Learning Materials Found in the National Library of Philippines

Last Saturday though the library is only open till 3pm, I manage to revisit the National Library with a special friend, even though I am very much familiar with the materials that this library use and have, I still push to go there to make a list of these things. As I enter the library, I notice that we first logged to the log book gave by the library guards, and these comes in my first list. I was not able to ask the guard the reason for this, but I am sure that this is a part of their security measure. For instance, on that day, something happened and all on the list that they have with the guard may be use as witness for it. Then, we went to luggage counter to deposit our bags. This is also their way to protect their library from thieves. If you are a first timer in this library, you are required to have a library I. D. Before, when it was my first time, with my classmates, we all pay for the ID, which is worth P50. 00, surprisingly; it is still worth like that. Before you can enter the library as visitor, but now my friend with me, they also require him to have an ID. As I was waiting for my friend to fill up his form in applying an ID for the library, something caught my attention. It was an old Catalog box filled with index cards with list of names and personal information. Then I thought of that maybe these are the ID cards of those who use to be here, just imagine how long this library is running. As we are waiting for the ID, the Elevator caught my attention. The last time we went here, I remember that we used it with my clan. At the right side of the elevator, there you can see the restroom for the user and the office of the personnel of the library. I believe that the office is air conditioned, because the dew and fog made by the air-con which is very visible because of the glass walls. As we go upstairs, students were checking on the computers set for the easy books access. This is the library I saw that uses this kind of technology. You can find here the information that can help you find the books that u need at ease. Once you type the idea of what you need in the book, the computer will give you list of different books, thesis, newspaper, magazines, dissertation and such that is related to your desired book. Aside from that, it will also give you the information about what stations you can find it, author, page, year and lots. If you listed the target books, you will next go to the stations that the computer gave you, for instance the General Books. This station generally composed of books like dictionaries, Bibles, Encyclopedias and such. Each station is air-conditioned but smells like old books. Aside from making the visitors feel comfortable, the main function of this is to take good care of the books, because high temperature will lessen the books’ life span. Each station have place for the visitor like reading stations. These composed of tables and chairs perfect if the book barrower needs a lot of time with the desired books he have. Next item that I have is the small piece of paper given by the library personnel. In this paper, you will write the information you got from the computers of you desired books. This will be given to the library personnel inside the book gallery which will be replaced by another paper containing the book number and book shell of your desired book. This makes the searching easier. Also I notice, in every stations we passed thru, there they have a mini museum of our national treasures and history memorabilia. Before I remember, it took my friends a lot of time here than searching for their books. Aside from that, they also have a photo copy station which becomes very useful during my research making last semester, although pages that are allowed to be copied are very limited. I am not really aware of what is the objective of me going here just to get a list again of the materials that the library have and use, but then I realize at the middle of my list I wrote books. The main reason why people go in a library is they have a need for a certain book, and library without a book in it is not a library. As I was there I also use that opportunity to also read about my present studies in my different subject as part of my advance study.