Reysa C. Alenzuela: the Far Reaching Intellectual of the Philippine Librarianship

Reysa C. Alenzuela: the Far Reaching Intellectual of the Philippine Librarianship

by

Melchor F. Cichon, RL, MLS, MM(PM)
June 11, 2014

On January 26, 2010, the Philippine Association of Academic Libraries awarded her for the Best Library Program for 2009 (Institutional Award).
In July 2010, she again received an award. This time it came from the Embassy of the United States of American as Locally Employed Staff of the Month.
And then on May 25, 2013, the University of the Philippines Library Science Alumni Association (UPLSAA) and the University of the Philippines School of Library and Information Studies (UPSLIS) awarded her as a Young Achiever's Award.
Here is the citation from UPLSAA and UPSLIS:

"For her outstanding contribution in the field of librarianship and for her contributions in developing libraries across the country; for her untiring effort to educate and mentor; for her exemplary dedication, competence and integrity in the practice of her profession which earned her prestigious awards from Embassy of the United States; and for her dedicated service to the profession and her staunch leadership that guides as well as inspires."

The lady I am referring to is no other than Dr. Reysa C. Alenzuela, or Rysa among her friends.

A native of La Paz, Iloilo City, Rysa was born on March 4, 1977.

Because I used to call her Reyza or Ryza, she emphasized that her Mom didn't think of Rizal when she named her Reysa.

Intrigued with this unique name, I checked the internet, and this is what I found:

R is for rapport, friends seek you.
E is for enjoy, your life can be fun!
Y is for youthful, your eternal look.
S is for success, in all you will do.
A is for accepting, your forgiving nature.

After graduation from high school, she took Bachelor in Secondary Education, major in English and Library Science, 1994-1988, at the University of San Agustin, cum laude.

Not satisfied with an education degree, she enrolled again at the University of San Agustin for a Bachelor of Laws degree, while taking up Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

But she left the BAR when she needed to choose between becoming a lawyer or a Master in Library and Information Science.

And still unsatisfied with a masters degree, she went back to Iloilo City and enrolled for a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Iloilo, Iloilo City.

I asked her what made her decide to take up library science. And she said:

"Never had a chance to know that librarianship was a profession. My parents expected me either to take up Political Science or Biology. They wanted me to take long courses. I landed in Bachelor in Secondary Education. Since I used to faint when I see numbers (hyperbole intended), I opted to take Bachelor in Secondary Education major in English but with my lofty goal to get an edge over others, I decided to have a double major -- so I opt for Library Science. If BLIS has been approved then, I would have taken up BLIS."

So I asked her again, "Why did you chose to become a librarian when your first choice was English?", and her answer was straightforward:

"Some paths are winding but all lead to our purpose (I always believed in higher purpose) It wasn't by choice, it's more of pragmatism. I don't exactly know the scope and depth of librarianship then. I just wanted a course where I can be sure I land a job after graduation and I have better chance to be promoted so I decided to take the road to librarianship. I've always been working out to be a good planner as you can see. Though I love books, I love to do research, there were several detours. I took up Bachelor of Laws dreaming of becoming a lawyer. I also thought of studying abroad in linguistics but when another opportunity knocked - to become the Director of University of Iloilo Learning Resource Center, I chose to focus and commit myself to librarianship. Supposedly archives. But all my job led me to managing libraries/ information center which I did for more than 15 years."

And when the Thomas Jefferson Information Center needed a director, she transferred there. And for several years she efficiently directed this center.

While she was managing this information center, engaging activities have been introduced by the US Government. One of these is gaming in libraries. So she and her team adopted and introduced games. They purchased game boards for the 14 network of libraries all over the Philippines. It clicked. Their readers shoot up.

She discussed the mechanics of this novel idea in her paper: "American Corners and It’s Benefit to the Filipino Public: Promoting Games in the Library”, 2nd National Congress of Special Libraries in the Philippines, August 2-3, 2012

To reach more readers outside of their library, she decided to link with academic institutions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Their library donated some books and audio-visual materials to their linkages for the benefit of the children and adult. She discussed this idea lengthily in her talk entitled: Power by Numbers in Accreditation: Collaboration, Linkages and Partnership”. PLAI- Western Visayas Summer Conference. May 24- 25, 2013, in SAEFDEC-AQD, Tigbauan, Iloilo.

In this concept, she introduced five points that can push the library into a better information center of any institution.

The first point that she wishes to happen is the Paradigm of Shift. She said that to expand one's expertise is to look for library partners who can share their best practices and perhaps their resources to serve as a basis in forming one's capability.

The second point that Dr. Alenzuela wishes to share is the long standing partnership with other libraries. This way, a give-and-take relationship will be fostered to help develop each other's capabilities.

The third point Dr. Alenzuela would like to happen among the librarians is by altering the way they do things. She said that when librarians venture to the unknown way of doing things, they become innovative. They are encouraged to find a new way in solving an old problem.

The fourth point Dr. Alenzuela informed the participants is to create a better library by instilling unit collision with other librarians. This means "sticking together."

The fifth and last point Dr. Alenzuela wants to point out is by "Working together". Indeed, any work or problem, for that matter, can be done easily if only every member of the group will work together. She said that "when people work together, collaboration is at its best. And a lot can be achieved and it's more fun."

These and other programs introduced by Dr. Alenzuela or Rysa at the Thomas Jefferson Information Center earned her respect from among Filipino librarians and the officers of the Thomas Jefferson Library.

With that, she was given award as Locally Employed Staff of the Month by the USA.

Of course these are just part of the many accomplishments Rysa has done to Philippine librarianship.

Despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to read papers on various aspects of Philippine librarianship, as a guest speaker or as a paper presenter. Here are some of them, as partly mentioned earlier:

Guest Speaker. “Power by Numbers in Accreditation: Collaboration, Linkages and Partnership”. PLAI- Western Visayas Summer Conference. May 24- 25, 2013.

Guest Speaker. “National Conference of Public Librarians”. November 6-8, 2012

Paper Presenter. “The Thomas Jefferson Information Center Network : Shaping the Narratives of Dynamic Engagement.” 3rd International Symposium on Emerging Trends and Technology in Library and Information Science . Guna, India. October 26-27, 2012

Resource Person. Lecture on “Building Dynamic Engagement in Libraries”. Dumaguete City. October 18, 2012

Resource Speaker. “American Corners and It’s Benefit to the Filipino Public: Promoting Games in the Library” 2nd National Congress of Special libraries in the Philippines. August 2-3, 2012

Chair, Souvenir Committee. National Book Week 2011. Philippine Librarians Association, Inc.. November 24-30, 2011

Presenter. “Social Networking Tools and Rules for Libraries Converging in the Social-Media Driven Environs” 4th Rizal Library International Conference. October 21-22, 2010

Control Officer/ Facilitator/ Organizer and Moderator/ Lecturer in 35 fora, symposia, conferences, trainings all over the Philippines from January 2009- May 2011.

For some reasons, Rysa left Thomas Jefferson Information Center and temporarily returned to Iloilo City.

Since librarianship is in her blood, she sought employment in among the big universities in Iloilo City. And she found, not only one but two.

Presently, Rysa is employed as a lecturer at the Central Philippine University, and as a Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) Coordinator at the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City.

Based on her accomplishments, it seems that she has already reached the peak of her career as a librarian. She has been a director of one of the most prestigious information centers in the Philippines, has been published in a book, has been awarded by the most prestigious institution in the Philippines, and has been invited as guest speakers in national conferences.

So I asked her this question: Now that you are a successful librarian, what else would you wish to be?

Here is what she said:

"I'd wish to promote awareness of the importance of Archives and to develop library/ information science (LIS) education in the region into a world-class 21st century competitive one.

"Archives is a very important endeavor oftentimes neglected or given the least priority but without these valuable materials our legacy, our society will be placed in oblivion. I do hope that soon I can promote it at least in WV.

"We know that the pace of Library Information Science (LIS) development in the Philippines is uneven -- mostly in the Capital Region. I wanted that LIS participation be also amplified in the region. We have great potentials. Having been working in the academe for a few months, I've seen the potential for growth in terms of graduates in the Visayas and Mindanao considering the demand aside from the undeniable fact that there is a great need for professional librarians. We need to produce more graduates to face the quick turn over (transfer) and potential brain drain. A lot of highly qualified LIS leave the country for a greener pasture. For mentors and academicians, we should not take it as a threat. Rather, embrace this opportunity to show to the world that we can produce globally competitive graduates. We can supply the local and international demands with highly qualified graduates"

Since Rysa is teaching graduate library information science subjects, I asked her opinion on what else should be done to make library education in the Philippine more competitive to other professions in the Philippines.
Below is her answer:

"Despite the changes in our jobs as librarians brought about by emerging technology, LIS is still stereotyped as old fashioned bookworms. Maybe we can strengthen our collaboration so we can be more visible, our impact and role in nation building be felt. To cite a few, we have a great role in promoting respect for intellectual property; we are the most authoritative profession to speak up for free access to information; we bridge the road to deepen understanding of culture; we have sophisticated knowledge on evaluating and retrieving reliable information. We should do more proactive and engaging programs and keep up with fast pace of emerging technology. Thus LIS education should lead in the promotion of a culture of research, should inculcate that sense of pride in the profession, develop curricula that is geared towards honing creative, innovative and dynamic professionals."

That is Rysa, the far reaching intellectual of the Philippine librarianship.

******
Sources:
Personal interview with Dr. Reyza Azenuela, June 8, 2013
Her biodata.
The meaning of names. http://www.themeaningofnames.org/?n=Reysa&m=9&d=22&y=1999&go=Go. Retrieved: June 11, 2013