Dr. Cortez says “Malus kayu pu" to PAARL, Inc.

MESSAGE OF DR. JAIME V. CORTEZ, AVP FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, TO THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH, LIBRARIANS (PAARL), INCORPORATED
Multi-Purpose Hall, San Francisco de Javier Building
19 August 2010

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning. As the Academic Vice President of this University, I welcome you all to Holy Angel for the seminar-workshop of your organization, the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians, Incorporated. In Kapampangan, we say “Malus kayu pu;” and that of course means “Welcome.” Sincerely, I am glad that you have chosen our University as the venue of this very important national affair. Feel free then to make our school your home away from home throughout the duration of your seminar.

I maintain the belief that librarians will always remain as indispensable members of the academic community. Why? Because you are the caretakers of our repository of knowledge. In close coordination with you, the students and the faculty find fellowship with the best minds of today and of years bygone as they explore and read the vast wealth of intellectual treasures stored in the libraries. Indeed, you are our partners in pursuing two of the three vital functions of higher educational institution: instruction and research.

The accelerating pace of change, particularly in information technology, should not leave the library profession unprepared, nor should reduce to irrelevance and oblivion the role of librarians. On the contrary, librarians should not only keep pace with the avalanche of change around us but should in fact proactively lead the academic community in the pursuit of these changes. Thus, this seminar-workshop.

In spite of and despite of technology, the human component of the library must remain, for even if computers can do wonders in our information age, the librarian’s thinking and feeling capacities can never be equalled by the machine. Librarians must therefore be trained in providing web-based services and navigating around the vast reservoir of e-resources, in addition to their traditional domains, if they were to remain effective and efficient in their work

In closing, I wish to borrow a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. He said, “If we encounter a man of great intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” To this, I would like to add: we should also ask him what sites he visits and by whose guidance he visits those sites. Probably, behind him is a competent librarian...

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Have a pleasant stay in Holy Angel.

Laus Deo semper. Praise God always.