The public library has had more than 5 municipal librarians/officers-in charge. This oral history project includes 2 of them: the present one, Ms. Jeylin F. Espino, and a former one, Mrs. Teresa D. Matias. Let us now go down memory lane and discover more about the history of the Hagonoy Municipal Library as told by those who know its history better.
THE HAGONOY MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
Based on the interview with Ms. Jeylin F. Espino, Municipal Librarian (2013 -Present)
New bloods of librarians are continuously flowing through the veins of today's public library system as exemplified by Ms. Jeylin F. Espino's presence in the westernmost town library of Bulacan, the Hagonoy Municipal Library. Also known as Ma'am Jey, she has been serving the town of Hagonoy in her capacity as the Municipal Librarian since the year 2013. She is a licensed librarian and a graduate of Bachelor of Library and Information Services from Bulacan State University in 2011. She was previously working as a librarian in the same school but decided to apply as Hagonoy's Municipal Librarian when the opportunity came. She is a proud member of Bulacan Public Librarians Association, more commonly known as BPLAI.
According to Ma'am Jey, the librarian before her was named Ms. Liezel Contreras but she never met her because the position is actually vacant when she assumed it. Presently, she is manning the library alone but there were times when she had library staff. The first was Robrenz Buenavista in 2016, and right after he left, was replaced with Ms. Jenny Aguja. Both library staff helped Ma'am Jey in keeping the library clean and organized as well as in catering to the needs of the library clients.
THE HAGONOY MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
Based on the interview with Ms. Jeylin F. Espino, Municipal Librarian (2013 -Present)
New bloods of librarians are continuously flowing through the veins of today's public library system as exemplified by Ms. Jeylin F. Espino's presence in the westernmost town library of Bulacan, the Hagonoy Municipal Library. Also known as Ma'am Jey, she has been serving the town of Hagonoy in her capacity as the Municipal Librarian since the year 2013. She is a licensed librarian and a graduate of Bachelor of Library and Information Services from Bulacan State University in 2011. She was previously working as a librarian in the same school but decided to apply as Hagonoy's Municipal Librarian when the opportunity came. She is a proud member of Bulacan Public Librarians Association, more commonly known as BPLAI.
According to Ma'am Jey, the librarian before her was named Ms. Liezel Contreras but she never met her because the position is actually vacant when she assumed it. Presently, she is manning the library alone but there were times when she had library staff. The first was Robrenz Buenavista in 2016, and right after he left, was replaced with Ms. Jenny Aguja. Both library staff helped Ma'am Jey in keeping the library clean and organized as well as in catering to the needs of the library clients.
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| Entering the Library |
The history of the library started when Mrs. Salud Carlos, wife of the town's treasurer, spearheaded the establishment of the Hagonoy Municipal Library, supposedly in the 1970's. Unfortunately, the exact date of the library's foundation cannot be determined presently but it is hoped that additional documents will resurface in the future. Other identified former librarians were Fe Atienza, Honorata Mendoza, Concepcion Bautista, and Teresa Matias.
The library was formerly located at the Hagonoy Municipal Hall, during the time when it was still under the administration of the Mayor's Office. The location it formerly occupied is now the present MDRRMC (Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council) Office. Ma'am Jey describes the former location as smaller than the the present library and the arrangement is "too traditional", with closed shelves as opposed to the present arrangement which is open shelves. She also described the former location as "dark". The library transferred to the present location in 2011.
The present Vice-Mayor Pedro Santos Jr. is fully supporting the library and its projects. He would solicit book donations from different groups and individuals and help in distributing them to different far-flung, island barangay residents such as Barangay Pugad and Barangay Tibagin, who has no access to information materials, and even internet. When he was still the town mayor, Gov. Willie Alvarado also supported the growth of the library by also soliciting books from different individuals as well as purchasing encyclopedias and dictionaries for the use of the students using the library.
Books infected by termites.
The library, as well as the whole Hagonoy, was badly affected by Typhoon Pedring in 2011 wherein almost the whole town was flooded. Many of the books was destroyed, not by the flood but by the termites which infested the collection after not being properly dried out in the sun. When Ma'am Jey arrived in 2013, she has to weed out many of the books which cannot be saved anymore, including precious books about the history of Hagonoy. In her estimation, almost 1,000 books was lost due to that termite infestation which actually affected the whole building.
Today, the library is already back on its feet. The collection is continuously growing with the help of books donated by the Bulacan Provincial Library, publishers that that librarian and the local government has asked for assistance, and other individual donors. It also continuously receives annual book allocation from the National Library of the Philippines which further beefs up its collection. The librarian is confident that the library's collection will be able to answer the information needs of the townspeople of Hagonoy stating that the town has yet to catch up with the technology that the other places is already experiencing, and many families is still not able to access and avail internet connections, thus making the library as a go to place for them.
Today, the library is already back on its feet. The collection is continuously growing with the help of books donated by the Bulacan Provincial Library, publishers that that librarian and the local government has asked for assistance, and other individual donors. It also continuously receives annual book allocation from the National Library of the Philippines which further beefs up its collection. The librarian is confident that the library's collection will be able to answer the information needs of the townspeople of Hagonoy stating that the town has yet to catch up with the technology that the other places is already experiencing, and many families is still not able to access and avail internet connections, thus making the library as a go to place for them.
REMEMBERING THE PAST
Based on the interview of Mrs. Teresa D. Matias, Officer-in-charge (1998 - 2009)
Mrs. Teresa D. Matias, fondly called as Ma'am Tess, served as the library's officer-in-charge from 1998 to 2009. Her library service in Hagonoy spanned a total of 11 years from the very first term of Mayor Toti Ople (he served for 3 consecutive terms) until the first term of Mayor Angel Cruz. She was originally serving as a library staff at the Bulacan Provincial Library but when opportunity came, she asked to be transferred to Hagonoy Municipal Library because she lives in Hagonoy. She has attended numerous seminars and training about librarianship through the support of the local executives during her service.
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| American-era Hagonoy Municipal Hall, the first location of Hagonoy Municipal Library |
During her time, the books primarily came from the National Library of the Philippines and purchased from the budget set aside by the mayor for the library. She also remembers that she always have companions in the library before, with the highest number of 5! Among all of them, she remembers Ramon Lopez most because he is the longest serving one and is actually still working at the municipal government at the HR Office presently. All of these library staff helped her in assisting and tending to the needs of the library users which she described as "many" during her time.
Asked to describe the library she remembers, she said that it was a smaller but longer library than the present, lined with sturdy furniture and book cabinets which she noticed doesn't exist in the present library. She also added that aside from being packed with users at certain times of the day, it also served as "tambayan" of the many municipal employees loitering around to read newspapers or to have small talks with other employees in the room.
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| The Sangguniang Bayan ng Hagonoy Building where the present library is located |
There was a time that her library was made a relief center when a large typhoon (she doesn't remember what typhoon) badly hit Hagonoy and caused massive flooding. Fortunately, the collection wasn't badly affected by the flood but the service of the library temporarily stopped, mainly because of it being a relief center where food rations and other important supplies are stored.
Her service to the library can best be remembered by those people who have finished their studies from, elementary to college, using the materials in the library during the time when there were still no internet presence in the town and information can only be found in books.
To listen to the author's whole interview with Ms. Espino and Mrs. Matias, you may go to the Bulacan Provincial Library and ask the librarian there about the ORAL HISTORY OF BULACAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES PROJECT. Transcript of the whole interview is also available on site.
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