FOUR YEARS after its last iteration, the 9th Rizal Library International Conference (RLIC) returned from October 11 to 13 at the New Rizal Library and Leong Hall Auditorium. The event showcases discussions by various field experts on the topic of adapting libraries to serve the ever-changing needs of the new normal.

Expounding on the event, RLIC Conference Chair John Lyndon Amaza shared that this year’s theme, “MindSHIFT: LAMs in a VUCA World,” was derived from the need for libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) to better align with  changes in the real world.

Moreover, University Librarian Vernon Totanes emphasized that VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) was a popular acronym used to characterize the world’s rapid changes and unpredictability, particularly during the pandemic. As a result, libraries such as Rizal Library adopted innovative strategies to provide services and combat disinformation by shifting online.

The event featured three keynote speakers: award-winning journalist Atom Araullo, Singapore Management University Librarian Shameem Nilofar Maideen, and USCI University Business Professor Cham Tat Huei, PhD, who all delivered lectures on current trends in information literacy, innovation, and frameworks.

Beyond these presentations, Totanes highlighted the conference’s central aim to promote and elevate the significance of librarianship as a profession. Other speakers, who were chosen through submitted abstracts, were also invited to present their related papers. Notably among them were Ateneo Fine Arts and English Departments’ Assistant Professor Melissa Maramara and National University of Singapore Research Librarian Nur Diyana Binte Abdul Kader.

Furthermore, the RLIC also serves to make the Ateneo better known for its standards in information resources. “The larger contribution of this conference is to make a contribution to the development of librarians in the Philippines,” Totanes said. With this in mind, Amaza remarked that despite the event’s delay from 2021, he believes this year’s RLIC was a success given the influx of professionals, students, and relevant speakers for the conference.

Given an increase of students now in attendance, Totanes also hinted at reorienting future iterations for students who wish to enter the library profession. He hopes that the RLIC may influence them with the Atenean values of cura personalis and magis, as a way to pay these values and the resources forward to the community.