JULY THOUGHTS: FOUR IN STORE FOR YOU TO EXPLORE

It's harder to get out of bed these days. The mornings are cold. The water is cold. And umbrellas, well, they're in fashion again. You prefer not to carry one around, but it's better if you did.

The falling rains signal the end of summer, and the start of another wet season. While the library was occupied with its orientation of new students, July and its monsoons have sneaked up on us, leaving some to wonder where June had ran off to. It's gone now, if you haven't noticed. Time flies, Lib Lifers, time flies.

Speaking of time flying, it only seems like yesterday when two new activities were introduced during the library orientation: The Human Books invitational talk, and the Book Trailer Making Contest, both explained here. Those were in 2018. Now at the start of another school year, four additional initiatives shall be added to the mix.

Quiet on the Set

"Shh!"

We all know that sound and what it means. Especially in the library.  It works, but not always. Silence must be maintained for all users, but shushing can be tiresome and even lead to misunderstanding sometimes. This is where the Noise Level Chart comes into play.

No need to say "quiet, please."

The chart is used when people start to become noisy or misbehave in the library. It is placed on a group's table and is visible from the circulation counter. The Noise Level Chart is color-based: yellow for noticeable noise (initial warning), orange for noisy and distracting (secondary warning), and red for extremely loud and disruptive (final warning). Once the chart is flipped to red, causing further disturbance shall result in the group's exit from the library.

Seeing red: no further warnings ahead.

This initiative intends to make the act of silencing simpler, without having to appear like a strict disciplinarian to students.

The Search for Young Blood

If the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Young Blood column has proven anything, it's that the youth have never been in short supply of talented writers. In fact, a book compilation based on the essays that appeared in YB has now reached volume 7 as of April 2019.

Be a writer for the blog!

The library wants to tap into this very same raw talent and give students the chance to have their articles published on this blog – Lib Life Ko. As the entries posted here have mostly been left in the hands of the library staff, a Blog Writing Contest planned for August seeks to inject new blood to the site by inviting students to contribute their own library-related write-ups. By doing so, this initiative intends to make the blog appeal better to young readers, and raise student awareness on Lib Life Ko's existence.

Sharing is Caring

In today's social media age, one has probably retweeted tweets from Twitter, shared posts from Facebook, or reposted media from Instagram. This is how appreciation for something is done now, and is a person's way of saying "Hey, I found this interesting, take a look!"

Passing it forward.

The library takes inspiration from this act through its Share It initiative, wherein a student borrows a library book and posts a picture on Facebook. The student tags friends, encouraging them to read the book themselves. The post that gains the most reactions and comments receives an award.

Hear Me Roar

And finally, we come to the last initiative, Pasalitang Tula or Spoken Word Poetry. Sometimes, even the most introverted person can have the most interesting things to say, and the most tortured soul can come up with the most beautiful words to write.

You need not be introverted nor tortured for this contest of course, just hungry for self-expression.

Speaking from the heart.

Pasalitang Tula will take place in August, which is also Buwan ng Wika. The theme shall be based on library-related topics such as becoming alienated for being a bookworm, getting the chance to read a controversial book, or sharing a story of young love with the library as the backdrop. Tagalog will be the language of choice.

There is always something that listeners can relate to and appreciate in spoken poetry, so it's bound to be an interesting event.

Well, there you have it. While July has only started, before long we'll be scratching our heads, wondering where it headed off to as well. A lot of things seem to be happening in the blink of an eye these days, curiously enough. But anyway, expect to see these plans in action soon. In the meantime, always have an umbrella ready.

Keep warm and stay dry, Lib Lifers!

(Poster designs courtesy of Ms. Jean Marilette Abelardo)