#uard

So what did I do this week?

Half of my first day was spent continuing my duties at the Bindery, I was able to finish binding one more book and was able to sew another book to be ready for binding.

That afternoon, I went back to the archive’s depository and was directed downstairs to the Data Center and was briefed regarding the scanning of archive materials. After that, I went back up and started scanning a 500+ pages of the Philippinensian 1938 (a UP yearbook). I kept myself amused by reading most of what I’m scanning. Everything was cute HAHA! It was a struggle to finish the material because of the extent but I was able to finish it after spending a little over 13 hours for it. and it wasn’t really that difficult for me since I’ve been scanning and scanning materials when I was an SA at the Econ Library.

I thought that since I’m done with my duty at the Indexing Section, my indexing career would be long gone. But I was wrong! I was wrong! HUHUHU LOLJK I was given a compilation of 2010 Philippine Collegian (Student paper) to index. YEY! *cries*

The entirety of the duty hours I had left to spend at the Archives was spent indexing. My experience with using the IPN (Index to Philippine Newspapers database) was the same as my experience with the IPP and yes, I did have the same issue regarding the search bar. They probably have the same developers which wasn’t a surprise since only the color schemes (IPP was blue while IPN was a light green) and the content were different.

Part of our Archives duty includes manning the circulation desk. However I wasn’t able to get my share of it. So instead, I just asked how it works but the staff there just told us that they’d be the ones to get the materials needed if ever the users would approach and that we shouldn’t bother anymore... It was weird really but I think if Ma’am Eimee was there we would be able to learn something about the arrangement of the materials there. Oh well.

Usually, I dread indexing (next to cataloging, of course). Not because I don’t know how, but because I’m always so unsure if what I’m doing is correct at all. But it isn’t so difficult, really, especially when authority lists are available.

So... this week, I spent 4 days at the Indexing Section and was able to finish a good number of articles. I’m quite glad that when we got there all the scholarly journals, periodicals, and articles were already done and what were left were mostly magazines. At least indexing magazine articles are relatively easier than indexing scholarly ones.

We were told to create P-slips of the articles we are indexing just so we know how they’re created even though an online database is already available. We encoded the indexed articles after creating P-slips for them, too, just so we could familiarize ourselves with the Index to Philippine Periodicals database.

The database was easy to use once one gets to understand the function of each part. The database was pleasing to the eyes, too, which was why it wasn’t so hard to work with it. Although, I had issues with the search bar for the Headings list. It doesn’t work like the search bar for browsing articles which was why I found it a little bit irritating (just a tiny bit). I hope they’d work on that function but all in all the database was superb! Thumbs up!

Friday this week, was also my first day of duty at the archives. I was directed to the Bindery and I spent my whole day there.

When you enter the Bindery, a really weird stench would overwhelm you. Apparently, that was the animal glue called ‘cola’ (I’m not entirely sure, because no one spelled it to me and I guess I didn’t bother asking. HUHU sorry) being cooked.It is the adhesive used for binding the books sent to the office. It smells really weird but once you’re used to it, it doesn’t really matter much. It’s an effective adhesive, too, although Ma’am Emma Rey, my LIS 173 professor the previous semester told us that this adhesive is usually the food of certain insects and pests that lead to the deterioration of books. I did bring it up, but I knew as well that methyl cellulose (the adhesive we used during 173) was quite expensive.

I got to use the machine for putting lettering on the book covers. IT. WAS. AWESOME!

I really must say that this part was one of the most fulfilling parts of my OJT. It is because I get to bind a book (or a couple of books) on my own!... well, with assistance of course. XD

9/10/14