Custodians of Wealth and Power

(Dr. Celia T. Adriano with the Faculty and staff of School of Library and Information Studies. She is seated between Dean Rosalie B. Faderon and Prof. Rosvida R. Rosal)

Published in today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, [p. A15 on the printed edition] is an excerpt of the speech delivered by Dr. Celia T. Adriano, director of the Diliman Interactive Learning Center and assistant vice president for academic affairs during the UP School of Library and Information Studies Recognition Program held last 27 April 2008 at the UP College of Education auditorium. Read the full text here.

...more than professional qualities, which on your own you can develop and reinforce here at SLIS, let me focus on the personal qualities that you need to meet the challenges of serving our people as an information professional.

The information professional is a seeker of truth. He consciously pursues new ideas while helping others develop ideas of their own.

He must be a visionary, able to see things hidden from the casual observer. For the information professional, the library and its information services are just a part of a larger—and eminently more vital—process of making informed decisions.

He must be a consummate communicator, fully capable of transforming concepts into clearly understandable terms.

He is an alliance builder, constantly seeking ways to use the information at his disposal to bridge gaps and foster understanding.

The information professional is an activist, refusing to let the “cry of the urgent” drown out the “drone of the critical.”

He is an innovator, able to think creatively at all times and pin down and act decisively on information opportunities that arise. He takes pride in his work and finds singular joy in helping people acquire the knowledge they seek.

The information professional of the 21st century—and beyond—is no less than the world’s custodian of wealth and power.

I guess the message does not only apply to those who recently graduated but to the alumni of SLIS and other colleagues as well. A friendly reminder that we are not mere custodians of library materials but of wealth and power too. Congratulations to the centennial graduates of UP!

* Thank to Prof Cabbab for the photo from his multiply account.