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Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL)
13th General Conference
Parallel Sessions on Library Professions, Library Education and Training and
Development
Session A-Library Professions Day 4 : Tuesday, 28 March
The Professionalization of Filipino Librarians – Corazon M. Nera
Introduction
On February 19, 2004, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law
Republic Act No. 9246 An Act Modernizing the Practice of Librarianship in the
Philippines Thereby Repealing Republic Act No. 6966, Entitled : “An Act Regulating
The Practice of Librarianship and Prescribing The Qualifications of Librarians,”
Appropriating Funds Therefor and For Other Purposes. This Act is otherwise known as
“The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003.” The new law was touted to re-engineer and
re-tool the librarian profession making it competitive and abreast with technology and
more responsive to the ever changing demands of information users.
During the thirteen years, after the enactment of RA 6966, the old Philippine
Librarianship Act of 1990, Congress deemed it necessary to enact a new law that will
regulate the education, training, examination, registration and practice of the library
profession. Congress took into consideration the essential role of librarianship as a
profession in developing the intellectual capacity of the citizenry, thus making library
service a regular component of national development.
The salient points of RA No. 9246 took into consideration a number of issues
as follows:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
National examination for licensure that is honest, effective and credible
Strict supervision, control and regulation of practice of librarianship
Integration of librarians under one national organization
Continuous development of professional competence of librarians
Qualifications of librarians in all government libraries, and
Formulation of policies and standards for Bachelor of Library and Information
Science (BLIS) Program
The purpose of this paper is not to trace the history of the professionalization of
the Filipino librarians but rather relate the process of qualifying in the librarianship
profession, the practice of librarianship, the gains of the Filipino professional librarian
after the enactment of the Philippine librarianship act of 1990 and 2003 respectively and
the challenges facing the library practitioner. As we all know, the making of laws is a
long and tedious process dictated by a bureaucratic process and at times events that
marked history in our country.
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I just hope that our colleagues from the different countries represented here today,
will appreciate what we have done and are currently doing to secure public recognition
that we librarians rightly deserve and to enhance the image of librarians and elevate it at
par with all the professions in the Philippines in particularly, and the world over in
general.
Qualifying for Librarianship Practice
Prerequisite to practice – In order that a person may legally practice professional
librarianship in the Philippines, he or she must possess a Certificate of Registration and
Professional Identification Card issued by the Professional Regulatory Board for Librarians and
by the Professional Regulation Commission or a certificate of registration issued by the Board
without examination after he or she is declared by the Board exempt from examination in
accordance with the provisions of the Philippine Librarianship Act. To obtain such certificate, an
applicant must first qualify for admission to and pass the librarian licensure examination given by
the Board. In other words, passing the librarian examination given by the Board for Librarians is
the basic requirement for licensure for the practice of professional librarians in the Philippines. A
foreign librarian or librarian from another country shall be admitted for licensure examination, be
issued a Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card and be entitled to the
rights and privileges accorded to a Filipino librarian if the following conditions are met: (1) if the
country or state / he or she is a citizen of or subject, permits Filipino librarians to practice
librarianship on an equal basis as the librarians of the said country or state (2) the requirements
for Certificate of Registration in said country or state are substantially the same as the
requirements and (3) the law of such country or state grants Filipino librarians the same privileges
as the citizens / subjects of that country / state.
Persons exempt from examination – Passing the librarian licensure examination is not
required of any Filipino citizen applying for license to practice professional librarianship if he /
she meets any of the following qualifications obtained on or before the date of the effectivity of
Republic Act No. 6966, known as the Philippine Librarianship Act of 1990 which is December 5,
1990:
a. a practicing librarian with a bachelor’s degree, not necessarily library science and
have passed the librarian or supervising librarian examination conducted by the Civil
Service Commission in 1980 and 1982 respectively;
b. a practicing librarian of 5 years who completed any bachelor’s degree with 18 units
in library science and a first grade eligible or its equivalent;
c. a practicing librarian of no specified number of years of library experience with a
master’s degree in library science or library and information science and possesses a
first grade eligibility or its equivalent; and
d. a practicing librarian of 7 years, with a bachelor’s degree and 18 units in library
science.
Those who qualify under any of the program categories shall be given up to March 16,
2007 to apply for exemption and be included in the Roster of Philippine Librarians.
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The documents required from any person applying for exemption from the licensure
examination together with the prescribed application form are as follows:
a. Certificate of a librarian/supervising librarian eligibility duly authenticated by the
Civil Service Commission, when applicable;
b. Diploma and transcript of records with special order number and date of graduation
or certified photocopy by the school authority;
c. Service records indicating the position title with the duties for the position duly
certified by the personnel officer and notarized;
d. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Ombudsman clearances for governmentemployed applicants, or NBI clearance for privately-employed applicants.
Dates and places of examination – Examinations for candidates desiring to practice
librarianship in the Philippines are held in Manila or in such other places like Cebu and Davao or
as may be decided by the Board for Librarians and approved by the Professional Regulation
Commission. The licensure examination shall be given by the Board not earlier than one month
but not later than two months after the closing of the semester prescribed by the Commission on
Higher Education. The dates of the librarians licensure examinations are November 28 and 29,
2006.
Scope of examination – The scope of the licensure examination for the practice of
librarianship in the Philippines shall be determined by the Board for Librarians. In determining
the subjects of the examination, the Board shall take into consideration the objectives of the
librarianship curriculum, the broad areas of librarianship, and other related disciplines and
competencies particularly in the following subjects with the corresponding percentage weights in
the examination:
Subjects
% Weights in the Exam
1. Selection and acquisition of multi-media sources of
information
2. Cataloging and classification
3. Indexing and abstracting
4. Reference, bibliography and information services
5. Organization, management and development of library and
information services including laws, trends and practices
affecting the profession
6. Information technology
Total
15%
20%
15%
20%
20%
10%
__________
100%
Application for examination – Every application for the librarianship licensure
examination must be properly accomplished under oath, in the handwriting of the applicant, on
the form prescribed by the Professional Regulation Commission at least 15 days before the first
day of examination. The application must be accompanied with the required examination fee and
the following documents and exhibits:
1. An examination record card furnished by the Professional Regulation Commission;
2. Two copies of the applicant’s recent bust photographs of 2x2 1/2 inches in size;
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3. His or her birth certificate and marriage certificate (if married) issued by the National
Statistics Office on NSO security paper;
4. His or her diploma and transcript of records with date of graduation and special
order, if applicable, showing that he or she is a holder of bachelor’s degree in library
science or major in library science from a college or university duly recognized by
the proper government agency;
5. A certificate of naturalization, if necessary; and
6. Three certificates of good moral character issued by the current employer or local
barangay official or parish priest, religious minister/ pastor.
Qualifications of applicant – In order to be admitted to the librarian licensure examination, an
applicant must, at the time of filing his or her application, establish to the satisfaction of the
Board for Librarians that:
(a) He or she is a citizen of the Philippines or a citizen or subject of a country which
permits Filipino librarians to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as
the subject or citizen of such country : provided, that the requirements for the
registration or licensing of librarians in the said country are substantially the same as
those prescribed in the Philippine Librarianship Act;
(b) He or she is in good health and is of good moral character; and
(c) He or she is a graduate of bachelor’s degree in library and information science
(BLIS) or a holder of a Master’s degree in library and information science (MLS).
Nevertheless, holders of the following degrees may be allowed to take the licensure
examination until February 2009:
a) Bachelor of science in education or elementary education ; or bachelor of arts with a
major or specialization in library science;
b) Master of arts in library science or library and information science; or
c) Any masteral degree with concentration in library science e.g. master of arts in
education, master of business administration, master of arts in teaching, etc.
This means that on November 28 and 29, 2009 onwards only graduates of the degree of
bachelor in library and information science may be allowed to take the librarians licensure
examination.
Ratings and reexamination – In order to pass the librarian examination, an examinee
must obtain a general average rating of at least 75% with a rating of not below 50% in any
subject. An examinee who obtains an average rating of 75% or higher but gets rating below 50%
in any given subject must take the examination again. There is no limit to reexamination.
Issuance of certificate – Certificates of registration as registered librarian are issued by
the Board for Librarians to applicants who passed the librarian licensure examination upon
payment of the prescribed fees, and shall be included in the Roster of Philippine Librarians.
Renewal of license – Every registered librarian shall renew his/her license every three
years on the form prescribed by the Professional Regulation Commission. The completed form
must be submitted to the Commission not later than the due date indicated on the PRC license
card, and the prescribed fee must be paid to avoid surcharges or fines.
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Form of certificate – The certificate of registration issued by the Board for Librarians to
every registered librarian bears the full name of the registrant, a serial number, and the signatures
of all the members of the Board and the Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission,
stamped with the official seals of the Board and the Commission.
Professional identification card – An identification card bearing the name and signature
of the registrant, registration number, date of issuance, expiry date, duly signed by the
Chairperson of the Commission is issued to every registrant.
The Librarian’s professional oath – Every successful examinee in the librarian
licensure examination must, before performing his or her duties and exercising his / her privileges
as a professional librarian, take a professional oath before the Board for Librarians or any
commission officer or government official authorized by law to administer oath.
A standard form of this professional oath is as follows:
Board for Librarians
Manila
Oath of Librarian
I
(name of new librarian) of
(address)
hereby solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Philippines,
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will obey the laws, legal
orders, and executive orders promulgated by the duly constituted authorities of the
Republic of the Philippines, and that I impose this obligation upon myself voluntarily,
without mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
I further solemnly swear that at all times and places I will adhere closely to the
ethical and professional rules generally accepted by the library profession in the
Philippines, and that I will well and faithfully discharge to the best of my ability the
duties and obligations incumbent upon a legally authorized librarian practitioner.
So help me God.
This is followed by
The Librarians’ Pledge
I solemnly pledge according to my best ability and judgment before God and in
the presence of this assembly, that I will practice my profession faithfully with
conscience and dignity, the welfare of my patrons will be my first consideration; I will
respect the confidences and the responsibilities which are bestowed upon me, I will
maintain the honor and the tradition of the library profession. I will not permit
consideration of race, religion, party policies, personal gain, or social standing to
intervene between my duty to profession and to society. I will maintain the utmost
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respect for service. Even under threat I will strive for the freedom to read and for the
other basic freedoms inherent in a democracy.
Membership to a national organization of librarians – Every registered librarian and
licensed by the Board for Librarians and the Professional Regulation Commission shall
automatically become a member of the integrated and accredited professional organization
(APO) which is the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc.(PLAI). All members shall receive the
benefits and privileges prescribed in the constitution and by-laws of PLAI. However, membership
in the APO may not restrict the membership of the registered librarian with other social
organizations such as the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians
(PAARL), Association of Special Librarians of the Philippines (ASLP), Philippine Association
of Teachers of Library and Information Science (PATLS), Philippine Association of School
Librarians (PASL) and the Philippine Public Librarians League (PPLL) Inc. and others.
PLAI membership oath – New professionals who passed the licensure examinations
given by the Board for Librarians as well as the new registered librarians exempt from
examination are required to take a professional oath before they enter into the practice of
librarianship. The mass oath-taking of new professionals shall be administered and conducted by
the Board for Librarians in cooperation with the Philippine Librarians Association Inc. ; whereby
the oath-taking of the new professionals as new members of PLAI will also be administered and
conducted in the same program wherein the mass oath-taking of the new professionals will be
conducted.
The president of the PLAI administers the oath of membership to the association by the
new librarians as follows:
Philippine Librarians Association Inc.
Manila
Oath of Membership
I
(name of the new member)
do solemnly swear,
that I have joined PLAI voluntarily
with a pledge to uphold to the highest degree
of professionalism the practice of the
librarianship profession;
that I shall perform my obligation as a member
with the commitment to pursue PLAI’s high ideals
and noble objectives; and
that I shall abide by its articles and By-Laws.
So Help Me God.
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The Practice of Librarianship
Librarian defined – The Philippine Librarianship Act defines a librarian as
“bona fide holder of a certificate of registration and professional identification card
issued by the Professional Regulation Commission in accordance with this Act. The
import of this definition according to Vyva Aguirre is that one becomes a librarian not
through the performance of functions generally attributed to librarians but only through
official recognition granted by the state through the agency of the Professional
Regulatory Board for Librarians of the Professional Regulation Commission, who must
give the recognition in accordance with the provision of the Philippine librarianship act.
Statistics of registered librarians – As of March 10, 2006, there are a total of
4,779 registered librarians ; 3,004 were licensed through examination while 1,775 were
recognized through exemption.
The following table shows the statistics on the Board for Librarians (BFL)
Licensure Examination for Librarians from 1992 to 2005:
Statistics on BFL Licensure Examination for Librarians
Date of
Examination
1. Dec. 1992
2. Dec. 1993
3. Dec. 1994
4. Dec. 1995
5. Dec. 1996
6. Dec. 1997
7. Dec. 1998
8. Dec. 1999
9. Nov. 2000
10. Nov. 2001
11. Nov. 2002
12. Nov. 2003
13. Nov. 2004
14. Nov. 2005
Total
Number of
Examinees
342
28
200
263
419
451
431
536
621
688
656
724
599
762
6378
Number of
Examinees
Passed
124
14
101
136
186
245
217
295
331
351
344
370
174
240
3004
Total Registered Librarians through Examination
Total Registered Librarians through Exemption
Total Registered Librarians as of Year 2006 (March 10)
Number of
Examinees
Failed
218
14
99
127
233
206
214
241
290
337
312
354
425
522
3374
-
3,004
1,775
4,779
Percentage of
Passing
36.26%
50.00%
50.50%
51.71%
44.39%
54.32%
50.35%
55.04%
53.30%
51.02%
52.43%
51.10%
29.04%
31.49%
47.09%
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Classification of librarians in general – According to the fields of
librarianship. In general, librarians in the Philippines may be classified according to the
fields of librarianship wherein they devote their practice into academic, school, public,
corporate, law, medical and government agency librarianship. Academic librarians are
those employed in colleges and universities. The term school librarian includes librarians
of pre-elementary, elementary and secondary schools. Public librarians are those
connected with the local government units, e. g. provincial, city, municipal, district and
the national library. Special librarian includes corporate, law, medical and government
agency librarians.
According to types of service - Librarians may be classified according to types
of service such as: reference librarian, Filipiniana librarian, readers services librarian,
media librarian, periodicals librarian, electronic librarian, technical services librarian, etc.
According to types of positions held – Librarians in the Philippines may also be
classified according to the following type of positions :
1. Chief Librarian
Director
Head Librarian
2. University Librarian
College Librarian
Unit Librarian
3. Asst Chief Librarian
Deputy Director
Asst. Head Librarian
4. Librarian V
Librarian IV
Librarian III
Librarian II
Librarian
I
Scope of practice of librarianship – Under the Philippine Librarianship Act,
practice of librarianship consists in:
1. Selection and acquisition of multi-media sources of information which would
best respond to clientele’s need for adequate, relevant and timely information
based on a collection development policy/program;
2. Cataloging and classification of knowledge or sources of information into
relevant organized collections and creation of local databases for speedy
access, retrieval or delivery of information;
3. Development of computer-assisted/computer-backed information systems
which would permit online and network services;
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4. Establishment of library system and procedures for dissemination of
information; rendering of information, reference and research assistance;
archiving library materials; and education of users;
5. Teaching, mentoring, lecturing and reviewing of library, and information
science subjects taught in library schools, including subjects given in the
licensure examination;
6. Rendering of services involving technical knowledge/expertise in abstracting,
indexing, cataloging and classifying; or the preparation of bibliographies,
subject authority lists, thesauri, union catalogues, and finding aids;
7. Preparation, evaluation or appraisal of plans, programs and/or projects for the
establishment, organization, development and growth of libraries or
information centers, and the determination of library requirements for space,
buildings, structures or facilities;
8. Provision of professional and consultancy services or advice on any aspect of
librarianship;
9. Organization, conservation, preservation and restoration of historical and
cultural documents and other intellectual properties;
10. Managing or directing the overall operations of the library/information center
or one of its divisions, departments, or sections;
11. Rendering accreditation service to a library for the purpose of assessing the
overall operation or specific areas of concern to improve library service.
Penalty for illegal practice of librarianship – Any person who practices
librarianship in the Philippines, within the meaning of the Philippine Librarianship Act,
without a certificate of registration as librarian issued by the Board for Librarians or any
person who presents or uses as his or her own, the librarian certificate of another, or any
person who has given any false or forged evidence of the Professional Regulation
Commission in order to secure a certificate of registration as librarian, or any person who
uses a revoked or suspended certificate of registration as librarian or any person who
assumes, uses or advertises as registered librarian without having been conferred such
title by the Board for Librarians, or any person who advertises any title description
tending to convey the impression that he or she is a registered librarian shall be guilty of
misrepresentation and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of not less than
P30,000.00 (US$ 588) nor more than P100,000.00 (US$ 1,960), or to suffer
imprisonment for a period of not less than one month nor more than three years.
Gains of the Filipino professional librarian
After a decade of implementation of the Philippine Librarianship Act of 1990,
several studies were conducted to determine the impact of the law to the stakeholders,
both the employer of librarians and the professional librarian employee and this could be
viewed from two angles:
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A. On the side of the state, society, clients and employing agencies
1. The state has recognized the essential role of librarianship as a profession in
developing the intellectual capacity of every Filipino
2. A professional librarian must be employed by a school, college or a university
before the Department of Education or the Commission on Higher Education
grants its permit to operate, open a new program/course or given the authority
to reopen a course offering
3. The employment of a professional librarian is a basic requirement for a school
program to be accredited by any agency such as the Association of Christian
Schools, Colleges and Universities-Accrediting Agency, Inc., Philippine
Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation,
Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities, and
Accrediting Association of Chartered Colleges and Universities
4. The professional librarians’ standing in the academe, corporate and public
service was upgraded
5. The salaries of professional librarians became competitive, some are even
comparable to that of deans
6. The professional librarian was given more opportunities to move upward
B. On the part of the professional librarian
1. The professional librarian became confident in discharging his/her duties with
professionalism, integrity and competence
2. The professional librarian became efficient in terms of volume of work,
meeting deadlines and personal relations with superiors, peers, colleagues and
clientele
3. The professional librarian’s work attitudes and self esteem positively changed
4. The professional librarian’s opportunities for continuing education and
exposure to new trends and developments increased
5. Librarianship has become a prestigious calling that every Filipino librarian is
proud of
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Challenges to the Filipino professional librarians
Given the recognition and respect that the Filipino professional librarian deserves,
can he or she now sit back and relax and be complacent? Certainly not. It is his/her duty
to sustain and safeguard the gains of becoming a professional librarian. And, the hallmark
of true professional is his/her willingness to accept professional and ethical principles and
follow these principles in the conduct of his/her daily affairs. The acceptance of these
principles requires that he/she maintains a higher standard of conduct that is called for by
law.
The specific principles of professional conduct are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Service to others
Integrity and objectivity
Professional competence
Solidarity and teamwork
Social and civic responsibility
Global competitiveness
Equality of all profession
Conclusions
The Code of Good Governance for the Professions in the Philippines provides that
all professionals should treat their colleagues with respect and shall strive to be fair in
their dealings with one another. No one group of professionals is superior or above
others. All professionals perform an equally important, yet distinct service to society. In
the eyes of the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines, all professionals
are equal and, therefore, every one should treat other professionals with respect and
fairness, and that includes the Filipino professional librarian.
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Bibliography
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Manila to R. A. 6966. 105 leaves. Thesis (MLS) – University of the
Philippines, 2000.
Paez, Leonila S. The extent of compliance and implementation of R. A. 6966 among
academic librarians in Region III. 114 leaves. Thesis (MLS) – University of the
Philippines, 2000.
Nablo, Benilda B. Policy issues and problems that hinder the implementation of Republic
Act 6966 in selected government offices in the Philippines. 56 leaves. Thesis
(MLS) - University of the Philippines, 2000.
Hormillosa, Ma. Aida F. The extent of compliance with Republic Act 6966 among public
school libraries and government agencies in Region VI. 76 leaves. Thesis (MLIS)
University of the Philippines, 2002
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library associations. Paper presented during the 69th IFLA general conference and
council, August 1-9, 2003, Berlin.
Aguirre, Vyva V. The Professional librarian : who and how? ILIS Newsletter July –
December 2005.
Nera, Corazon M. Seminar on Updates of the Philippine Librarianship Act.
Cagayan de Oro City (February 25, 2004)
_____. Philippine Librarianship Act : basis for the library staffing structure and training.
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_____. Public forum on the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9246. The
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