Maan featured in UPLB quarterly

(The following is a feature article on our sis, Maan Ingua. The guy who has the file of the published version of the article is on leave, so what's here is my original writeup. It's not very different from the version published in the Everyday People column, 2nd Quarter issue, UPLB Horizon. This might come out soon in the UPLB website.)

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The librarian wears stilletos

Kengkoy, free-spirited, life of the party… and a librarian?

That is not a group of friends plus an odd one; that is four temperaments rolled into one tailor-dressed petite package with such an infectious laugh one wonders how she survives working in a library, or how the library survives her.

Mary Ann M. Ingua, or Maan, is a college librarian at the University Library. She has been with UPLB since 1999. After finishing a degree in secondary education with library science as her major at Bicol University (BU), she taught at St. Rafael Academy and served as assistant librarian at the same time. She later worked at BU full time after getting her professional license as a librarian.

A trip to UPLB for a seminar became a turning point for Maan. She learned of a vacancy at the University Library and found that the job came with the privilege of studying for free. She wanted to study further. She got the job - to which she remains committed to this day - and a master’s degree in library and information science from UP Diliman.

Multitasking

At the University Library, Maan performs two roles: on Mondays and Wednesdays, she is in charge of the Information Desk, where she attends to queries from students and staff. The rest of the week, she works the Computer Services Section of the library.

Manning the Information Desk does not involve simply giving directions to a bookshelf, Maan explains. She must provide clients with proper and credible information sources, and in the case that references or materials are unavailable, offer alternatives. It is her job to make sure that users actually find the information they need and check if references, such as those found online, are credible.

On other days of the week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays), she is at the Computer Services Section assisting users in surfing the Internet and accessing databases. Here, she is also in-charge of making back-ups of databases and making sure that all publications available are encoded in the library database.

Service oriented

Library work in general may seem mundane to most, but not with Maan, who professes that she enjoys what she does because from the start she has been doing for a job something that she studied for.

“I love this job kaya enjoy talaga ako, although there are ups and downs, of course.” Maan explains that she does not have problems with the nature of the job, but sometimes finds maintaining good relationships at the workplace a challenge. “You can’t please everybody.”
She draws satisfaction as a librarian from the kind of service she gives. “Satisfied ka kung satisfied yung user dun sa ibinigay mong information.”

She bids library clients to take advantage of the resources available in the library. “If you are unable to access the information you need, seek the help and expertise of the librarians.” She also encouraged clients give feedback so that the library staff may be guided and services improved towards ‘full customer satisfaction.’

When asked about her biggest achievement so far, she was thoughtful for a while and then said, “Wala.” Among the things she has done, she concedes that there is none yet that she would consider a major accomplishment. And it is probably because of how she views things, which is that every accomplishment is a step, not an end in itself.

Knowing that not all people are open to new ideas and technologies and believing that learning should constantly take place, Maan has taken it upon herself to be an ‘initiator of change’ among her co-workers. She cites for instance the new database system in the library that, according to her, some have been hesitant to embrace because of its technical nature. She made efforts to try to convince her co-workers of the benefits of using it.

Despite her commitment to work, Maan keeps busy outside of the library as well. She is actively involved with the Ang Liwanag ng Panginoon, a community of Catholic single professionals, which she serves as head of a ministry. She revealed that she plans to give up this position of service soon, to give others a shot at it and to give herself time to think about her next step for the future, whatever that may be.

A positive outlook

Without really trying, Maan has done her share of breaking the stereotype that people commonly have of librarians – smug, bespectacled silent types with collars buttoned tight around the neck and hair tied in a bun to make themselves look older than they really are.

Maan’s staple, on the other hand, are outfits she had specially made, scarves, lively accessories, and - (gasp!) - boots! More than her wardrobe, it is her easy laughter and candor that testifies to her optimism and determination to enjoy life as it is. She believes that “when a door is closed, a window opens.” At the end of the day, she merely wants to be remembered as a happy person with a good sense of humor. (KTI Alibanban, MLJ Baroña-Cruz)