The advent of technology has brought forth technologies incorporation into school’s daily activities and instruction, making the recent shift of face to face learning modality into remote teaching an almost effortless conversion.
At Imus National High School, the adjustment led to various learning opportunities on the side of both the students and the institution. The school, steered by Department of Education’s guidelines started to prioritize the most essential learning competencies in terms of content, while the pedagogy were all strategized with great consideration to the intellectual and emotional well-being of the students, teachers and parents alike.
Supported by Rotary Club of Imus (RCI), IHNS collaborated with Imus City Government through Imus City Library to introduce Koha Integrated Library System to INHS community through a limited face to face basic training to keep up with digitalization. The event was held on August 3 and 4 at INHS Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Laboratory.
Koha is an Integrated Library System with a range of features including:
Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) module which provides a
simple and clear interface for library users to perform tasks such
as searching for and reserving items and suggesting new items.
Full catalogue module which enables library staff to capture details
of all library items. It is MARC compliant, and also z39.50 compliant,
meaning data entry and exchange will be greatly simplified.
Circulation module which fully automates borrowing and item
management, integrating with the OPAC so users can see which items
they have outstanding, for example.
Acquisitions module which assists librarians with both acquisitions and
more generally with budget management. Serials management and reporting modules perform functions that their names would suggest.
(https://www.eifl.net/resources/koha-worlds-first-free-and-open-source- integrated-library-management-system)
The 18 teachers, representing 8 Academic Departments of INHS, sit together and learned the rudiments of the KOHA ILS to cascade to their co-teachers in the department and the teachers to students through the initiative of Milany G. Almazar, INHS Teacher Librarian and the supervision of Principal IV Arturo P. Rosaroso and OIC-Head of English Department Gina D. Belarma. The participants to this training are also expected to upload different e-learning materials to the library and continuously update the cataloguing of books and refences available in the system.
Mr. Rosaroso emphasized the importance of libraries to the learning and development of teachers and students. He acknowledged that the installation of Koha ILS in the library system is one big move of the INHS towards becoming the first techno-smart Public Junior High School in the City of Imus.
Likewise, LCP Rosaroso of RCI expressed the full support of thee club to the installation of Integrated Library Systems in the INHS Library computers. He also stated that RCI is willing to work hand in hand with the school in promoting education and literacy.
The librarian of Imus City Library Kristine Anne D. Bautista discussed Modules 1, 2 and 3 which informed the trainees of the integrated library systems and how it works. The sessions also familiarized the participants with the Cataloguing and Online Public Library Systems(OPAC), and how it can be shared to the learning community. Through this, Imuseños can still enjoy the library facility while hurdling the challenges of the pandemic situation.
City of Imus Library Information Analyst Alyssa B. Paredes talked about Koha Configuration and Administration, Reports and Backup and Barcode which are important for librarians in managing and maintaining Koha library systems.
Registered Librarian Mr. Reden M. Cruzado of DepEd Imus City facilitated the conduct Monitoring and assessment of the integrated library systems.