Intellectual jewels of the nation: An exploratory study of Filipiniana special materials

Department/Unit

Libraries

Document Type

Archival Material/Manuscript

Publication Date

2019

Abstract

Special materials in the Filipiniana Division (FD) of the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) provide more than the bare eyes could perceive. Materials stored herein abetted the continuous shaping and discovering of the Filipino identity through time. Thus, to fully understand the component of this collection, this paper aims to explore the cornucopia of special materials available in the FD of which has an intrinsic value in Philippine history and culture. This study employs a descriptive qualitative research design using a structured interview as a research method. It was further supplemented by public documents. The researcher prepared 35 guide questions for the interview and validated by experts in the field. The guide questions are divided into eight major portions namely: 1) introduction and background; 2) building special material collection; 3) gifts and donations;4) organization of special materials; 5) marketing and promotion of special materials; 6) preservation and conservation of special materials; 7) deselection and weeding; and 8) ancillary matters. Being the country’s repository of cultural heritage is an unremitting challenge for NLP most especially in FD. NLP’s FD kept the nucleus of our nation’s intellectual and intangible heritage which is diverse in content and format. The diversity of special materials housed in the FD complements the varied needs of the public and mirrors the uniqueness of the Philippine culture. The strength of these materials lies beyond its immense quantity— it is an intellectual jewel of our nation, waiting to be rediscovered by its people. NLP has a bulk of special materials and dealing with it requires devoted time, restructured knowledge and perseverance which again pose another challenge to be confronted. As what one of the informants said “...one lifetime is not enough to organize them all [pertaining to the Philippine Insurgent Records and the Manuel L. Quezon Collection],” therefore, mechanisms and processes should be clearly defined, reestablished and rationalized to at least resolve the latter one step at a time.

html

Disciplines

Collection Development and Management

Keywords

Public libraries—Philippines—Special collections; Philippines—History—Sources; National Library of the Philippines. Filipiniana Division

Upload File

wf_no

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS