A Paper
Presented by
Annette D. Melgosa, MA
Associate Librarian at
AIIAS, Philippines

at the
20th Annual Conference of the
Association of Seventh-day
Adventist Librarians,
July 9-16, 2000 

Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Michigan

INTRODUCTION

Computer Technology began and developed in a handful of wealthy countries.  Industry standards in IT serve those countries very well.  However, they often ignore the conditions in much of the rest of the world.

Within the library industry, it is no different.  Electronic delivery of journals, web-based research, electronic ILL and other forms of electronic cooperation between libraries presuppose basic economic and infrastructure conditions that are not easily attainable in much of the world.  These industry standards also presuppose an automated library.  But state-of-the-art automated library systems are beyond the reach of many libraries around the world.

This presentation will be based on the experience of libraries in the Philippines.   Facts will be presented from (1) a survey of Library Administration students at Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in the Philippines, and (2) a case study of the AIIAS library automation project.

(1) Survey: Twenty-five students who are currently enrolled in an MA in Education with specialization in Library Administration at AIIAS and who represent 22 SDA schools across the Philippines contributed to this presentation through their participation in a survey.  I will try to share with you the results of that survey clearly yet with sensitivity.  My utmost respect for the students, their schools and their administrators, all of whom face enormous challenges, prompts me to share this presentation with you today.  It is my hope that, in this way, I can begin to make a difference in the way the profession, and particularly Adventist librarians and educational policy makers, view their responsibilities for ensuring access to information.  

(2) Case Study: AIIAS, an Adventist University located in the Philippines, is currently involved in automating all of its library services. AIIAS can only partially serve as an example of the issues faced in a country such as the Philippines because finances were not a problem.  For many institutions in this part of the world, the financial burden is an insurmountable one.  AIIAS did, however, face such things as availability of reliable electrical installations and Internet connections along with uncertain levels of local expertise. From this perspective, AIIAS can serve as a case study.

Finally, some suggestions and possible solutions will be presented.  It is my hope that this presentation will raise the awareness of those who are blessed to come from financially sound economies to the issues faced by our colleagues elsewhere.  Perhaps by sharing professional concerns with each other, we can continue to creatively seek solutions to the growing worldwide disparities within our profession and within our libraries. 

BACKGROUND ON THE PHILIPPINES

Geography

The Philippines is a country made up of over 7,100 volcanic islands, which spread along Southeast Asia’s continental coast between Japan and Indonesia.  To the west is the South China Sea and to the east the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean.  The Philippines lies between 5E and 20E latitude in the Northern Hemisphere.  Three island groups make up the country: Luzon, the largest island in the north (where Manila is located), the Visayan group of islands in the center of the country, and Mindanao, the second-largest island, which lies in the south. The Philippines is considered a tropical country with two seasons...the wet and dry seasons. Temperatures range between 70 and 100 degrees.

Ethnic Origins

Filipinos descend from the Malay peoples of Malaysia and Indonesia, but many also have Chinese, Spanish or American ancestors.  Official census figures for the year 2000 are not yet available but the estimated population of the Philippines taken from the Infoplease website of Lycos, is 81 million.

Politics and Religion

Politically, the Philippines of today rose out of 300 years of Spanish rule and 33 years of American and Japanese occupation.  After a brief period of democracy in the mid-1900s, they began a period of dictatorship rule by the late President Ferdinand Marcos that lasted for 21 years until 1986.  In 1987, the Philippines established a constitutional government with an elected president, vice president, congress and judicial system.

Unlike most other Asian countries, the Philippines is basically a Christian country.  Ninety-one percent of the population is Christian with 84 percent of those being Catholic.  The remainder of the population belongs to Islam, Buddhism or other religions. 

Economics and Education

Economically, the Philippines experienced growth in the early 1990s but suffered economic recession along with its Asian neighbors through the late 1990's.  It is now in the process of recovery.  According to the Human Development Index, which is published annually in the Human Development Report of the United Nations, the Philippines currently ranks 77 out of 174 nations.  It ranks beside nations such as Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.   (The HDI combines economic factors with other lifestyle factors such as life expectancy and literacy rates to come up with an index of standard of living.  For more information on the HDI, see the following website: http://www.undp.org/hdro/HDI.html).  According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) of the Philippines, average annual family income in 1997 was P123,168 or $2,932 (exchange rate of P42 to $1). 

Functional literacy rates in 1994 were 83.8% (NSO, Philippines).  Philippine law requires all children from the age of 7 to 12 to attend school and although all children do not attend, functional literacy rates in 1994 are comparatively high.

Libraries

On the positive side, librarianship in the Philippines is a growing profession.  Laws now regulate the profession, specifying the qualifications of librarians, as well as their responsibilities and legal obligations.  An official association currently functions as do government-approved degrees and government examination and licensure.  The National Library of the Philippines, which now contains nearly 1 million volumes, leads the country in library awareness.  A system of public and academic libraries exists.   In fact, the National Library has a network of public libraries to which they allocate books and other resources.

However, the situation is not all positive.  In general, there is very little funding for libraries.  Schools and even public libraries often suffer from limited funding for acquisitions and look to donations as alternative sources.    Environmental factors such as climate and infestation mean that buildings, shelving and collections are often in poor condition.

Automation in Philippine libraries came late and is still a problem for most.  An informal survey of several large institutional libraries shows that they are struggling to move from either card-based cataloging or outdated DOS-based systems.  Problems range from such things as financial ability to purchase state-of-the-art systems to converting card catalogs to online ones.  The National Library of the Philippines, for example, is currently working to install a new library system to replace its old DOS-based system.  But even when the new system is in place, they will continue to face the problem of converting their card catalog to online form.  Currently only about 10 percent of catalog records are in electronic format.

ADVENTIST LIBRARIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

In preparation for this presentation, I administered a written survey to 25 teacher/librarians who are currently enrolled in the MA in Education/specialization in Library Administration program at AIIAS.  All are Filipinos.  They represent 22 elementary schools, high schools and colleges. 

Survey Results

In the Philippines, elementary school includes grades 1 through 6.  High school begins with grade 7 and finishes with grade 10.  College begins with grade 11 and goes to grade 14.  Of the 22 schools represented, 11 were elementary, 9 were high schools and 2 were colleges. 

The schools are located in all areas of the Philippines.  Five are from the northern island of Luzon, 9 are located on various islands in the central Philippines, and 8 are in the southernmost island of Mindanao.  Approximately 73 percent of these schools are located within a city or a town while 27 percent are rural.

The schools also vary in size. Fourteen percent have less than 200 students, 63 percent have between 200 and 399 students, 9 percent have between 400 and 500 students and three schools, or 14 percent, have between 500 and 2000 students.  Forty-one percent of schools have 9 or fewer teachers, while 45 percent have between 10 and 19.  Fourteen percent have 20 or more teachers in the school.

Based on the survey, the average monthly teacher’s salary in the Philippines is $207 (P8,300).  Forty-two percent of elementary schools surveyed charge between $4 and $7 (P180-P300) tuition per month. Twenty-five percent charge between $9 and $12 (P400 - P500) per month.  On the high school level, a full 20 percent only charge between $5 and $7 (P200-300) per month.  Sixty percent charge between $9 and $21 (P400-900), and only 20 percent charge $24 (P1000) or more per month.   Colleges charge approximately $3.50 (P150) per college credit.

What do these figures mean?  If a school has 10 teachers and 300 students, for example, and they charge $7 (P300) per month, they would be receiving $2,100 (P90,000) per month but would be paying over $2,000 (P84,000) in salaries.  It is true that these figures do not include conference or union subsidies. Even so, it should be obvious that there is not much financial room to maneuver.

Answers to questions regarding community IT infrastructure show that infrastructure in some locales is a problem.  Nearly 10 percent of the respondents indicated that they still do not have access to telephone lines in their communities.  Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated that there were no computer vendors available locally.  And 41percent responded that there were no Internet providers available locally.

When asked whether or not their schools had computers, 36 percent either have none or only have 1 or 2.  Those with only one or two computers indicated that these were located in the principal or treasurer’s offices.  Only 32 percent of responses correspond to computers in the library.

All respondents answered that they had a school library, though later on, some indicated that their library was not functioning.  Thirty-six percent of the libraries represented hold between 1-999 volumes, while 27 percent have 1000-4,999 volumes.  A further 23 percent have 5000-10,000 volumes and one library, or 5 percent, has above 10,000 volumes. Nine percent did not respond.

When asked how many volumes had been purchased in the previous three years, over 40 percent of respondents indicated that they had purchased either no book or had purchased no more than 99 books within the last three-year period.  Fourteen percent either did not respond or said they did not know.  Even assuming that some of these responses come from teachers rather than librarians, if 100 or more books had been added to the school’s library, I believe most teachers would be aware of this.  Therefore, it is probably safe to combine the two groups. Doing so shows that 54 percent of schools purchased less than 100 books over a three-year period.  Combined with the fact that of the respondents, 18 declared themselves to be either the librarian or one of the school administrators yet only 3 knew what the library budget was, it is safe to say that money is not being spent on the libraries in SDA schools in the Philippines.

Respondents also had the opportunity to give comments.  Several concerns were voiced repeatedly.  Three respondents specifically indicated that they had a poor, out-of-date collection.  Six indicated that the building and collection were their primary concerns while 7 indicated that automation is not their first priority.  Ten indicated that they could not automate because they lacked computers, finances or administrative support. (It should be stated here that 5 indicated that they had good administrative support.)  Sixteen respondents indicated that they do not currently have Internet in their schools.    But from the comments provided, it is clear that budget, building, collection and time limitations were the major concerns.

Issues Facing SDA Libraries in the Philippines

From the questionnaire, we can summarize that the main issues facing SDA libraries in the Philippines are:

• Lack of understanding on the part of school administration of the importance of the library’s role in the school
• Many librarians have no library training
• Many librarians are also full-time teachers and their time is limited
• Few libraries have a designated library budget that is respected
• Limited access to books and computer supplies
• Problems with national/school infrastructure necessary for IT

 

AUTOMATION AT THE ADVENTIST INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES (AIIAS)

The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies is an international Seventh-day Adventist university.  It was set up to serve the needs of the church throughout Asia.  It belongs to no division.  Instead it belongs to the General Conference and is the only General Conference educational institution outside of North America.  It is located in the Philippines for three basic reasons: (1) English is one of the official languages of the Philippines and English is the operational language of AIIAS; (2) the Philippines is a Christian country providing freedom to operate a church-owned university; (3) the economic situation of the Philippines is comparable with that of the nations that AIIAS seeks to serve.

AIIAS is a young institution.  The campus is approximately 10 years old.  It is located 30 miles south of Manila.  It is made up of the Theological Seminary and the School of Graduate Studies.  Unique in that its primary purpose is to serve the graduate needs of the church for the entire Asia region, it offers master and doctoral-level degrees in the areas of theology, business, education and public health.   Its mission means that its operational setup is also unique.  Currently AIIAS maintains and operates not only its central campus in the Philippines but also Distance Learning Centers throughout Asia.  Distance Learning Centers are located in places such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Japan, to name only a few.  Currently AIIAS has 500+ students studying in its Distance Learning Centers and 150 students studying on its central campus.

In 1998 AIIAS administration requested the librarians to prepare a funding proposal for library automation to be submitted to the Board.  The proposal was submitted and approved and funding became available in the second half of 1999.  Serious work toward automation began in July of 1999 and a new integrated library automation system was installed in February 2000. 

It should be emphasized here that finances were not a constraining issue for AIIAS.  The automation project has sufficient funding.  In this regard, AIIAS cannot serve as an example for other institutions in similar settings.  Most institutions in similar settings do not have a budget for automation.  That is the main limiting factor.  Having said this, however, there are a number of other concerns that institutions in developing countries face and AIIAS faced most of them and can serve to highlight these problems.

Electrical Infrastructure

Electrical output is unpredictable.  This results in frequent brownouts as well as fluctuating levels of electricity.  While AIIAS is not in a remote location, neither is it in the capital city.  It is located in one of the provinces and suffers the inconveniences of province life.  The specific problems we face are:

• Brownouts. Brownouts in the Philippines are still a frequent occurrence. Particularly during peak hours, when levels of consumption are higher than levels of production, brownouts can occur and may last several hours.
  
  Solution: AIIAS installed its own generator.  Again this is an expensive option not available to many institutions.  The generator starts a few seconds after a brownout has occurred.  The library has put individual UPSs on all of its computers to cover this short down time.  In addition, we have installed software on the UPS that is attached to the server, which will shut down the server properly if the UPS battery runs out.

• Fluctuating electricity. Next to AIIAS there is a large factory. Production levels at the factory affect electricity coming through the lines. If the factory is operating at full levels of production, voltage is affected. Normal power is supplied at 220 volts. And computer equipment is built to handle variations between 200 and 240 volts. However, when the factory is operating at full capacity, power reaching AIIAS may be lower than 200.If the factory cuts production suddenly or switches to its generator, voltage can soar far above 240.
  
  Solution: We have only arrived at a partial solution.  The individual UPSs should protect the equipment against power dips and spikes.  However, because UPS switches are mechanical in nature, it takes a fraction of a second to switch over to battery-operated power.  This means that occasionally a dip or spike can slip past the UPS and hit the computer.  (We recently lost two hard drives because of this.)
  
  
• Electrical installation. Methods for wiring differ from country to country and from location to location. On the AIIAS campus, the wiring is a two-wire method in which both wires are live and there is no neutral. Computers are manufactured for the 3-wire system and often have a much shorter life when plugged into the two-wire system.
  
  Solution: The library chose to rewire the area where the network was to be installed.  All networked computers are on the new 3-wire line.

Climate

The climatic conditions of a tropical country are particularly hard on electronic equipment.  Constant high levels of humidity mixed with constant mid to high range temperatures cause computer failure.  We have the example of a computer purchased in 1998 for the library.  Six months later, it failed.  When the computer technician opened it, he discovered that the cause of the failure was a rusted motherboard.  Dehumidifiers are not readily available in the Philippines, probably because you cannot survive unless you have the windows open, which defeats the purpose of the dehumidifier.  The only solution therefore is 24-hour air conditioning.  This is not an option for financially struggling institutions that cannot afford high electric rates.

Solution:  The library installed central air conditioning in the area where the computer network is located.  We purchased the air conditioning unit through a surplus outlet and our own electricians installed it.  This reduced cost by about half.  However, we must live with the high electric bills.

Hardware

There are three main problems with hardware in a developing country.  The three are availability, quality, and support.

• Availability. Some hardware is not available. For example, one of the requirements of our library system was tape backup. We struggled with this because we could not find tape backups in the Philippines large enough to handle the system and the database.
  
  Solution: We finally decided to use a different form of backup.  We chose to back up to hard drives.  This was possible only because we have knowledgeable technical support on campus.  The process involved writing script and logarithms to bypass the normal backup script and to set up the schedules for the backups to hard drives. We then installed three hard disks internally in the server.  One contains the operating system and the backup of the library database.  The second contains the library system and database, and the third mirrors the operating system, library system and database.  In this way, should one hard disk fail, we can switch to the mirror with minimal down time.  We then purchased three removable hard drives that are used to hold copies of the daily, weekly and monthly backups.
  
  
• Quality. Unfortunately, computer equipment in countries that do not have strong consumer rights laws are often suspect, and computers or components can sometimes be defective. It is therefore imperative not only to purchase reputable name brands but to purchase from reputable suppliers as well. This can help to minimize risk of hardware failure.
  
  Solution:  We purchased from a supplier who has an excellent reputation for after-purchase support and servicing.  We also chose to purchase branded components and to have the supplier build the computers for us.  In this way, we had some guarantees as to what was inside and yet we saved a bit of money by not buying branded computers.  This has not entirely freed us from technical difficulties...we’ve had two hard drive failures so far.  However the supplier did honor the warrantees on the drives and replaced them at no cost.
  
  
• Support. In many rural areas of the world, support is hard to find. Unfortunately, computer expertise is limited to cities. If you are not located in a city, there is no support.800 numbers are non-existent. This means that you must try to maintain in-house technical support. Church salaries and membership policies for church employment limit the pool of available experts.
  
  Solution:  AIIAS has an excellent computer technician.  However, personnel changes in the computer department occurred right at the beginning of implementation of the library system and threatened to derail the entire project.  We were lucky.  Other schools may not be so fortunate.

Software

Availability of library systems is often limited in developing countries.  Most companies offering mid to large range systems (here I’m talking about systems ranging from $20,000 on up) do not choose to invest in countries where the market is small or uncertain.  Of course small systems are available for purchase directly through the Internet (here I refer to systems that are free or that cost up to $5,000).  However, these systems rarely offer local support, (something that may be important where expertise is low and hardware casualty is high).

Solution:  Our library chose to go with a system that was locally supported because we were looking for a mid-range system. This decision limited our options substantially.   Even so, we are glad we chose to give importance to local support.  Our system’s Asian headquarters are in Singapore.  We are only an email away from them.  They contracted local support to a company in Manila.  They require that we have software installed on the server that allows them to have remote access.  If there is a problem, either their representative in Manila or Regional HQ will work on the problem through remote connection.  If they cannot solve the problem in this way, the local Manila representative will visit on site.  So far we have had no complaints in the area of support.

Internet

• Availability. Again, Internet is not yet widespread throughout the world. Major cities have Internet providers, but outside of city centers, many areas of the world are still unconnected. This is due in part to national infrastructure problems such as lack of phone lines in some areas. I am not necessarily talking here about remote locations. AIIAS is located 30 miles from the capital city of the Philippines. We are located on one of the main roads that run south from Manila and we are in a large town. Yet it was less than two years ago that an Internet provider set up business in the area. Before then, we had to contract with an Internet provider located in Manila. That meant long distance phone charges each time we connected. Even when a local Internet provider did become available, service was slow and unreliable.
  
  
• Speed. There are not enough cables and systems linking developing countries with the rest of the world. This means that all Internet traffic leaves the country through one or two exit points. Another problem is that leased lines and fiber optic cabling are still prohibitively expensive. Most people who are fortunate enough to have Internet still operate with normal phone lines. In summary, Internet browsing is slow, expensive and often impractical.
  
  Solution:  AIIAS has chosen to go with a satellite connection.  We recently purchased a satellite contract with the only Internet Satellite company in the Philippines.  They have installed a satellite dish on campus to which our campus-wide computer network is connected.  The problem is that the system is still new and virtually untested in the Philippines.  We occasionally lose our connection to the satellite.  It is also expensive.  Hopefully, these problems will work themselves out over time.

Summary

To summarize, AIIAS has automated in spite of problems such as:

• Electrical infrastructure
• Climate
• Risks in hardware availability and reliability
• Limited software options
• Limited Internet options

These are real issues in most developing countries.  And they are issues that, even with money (which in many cases will not be available), can often only be partially resolved.  Even before IT, when libraries relied entirely upon hard copies of books and journals, it was difficult for most libraries in developing countries to keep pace with their more affluent partners in the west due to financial restraints.  Remember the tuition and salary figures I quoted earlier? Added to these financial restraints (which have gotten no better), libraries now have to cope with national or local infrastructure problems that make automation difficult, and in some places, impossible. 

SOLUTIONS

There is one question I would like to raise today.  Only one.  If some of our SDA libraries cannot participate in automation and in computer technology, then where does that leave them in an industry where online access is becoming the standard?  You know what I’m talking about.  We are already facing the issue.  Some journals and indexes are already ceasing to publish in hard copy.  If a library does not have access to Internet or even to computers, how will it cope in the future?

I’ve asked you the question.  I do not have the answer. I have some ideas.  And I hope that as I share these ideas, some of you will analyze them and challenge them.  Many of you are IT experts. I am not.  But I am faced with the problems and I am bringing them to you, my colleagues and friends.

Two ideas have occurred to me.  They may seem “bigger than life” to some of you.  But “bigger than life” ideas adopted by a few individuals who refuse to give up on them have frequently changed the world.  So here they are:

Consortia

The first one is based upon the model of consortia that has developed here in the US.  I am not sure, but perhaps the idea can be applied cross-culturally and put to good use in other parts of the world.  Web based systems today mean that remote libraries can link through one piece of software for much less than individual systems would cost.  The AIIAS library system, for example, has the capability of linking any number of  “branch libraries” together without purchasing the whole system for each library.  Only branch licenses need to be purchased.

Perhaps rather than expecting every institution to have its own full-fledged IT system, we should think in terms of consolidating.  By setting up centralized units (at major SDA universities or institutions) and providing them with the software, the licenses for full text databases and the expertise to keep things running, the church could spread its limited resources.  Smaller institutions could join the consortium for a fee. 

Infrastructure issues would need to be looked at on an individual country basis, but in the same way that the church was able to carry out a program of mass installation of satellite dishes all around the world for its satellite evangelism, it seems to me that if the will were there, we could also find solutions to our computer infrastructure problems around the world.

Centralized Selection and Purchase

A second idea is one for smaller institutions (such as local schools) that would never be able to afford even a consortium fee.  If the Educational Departments of every Division were to assign someone to look into smaller systems (free - up to $3,000) and to select one or two that would best meet the needs of the schools in their areas, I am sure that a negotiated bulk purchase price would reduce the cost of the software to one that is affordable for most.

CONCLUSION

Our libraries around the world need help.  Of course financial help is always welcome.  And a certain amount is necessary if anything is to be done.  But that is not the way to provide lasting, long-term assistance.  Adventist libraries around the world (including many school libraries right here in North America) need this organization to offer its voice and its expertise in order to help them find the necessary solutions.  ASDAL is the voice of Seventh-day Adventist Librarians.  It seems to me that we have not only the opportunity, but also the obligation to play a vital role in alerting the church to these issues within our profession.

Perhaps it is time for us to work towards a link with the General Conference, the divisions and unions so we can act in an advisory capacity.   I don’t know if we could offer an advisory service or set up regional liaison committees whose job it would be to offer our corporate advice to the church.  I do not know.  But I do know that ASDAL is probably the best chance SDA libraries have to finding long-term answers to these difficult questions.

APPENDIX

 

Survey Form Administered to 25 Librarians

Name:
Position: (Teacher/Librarian/Both/ Administrator/etc.)
Name of School:
Address of School:
Numbers of Teachers in the School:
Number of Students:
What are tuition fees:
What other income does the school have?
If you know your school budget, please share it here:
What is the monthly 100% wage for a teacher?  Is this for 10 months or 12?
Level (list grades that are included; example: Grades 1-6, 7-10, etc.):
What is your geographical location (rural, in a town, in a city):
If you are rural, how far are you from a town the size of Silang or larger? (If located in a town or city, what is the population?)
Are there local service providers for the following: –Telephone, land line (local/long distance) –Cell phone –Computer vendors –Computer schools –Cyber Café’s –Internet Providers (local phone call) –Satellite/cable TV	Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?) Yes       No (if no, how far away?)
What equipment do you have in your school?  Where is it located? (Please include things like telephones, cell phones, faxes, computers, typewriters, TV connection, TV/VCR equipment, Internet, etc.)	Equipment           Number           Location
Does your school have a library?
How many books are in the collection?
How many books were purchased in the last 3 years for the library?
Does the library have a budget for books?
Anything else about the library that you would like to share?
What are the chances of automating your library? Please explain.
What are the chances of having Internet in your school/library?  Please explain.

SUMMARY OF SURVEY RESULTS  By Number of Responses and % Surveyed
1.	Number of Respondents (25 students enrolled in the MA in Education/ specialization in Library Administration degree, AIIAS campus)	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	Teacher/Librarian	15		60%
	Administrator	1		4%
	Teacher	6		24%
	Teacher/Administrator	3		12%
2.	Number of Schools	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	Elementary (Preschool to Grade 6 and preparatory)	11		50%
	Secondary (Grade 7-10)	9		41%
	College (4 years)	2		9%
	Total	22		100%
3.	Locations of Schools	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	Luzon	5		23%
	Visayas	9		41%
	Mindanao	8		36%
	Total	22		100%
4.	Number of Students Per School	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	<200	3		14%
	200-299	8		36%
	300-399	6		27%
	400-499	2		9%
	500-1999	2		9%
	2000+	1		5%
	Total	22		100%
5.	Number of Teachers per School	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	1-9	9		41%
	10-19	10		45%
	20-29	1		5%
	30+	2		9%
	Total	22		100%
6.	Average Teacher Salary	*P101,400		$2,414		Based on exchange rate of $1=P42
		*Based on 15 responses
7.	Geographical Location	Number of Responses		Percent Surveyed
	City	11		50%
	Town	5		23%
	Rural	6		27%
	Total	22		100%

8.	Average Monthly Tuition  ($  figures using $1=P42)	Tuition	Number of Responses	Percent Surveyed
	Elementary	P180-300 $4-$7	5	42%
		P400-500 $9-$12	3	25%
		P1000+ $24	2	16.5%
		N/R	2	16.5%
	Total		12	100%
	Secondary	P200-300 $5-$7	2	20%
		P400-500 $9-$12	4	40%
		P600-900 $14-$21	2	20%
		P1000+ $24	2	20%
	Total		10	100%
9.	Local Access to:	Yes	Percent Surveyed	No	Percent Surveyed
	Telephone	20	91%	2	9%
	Cell Phone	19	86%	3	14%
	Computer Vendor	15	68%	7	32%
	Cyber Café	14	64%	8	36%
	Internet Provider	13	59%	9	41%
	Satellite/Cable TV	15	68%	7	32%
	Computer Schools	17	77%	5	23%
10.	Do you have any computers in your school?	Yes	Number of Responses	No	Percent Surveyed
		17	77%	5	23%
	Total			22	100%
11.	How many computers do you have in your school?	Number of Responses	Percent Surveyed
	None	5	23%
	1-2	3	13%
	3-9	2	9%
	10-19	7	32%
	20-29	1	5%
	30+	2	9%
	N/R	2	9%
	Total	22	100%
12.	Where are the computers located?	Number of Responses	Percent of Responses
	Library	8	32%
	Office	11	44%
	Computer Lab	6	24%
	Multiple answers allowed

13.	Does your school have a library?	Yes	Percent Surveyed	No	Percent Surveyed
		22	100%	0	0%
	Total			22	100%
14.	Number of Books in Collection	Number of Responses	Percent Surveyed
	0-499 vol.	2	9%
	500-999 vol.	6	27%
	1000-4999 vol.	6	27%
	5000-10000 vol.	5	23%
	10000+ vol.	1	5%
	N/R	2	9%
	Total	22	100%
15.	Book Purchases in Last 3 Years	Per Year Total	Number of Responses	Percent Surveyed
	None	0	3	13.5%
	1-99	33	6	27%
	100-500	33-167	5	23%
	1000-2000	333-667	2	9%
	2000+	667+	3	13.5%
	N/R		1	5%
	D/K		2	9%
	Total		22	100%
16.	Does the Library have a Budget?	Yes	Percent Surveyed	No	Percent Surveyed
		17	77%	5	23%
	Total			22	100%
	Continuation of Item 16 by including demographics:
		Librarians	Percent Surveyed	Non Librarians	Percent Surveyed
	Of those saying yes to budget, how many are:	11	65%	6	35%
	Total			17	100%
		Gave budget figure	Percent Surveyed	Gave no budget figure or stated that budget was diverted	Percent Surveyed
	Of librarians answering yes to budget, how many gave a budget figure?	3	27%	8	73%
	Total			11	100%

 

	Analysis of Item 16 by combining demographics with responses:
	3 librarians	Yes to budget and figures given	14%
	8 librarians	Yes to budget, but no figures given or say that funds were diverted	36%
	6 non librarians	Yes to budget, but no figures given	27%
	5 respondents	No to budget	23%
	Total		100%
	Conclusion to Item 16:	14% definitely have a budget	86% is questionable as to whether funds are actually being spent
Additional Comments
Non Functional Library		Number of Responses
Library closed/not functional or open too little		3
Library Facilities
Size/space/furnishings of library are inadequate		5
Cannot automate because we have no computers		2
Have computers in school, but not in library.		2
Professional Library Staff
No professional librarian		3
Too little time		3
No expertise in Internet or automation		4
School Administration
Lack of support from school administration or board		2
Cannot automate because we have no administrative support		3
We have good administrative support.		5
Funding
No library budget or budget diverted		2
Not enough funds		2
Cannot automate because we have no money		5
Collection
Out of date books		1
Collection inadequate		2
Collection needs to be organized		2
Automation and Internet
Automation is not our first priority		7
Have everything needed in place		2
Possibility of donations		3
We do not have Internet		16
We do have Internet		5
Library Priorities
Library building project/infrastructure (air conditioning, shelving) ongoing.		6
First priority is building the collection		2
First priority is the building and equipment		4

REFERENCES

Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Danbury, CT: Grolier Interactive, 1998.

Human Development Index quoted in the Human Development Report -- web page: June 2000.

Infoplease at Lycos, June 2000.

National Statistics Office, Philippines -- web page:  http://www.census.gov.ph/data/quickstat/index.html.  June 2000.

Unpublished records from Leslie Hardinge Library, AIIAS, Philippines, 1998-2000.

Unpublished survey of 25 students in the MA Education/specialization in Library Administration, AIIAS, Philippines, May 2000.

Williams, Bill (Ed.), Insight Guides: Philippines, London: APA Publications, 1998.