Start:	Apr 22, '08
End:	Apr 25, '08
Location:	Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet

The U. P. School of Library and Information Studies, Diliman, Quezon
City, in cooperation with the Benguet State University-Saint Louis
University Library Development announces the offering of the 16th
Summer Institute on Information Science on "Digitization of Documents
for Greater Access" for librarians and other professionals working in
related fields. The 4-day seminar-workshop will be held on April
22-25, 2008 at the ICT Hall of Benguet State University, La Trinidad,
Benguet.

Topics to be covered include materials selection and digitization
workflow, digitization and retroconversion of image and text material,
master image processing, derivative image processing, quality
assurance and post-scanning, cataloging and indexing, archiving and
storage. To make the most of the seminar-workshop, participants are
encouraged to bring the following materials for the hands on
activities: 1 book, 1 serial issue, 10 pieces manuscripts, 10 pieces
loose leaf documents, 5 black and white photographs, and 5 colored
photographs.

Registration fee is PhP5,700.00 for stay-in participants and
PhP4,500.00 for stay-out participants. Said fee covers lunch, snacks,
kits and computer fee. For reservations and further information,
please call 981-8500 locals 2869, 2870, 2871.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Grace Marie B. Gonzales
Course Director

Start:	Jun 24, '08
End:	Jun 27, '08
Location:	University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

The Archiving Conference brings together an international gathering of experts from industry, academia, governmental institutions, non-profit organizations, archives, libraries, museums, and research labs who share a commitment to addressing the challenges of archiving modern and historic materials in an increasingly digital world.

The center-piece of Archiving 2008 is a stellar program of technical papers, arranged in a single-track format to promote the interchange of information across specialties in the field. Each day begins with a keynote address as follows:

Wednesday: Jean-Frederic Jauslin, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, “Preserving the Nation's Collective Memory: Challenges, Problems, and Solutions”
Thursday: Richard Wright, BBC, “Archivists of the World: You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Shelves!”
Laura Campbell, Library of Congress, “Doing More with Less: The Future of Digital Preservation in a Constrained Fiscal Environment”

The technical program includes 34 oral presentations complemented by more than 30 interactive papers, which will be presented on Thursday afternoon. The Interactive Paper Session—held on Thursday afternoon—is a key feature of the conference, providing the opportunity for authors and attendees to mingle and discuss results using a variety of media formats. All technical sessions will take place at the University of Bern, which is in the center of the Swiss capital city, overlooking the heart of the city.

In addition to a strong technical program, this year’s meeting features a comprehensive tutorials program and includes ample time for networking and socializing with peers. We are excited to be hosting the welcome reception at the Burgerbibliothek and the conference reception at the famous Zentrum Paul Klee.

Archiving 2008 attendees will also have the opportunity to visit and tour Bern digital preservation operations at the Swiss National Library. All tours will take place Friday afternoon.

Join us in Switzerland’s capital for this unique gathering of international know-how in digital archiving, imaging, and digital preservation.

—Rudolf Gschwind

http://www.imaging.org/conferences/archiving2008/

        Unlike my favorite Heroes character, Hiro Nakamura, my great responsibility doesn’t come with great power.  The only power that I have is my pagtataray whenever makulit students insist on photocopying visibly fragile rare books with brittle pages.  You see, books deteriorate at a certain rate, depending on their chemical make-up.  Books whose papers have high lignin content are acidic, causing the pages to brown and become brittle at a faster rate.  There really is no way to stop this.  What we can only do is to slow down this process by controlling the factors (environment, handling, storage, etc.) that contribute to their deterioration.  The heat generated by photocopying is harmful to the already brittle pages of a book, not to mention the stress on the spine when it is laid down on the scanning bed.  The best way to preserve these rare books is to create a service copy and place the original in (ideal) storage conditions, away from heat, light and pests.

This is my great responsibility.  I am in charge of an invaluable collection in the library where I work. I am confident that my experience and training have and will place me in good stead in the performance of my duty -- but still, being in the presence of such a collection sometimes puts me in awe.

I get a certain kind of high whenever I discover some old bits of news/trivia from the collections.  A couple of weeks ago as we were reorganizing the biography collection, I came upon an article about Gregoria de Jesus.  Apparently, the Lakambini of the Katipunan and the Great Plebeian were at odds with each other.  According to her, Apolinario Mabini was not a true hero and that “kumbaga sa handaan ay dumating sya ng luto na ang ulam at nasaing na ang kanin.”  I am not a historian, but whatever they may have to say about each other, it is up to history to judge. 

I also got hold of a scrapbook about the Philippine Librarians Association that was probably made after the war, but not later than 1950. In it, there were articles about the resurrection of PLAI after the war and their efforts at rebuilding.  In addition there are quite a number of photos of the officers of PLAI including Gabriel A. Bernardo.  To those who do not know him, he is considered as the Father of Philippine Librarianship and was instrumental in the (re)establishment of the National Library and the Main Library of UP.  There are also photos of a couple of gatherings of librarians inside bullet ridden buildings, probably in the old UP building in Padre Faura or in the old Senate Building in the same area.  Most of the time, we librarians take for granted the things that we have now.  It is those kinds of discoveries that make me grateful for men like GAB, and thankful that I do not have to suffer the war and its consequences like our forefathers did.

In a couple of the collections there are first-hands accounts of the horrors of war.  Such accounts are numerous in a lot of books, but reading some of them in actual handwritten notes gives me goose bumps and chills up my spine.  Some are very graphic, like those found in the People’s Court papers.  One judge said that to euphemize (or sugar-coat) the actions of the Japanese and their cohorts (like the Makapilis) will be to desecrate the honor of the people who gave up their lives for the liberty we cherish today. 

I may not have great power with my “great” responsibility, but the perks of my job like the discoveries and epiphanies are more than enough for me…

            …I certainly won’t mind a raise though.

Start:	Sep 14, '07 06:00a
Location:	Pearlmont Inn, Lim Ket Kai Drive, Cagayan de Oro City

Society of the Filipino Archivists, Inc. with the cooperation of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts presents this Seminar-Workshop for archivists, librarians, cultural heritage workers, and interested parties to help them conserve and preserve our documentary heritage.

Registration Fee is P4,900 and covers seminar fee, accommodations (22 Oct 12nn - 24 Oct 12nn) and meals, kits and conservation supplies.

Interested parties may contact Ms. Emma M. Rey, SFA President at emmamrey@yahoo.com for more information.