1. Design and Location VI.1.a. The head librarian shall be consulted in planning the location, design, and other specific details of the library. VI.1.b. The library building shall conform with the provisions of Presidential Decree no. 1096, otherwise known as the National Building Code of the Philippines and any other pertinent laws such as those for occupational safety and health. User safety, air space, light, ventilation, sanitation and maintenance shall comply with the provisions of the said laws. VI.1.c. The library shall be conveniently located within the premises of the institution it serves. It shall be accessible to all staff and to other library clientele.

VI.2. Area and Space allocation VI. 2.a. The library shall be provided a well-planned and adequate space for library users, storage of the collections, work stations for the library staff, and information and communication technology (ICT) equipment. VI.2.b. A separate office shall be provided for the Head Librarian. VI.2.c. Discussion and/or private study rooms shall be provided if space is available.

 VI.3.

Lighting and Ventilation VI.3.a. Illumination and ventilation shall follow standards specified in the National Building Code. VI.3.b. Heat sensitive materials (films, tapes, discs, etc.) and equipment (computers, viewing devices, etc.) shall be stored in climate-controlled room.

VI.4. Furniture and Equipment VI.4.a. The library shall have necessary equipment to access information. There shall be sufficient number of Computer workstations with Internet connectivity, at least one printer/scanner and other equipment for the use of the library staff and clientele. VI.4.b.Appropriate library furniture and equipment shall be provided.

VI.5. Safety and Security Measures VI.5.a. Safety and security measures shall be in place. Provisions for emergency exit door, fire extinguishers, emergency warning device, and installation of monitoring camera or electronic surveillance system and the like shall be provided. VI.5.b.Pest control measures shall be utilized, as needed.

VI.5.c. The library shall adopt a sustainable disaster risk management program.

VII. Information Technologybased Services

The library shall utilize available Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve resources and services. VII.1. An Integrated Library System (ILS) compliant with international standards on communication formats (MARC 21, Dublin Core, NISO Z39.50 etc.) shall be in place. VII.2. Management of ILS, IT equipment, and servers shall be jointly coordinated by librarians and IT department staff. VII.3. The library shall have Internet connections with optimum speed, performance, and bandwidth for quick access to webbased resources and services. Preferably, a dedicated connection for the library shall be provided. VII.4. The library shall create and maintain a web site or portal which will serve as the focal point where users can access resources and services. VII.5. There shall be enough computers to serve the daily average number of library users.

VII.6. The library shall consider security and privacy issues a major concern. Firewall and filtering policies should be discussed and negotiated with IT Department in adherence with institutional policy. VII.7. The library shall develop capacities among its users through instruction and literacy programs on how to effectively access information and use of relevant technologies. VII.8. The library shall initiate digitization projects and curate or preserve digital contents following best practices and established standards. VII.9. The library shall develop and maintain institutional repositories to preserve the intellectual heritage of the parent organization. VII.10. The library shall provide open access to documents emanating from government -funded researches and grants. VII.11. The library shall uphold and respect privacy and intellectual property rights.

VIII. Budget
VIII.1.The

head librarian shall be responsible for preparing and managing the finances of the library. VIII.2. The library shall have sufficient budget, adequate enough to sustain and improve resources and services.

IX. Collaboration

The library shall engage in proactive local and international collaborative activities to maximize its resources and services subject to existing policies of institutions and government rules and regulations. IX.1. The library shall participate in consortia and enable resource sharing covered by an agreement and subject to existing policies of the parent institution and publishers. IX.2. Libraries and its librarians shall be members of local or international library, information science, knowledge management, librarians and information professionals organizations.

Questions?
Mrs. Mila Ramos: mcmedramos@gmail.com Mr. Joseph Yap: joseph.yap@dlsu.edu.ph

Thank you!