Krishna Grady addresses the audience.

“Are you a Transformed Librarian?” That question was asked throughout the First International Conference on Children’s Librarianship hosted by the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) and held in Tagaytay City, Philippines, on October 13 to 15. The theme of the conference, “Connecting and Linking of Information Through Transformed Children’s Libraries to the Digital Era,” challenged children’s librarians from around the world to be transformation agents in their libraries. The first afternoon began with a warm welcome from Antonio M. Santos, director of the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), followed by remarks from the city mayor Agnes D. Tolento. Andrew Medlar, president-elect of the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, was the first speaker. Medlar gave an inspiring, crowd-sourced speech, “Envisioning a 21st Century Children’s Library,” that included several librarians’ ideas and conceptions for a modern library. Medlar challenged the audience to think about what the year 2100 would look like and what librarians can do to prepare. He ended by noting that children who have positive library experiences grow up to be active and supportive adult library users—and that creating those early experiences for children in the public library is one way to start on the road to 2100. On the second day, I presented on “Digital Services in the Era of Globalization.” Before launching into the presentation, I led the crowd of 300-plus librarians in a physical and highly participatory storytime rhyme called “Atootie-tah.” Now fully awake, the audience settled in for the presentation, which surveyed library history—from the progression of clay tablets to card catalogues to digital catalogs and rich online resources now available in our hyper-connected, global world. I shared free e-resources, such as those curated at Great Websites for Kids and BrainPop, and encouraged the group to share their own favorite (and free) resources.

What kind of transformer are you?

Conference participants on the move.

Teacher librarian and author Zarah Gagatiga gave an inspiring speech about being a “transformed librarian.” After showing the audience slides of Transformer characters, Gagatiga likened librarians to these shape-shifting giants, asking the crowd if they were more Optimus Prime or Decepticon. Gagtiga challenged the audience to be positive agents of change, able to transform with the times—like Optimus Prime—rather than stagnating, entrenched in tradition, and failing to lead children toward knowledge and technological innovation, like a Decepticon. Gagatiga concluded by remarking that “children’s librarians play a crucial role in nation building.” Whether one works in a public or school library, he said, all librarians are teachers and can play a crucial role in the transformation of children’s services. The NLP has been hosting a children’s librarian conference for Filipino librarians since 2012, and this first international convention attracted attendees from around the globe. There is a celebratory “Fellowship Night” each year, and this year’s festivities included a live band, dancing, and a roasted pig. Librarians took turns jamming with the band and singing karaoke favorites. On the final day, the transformation theme was still buzzing in the minds and on the lips of attendees. Regina Davamoni, a literacy coach and educational consultant from Singapore, spoke on the theme of “Children’s Librarians: An Agent of Change in Modern Educational Approaches to Teaching” to a transfixed crowd. Davamoni talked about the power of teachers and students co-creating and learning together. Throughout, Davamoni reminded the audience that “there is no learning without thinking and no reading without thinking.” She encouraged school librarians to leverage technology in order to get kids wired and connected to the broader world. “School is not about preparing kids for exams,” she said. “It’s about preparing them for life.” She asked the audience to reconsider their role as educators. “You must first be a content provider and select what is good for your kids [in]print and digital…. but you must also be an experience provider because personal touch and personal involvement is what is needed in libraries.”

Storytelling and puppets

The final presentations were followed by one more surprise session on storytelling. Melanie Abad-Ramirez, head of the Children’s Section at NLP, told stories and performed with puppets, including the official NLP mascot, a young Filipina girl. As I prepared for the 16-hour flight back across the South Pacific to the United States, I spoke with Medlar about his experience and takeaways. “From Manila to Maine and everywhere in between, those of us serving kids in libraries have so much in common, and reaching out and supporting each other is essential to creating a future where libraries are vital to all communities,” he eloquently concluded. It was a privilege getting to know the librarians of the Philippines, share in their culture, and bust some wicked dance moves with fellow children’s librarians from around the world. So am I a transformed librarian? This unique gathering was transformative in itself. I left informed and inspired, challenged to become the Optimus Prime of my library and community.

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Krishna Grady (@darcyeyre) is a Children’s Librarian/Program Coordinator in Connecticut. She enjoys fiber arts, fantasy novels and tea. Her dream is to write a children’s musical and tour it around the globe.