1. PRESCRIPTION, ISSUANCE AND
PROMULGATION OF THE
"STANDARDS FOR SPECIAL
LIBRARIES IN THE PHILIPPINES"
PROFESSIONAL REGULATORY BOARD FOR LIBRARIANS
Resolution No. 01
Series of 2016
2. Standards for Special Libraries in the
Philippines
• Special Libraries are libraries established and supported by private and government
agencies, corporations, research institutions, international organizations, and others
(i.e. academic, school) that collect, manage, preserve, and provide immediate access
to knowledge resources dealing with specialized subjects, and focused information
services to its clientele.
• The following standards are intended to guide Special Librarians in developing and
maintaining a Special Library that is well-equipped with the appropriate resources and
services that would cater to the needs of the organizational staff and other users in this
digital age.
3. I. Objectives, Vision and Mission
The Library advances the goals of the organization it serves
and prioritizes the fulfillment of staff/clientele information
needs.
1.1 It shall develop a clear statement of its Vision and
Mission which are aligned with the goals of the parent
organization.
1.2 The Vision and Mission shall be displayed on a strategic
place in the Library and on the Library's internet portal or
website.
4. II. Administration
• The Library shall be managed by a full-time licensed Head
Librarian, with the appropriate subject specialization,
experience or expertise needed to support the organization's
area(s) of interest and goals.
5. III. Human Resources
• The Library shall be headed by a full-time licensed
Librarian, with a Master's Degree, appropriate specialization
and with relevant experience involving management and
supervision. He/she must have communication, social and
Information Technology (IT) skills to effectively work with
senior managers, colleagues, clients and other stakeholders.
6. III. Human Resources
111.1. Librarians
The minimum requirement shall follow the prescribed
number of full-time licensed Librarians, with appropriate subject
specialization for the Special Library. The number of Librarians,
paraprofessionals and other personnel for each type of Special
Library is subject to change, if and when the prescribed
standards change.
7. III. Human Resources
111.1. Librarians
111.1.a. Special, Academic and School Libraries shall follow the
librarian-client ratio prescribed by the Board for Librarians Standards for
Academic and School Libraries: one (1) licensed Librarian for every five
hundred (500) students; one (1) additional licensed Librarian for every
increment of one thousand (1,000) students.
111.1.b. Special Government Libraries shall follow the standards
for personnel requirements for government institutions or shall base the
number of Librarians on Full Time Equivalents or FTEs: one (1) full-time
Librarian for every five hundred (500) FTEs.
8. III. Human Resources
111.1. Librarians
111.1.c. Research Libraries shall have one (1) full-
time Librarian for every fifty (50) FTEs.
111.1.d. Corporate Libraries shall have one (1)
full-time Librarian for everyone hundred (100) FTEs.
9. III. Human Resources
111.2. Paraprofessionals
There shall be at least one (1) paraprofessional to
assist each Librarian.
111.3. Continuing Professional Development
The Library staff shall engage in Continuing
Professional Development (CPD).
10. IV. Collection Management and Organization
IV.1. Collection Management
IV.1.a. The Library's collection, regardless of information format, shall reflect the
information needs of its service community, and shall be made available to them
and other stakeholders.
IV.1.b. The Head Librarian, in collaboration with the management or appropriate
committee, or whichever is applicable, shall have the authority to select materials
to be purchased/subscribed to by the Library.
IV.1.c. There shall be a well-written and updated Collection Development Policy (CDP)
that shall include, at the minimum, policies on selection, acquisition, deselection,
evaluation, and gifts and exchange.
IV.1.d. The Library shall address issues on preservation, disaster risk management, and
legal concerns, such as, intellectual property rights, access, and resource sharing
of its materials.
IV.1.e. Collection maintenance practices, such as inventory, evaluation, and care of the
collection, shall be undertaken to ensure that Library materials are relevant and
responsive to the needs of its service community.
11. IV. Collection Management and Organization
IV.2. Organization
IV.2.a. The Library's collection shall be cataloged and
classified using any one of the internationally accepted
standards (i. e., The Library of Congress List of Subject
Headings, Sear's List of Subject Headings, Special
Subject Thesauri, The Library of Congress
Classification Scheme, Dewey Decimal Classification,
Resource Description and Access, and others).
IV.2.b. If the need arises, the Library shall devise its own
organization system, preferably, compliant with
internationally accepted standards.
12. V. Services
V.1. Technical Services
V.1.a. Collection Development of a Wide Variety of Formats
V.1.b. Cataloging and Classification
V.1.c. Creation and Management of Databases
V.1.d. Archiving and Preservation of Information Resources
V.1.e. Indexing and Abstracting
To support the information needs of the institution it serves, the
Library shall provide services based on the demands of users
from within the organization.
13. V. Services
V.2. Readers' Services
V.2.a. Circulation
V.2.b. Conventional and Digital/E-Reference
V.2.c. Research Support
V.2.d. Non-print and Multimedia
V.2.e. Document Delivery /Inter-library Loans
V.2.f. Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
V.2.g. Training on Information Literacy
V.2.h. Marketing the Library
V.2.i. Photocopying and Scanning Services
14. VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment
VI.1. Design and Location
Vl.1.a. The Head Librarian should actively participate in planning the location,
design, and other specific details of the Library.
Vl.1.b. The Library building shall conform with the provisions of Presidential Decree
No. 1096, otherwise known as the National Building Code of the Philippines,
and any other pertinent laws such as those for occupational safety and
health. User safety, air space, light, ventilation, sanitation and maintenance
shall comply with the provisions of said laws.
Vl.1.c. The Library shall be conveniently located within the premises of the
institution it serves. It shall be accessible to all staff and to other Library
clientele.
15. VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment
VI.2. Area and Space Allocation
Vl.2.a. The Library shall be provided a well-planned and adequate space
for library users, storage of the collections, workstations for the
Library staff, and information and communication technology (ICT)
equipment.
Vl.2.b. A separate office shall be provided for the Head Librarian.
Vl.2.c. Discussion and/or private study rooms shall be provided if space
is available.
16. VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment
VI.3.Lighting and Ventilation
Vl.3.a. Illumination and ventilation shall follow standards
specified in the National Building Code.
Vl.3.b. Heat sensitive materials (films, tapes, discs, etc.)
and equipment (computers, viewing devices, etc.)
shall be stored in climate-controlled room(s)
17. VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment
VI.4. Furniture and Equipment
Vl.4.a. The Library shall have necessary equipment to access
information. There shall be sufficient number of
computer workstations with internet connectivity, at
least one (1) printer/scanner and other equipment for
the use of the library staff and clientele.
Vl.4.b. Appropriate Library furniture and equipment shall be
provided.
18. VI. Physical Facilities and Work Environment
VI.5. Safety and Security Measures
Vl.5.a. Safety and security measures shall be in place. Provisions for
emergency exit door, fire extinguishers, emergency warning
device, and installation of monitoring camera or electronic
surveillance system and the like shall be provided.
Vl.5.b. Pest control measures shall be utilized, as needed.
Vl.5.c. The Library shall adopt a sustainable disaster risk management
program.
19. VII. Information Technology-based Services
The Library shall utilize available Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to
improve resources and services.
VII.1. An Integrated Library System (ILS) compliant with international standards on
communication formats (MARC 21, Dublin Core, NISO Z39.50 etc.) shall be in place.
Vll.2. Management of ILS, IT equipment, and servers shall be jointly coordinated by
Librarians and IT Department staff.
Vll.3. The Library shall have internet connections with optimum speed, performance, and
bandwidth for quick access to web-based resources and services. It is preferable
that a dedicated connection for the Library shall be provided.
Vll.4. The Library shall create and maintain a web site or portal which will serve as the focal
point where users can access resources and services.
Vll.5. There shall be enough computers to serve the daily average number of Library users.
20. VII. Information Technology-based Services
Vll.6. The Library shall consider security and privacy issues a major concern.
Firewall and filtering policies should be discussed and negotiated with IT
Department in adherence with institutional policy.
Vll.7. The Library shall develop capacities among its users through instruction and
literacy programs on how to effectively access information and use of
relevant technologies.
Vll.8. The Library shall initiate digitization projects and curate or preserve digital
contents following best practices and established standards.
Vll.9. The Library shall develop and maintain institutional repositories to preserve
the intellectual heritage of the parent organization.
VI1.10. The Library shall provide open access to documents emanating from
government -funded researches and grants.
Vll.11. The Library shall uphold and respect privacy and intellectual property rights.
21. VIII. Budget
Vlll.1. The Head Librarian shall be responsible for preparing
and managing the finances of the Library.
Vlll.2. The Library shall have sufficient budget adequate
enough to sustain and improve resources and
services.
22. IX. Collaboration
The Library shall engage in proactive local and international collaborative
activities to maximize its resources and services, subject to existing
institutional policies and government rules and regulations.
IX.1. The Library shall participate in consortia and enable resource sharing
covered by an agreement, subject to existing policies of the parent
institution and publishers.
IX.2. Libraries and its Librarians shall be members in good standing of local
professional organizations (Association of Special Libraries of the
Philippines and the Philippine Librarians Association) or international
library, information science, knowledge management, librarians' and
information professionals' organizations.
