The document summarizes conversations between Eugene Jose T. Espinoza of the Senate of the Philippines Legislative Library and Marisha C. Kelly of the Northcentral University Library through the International Librarian Networking Program. They discussed the processes for becoming a librarian in their respective countries, with Marisha needing a Master's in Library Science accredited by the ALA and Eugene needing to pass the Librarian Licensure Examination in the Philippines. They also compared the technologies used at their libraries, including Springshare Suites, EBSCO Discovery Service, and various content management systems. They plan to continue their communication and possibly collaborate on a virtual engagement event connecting their library patrons.

1. Conversations in the International Librarian
Networking Program: Philippines and USA
Eugene Jose T. Espinoza, Senate of the Philippines Legislative Library
Marisha C. Kelly, Northcentral University Library
Marisha C. Kelly
Northcentral University
Email: marisha.librarian@gmail.com
Contacts
Northcentral University offers bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctoral degrees taught completely
online. According to university statistics,
approximately 98 percent of the student body is
graduate students and 69 percent of those
students are completing a doctoral degree. The
Northcentral University (NCU) Library provides
resources and services, including interlibrary loan,
delivered to users in a 100 percent online
environment.
The program participant, Marisha C. Kelly,
previously served as a Reference and Instruction
Librarian. In this role, she planned, developed,
integrated, implemented and maintained digital
systems and services, like OpenAthens for
authentication and Tipasa for interlibrary loan;
created online modules; and facilitated
workshops to support learning and information
literacy.
Northcentral University Library
One major comparison that the program
participants discussed was the process for
becoming a librarian in his and her respective
countries.
Becoming a Librarian – United States
Perspective:
Marisha discussed the process for becoming a
librarian in the United States. She mentioned that
most jobs she held required a Master’s in Library
and Information Science from an accredited
institution recognized by the American Library
Association. According to the American Library
Association’s Education and Careers website,
“accreditation is achieved through a review
process conducted by an external review panel of
practitioners and academics that verifies that the
program meets the Standards for Accreditation of
Master’s Programs in Library and Information
Studies.”
Becoming a Librarian – Philippines Perspective:
In order to practice librarianship in the Philippines,
Eugene discussed that one must pass the Librarian
Licensure Examination (LLE). According to the
Republic of the Philippines Professional Regulation
Commission, the Board for Librarians was created
under “The Philippine Librarianship Act” on
September 19, 1990. The first board examination
took place on December 3, 1992, and in 1994, a
fully computerized librarian licensure examination
was introduced. More information is available here:
https://www.prc.gov.ph/librarianship
Program Format
The Senate of the Philippines Legislative Library is
responsible for the selection, acquisition and
compilation of reference materials relevant to
legislation. It organizes and maintains various
library collections and service facilities to
strengthen information and reference services in
the Senate. It provides reference and research
assistance to the Senators and their staff, other
legislative researchers, Secretariat officials and
employees of the Senate.
As a librarian in the Senate of the Philippines
Legislative Library, program participant Eugene Jose
T. Espinoza works with specialized databases like
HeinOnline, Philippine E-Journals, eSCRA (Supreme
Court Reports Annotated Online) - Philippine based,
CDAsia Lex Libris (local) and Pressreader. He also
initiated, developed and oversaw projects like the
Index to Issuances Content Management System
(https://issuances-library.senate.gov.ph,
https://ldr.senate.gov.ph).
Senate of the Philippines Legislative Library
Our conversations led us to many interesting
discoveries not only about different ways to
accomplish library work, but also about our own
cultural lenses and how we use technology. Eugene
briefly worked for an international organization
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations in Rome, Italy) and was kept abreast of
other countries’ culture, especially in Europe.
Marisha visited France while the ILNP program was
ongoing and shared her experience visiting local
libraries in the area. Both participants wish to visit
more places in Europe.
Eugene and Marisha also worked with similar
technologies in past library positions including SaaS
platforms like Springshare Suites and EBSCO
Discovery Service (EDS). Both are also busy with
extracurricular professional interests. Eugene works
on various projects, mostly on Free and Open
Source Software, and is ex-Officio for the
Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines
(ASLP). Marisha is Assistant Editor for Information
Technology and Libraries (ITAL) journal.
What We Learned
Participating in this program provided us with new
ways of looking at our work and gave us some new
tools to use in future problem solving. Additionally,
we gained a new network of contacts from which
we can find support. We plan to continue our
communication and are considering a possible joint
project which would connect our library clientele at
our two institutions through a collaborative virtual
engagement event.
Final Takeaways
As a part of the American Library Association
International Relations Round Table’s
International Librarian Networking Program,
program participants corresponded through email
and Zoom meeting platform. We discussed our
previous experience in libraries, current
technologies used in our work, new technologies
we would like to learn, and areas for professional
development.
Library Comparisons
Eugene Jose T. Espinoza
Senate of the Philippines Legislative Library
Email: eugenejoseespinoza@gmail.com
Library Technology Used:
• Springshare Suites
• EBSCO Discovery
Service
• Serials Solutions
• OpenAthens
Website:
https://library.ncu.edu
Libraries at a Glance
Library Technology Used:
• Follett Destiny Library
Manager (DLM)
(https://library.senate
.gov.ph/common/serv
let/presenthomeform.
do?l2m=Home&tm=H
ome&l2m=Home)
• Drupal Content
Management System
(https://ldr.senate.go
v.ph and
https://issuances-
library.senate.gov.ph)