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PSS seminar aims to make libraries future-ready
Forty participants from across the 19 schools in the Commonwealth participate in the Future-Ready Librarian Seminar hosted by the CNMI Public School System’s Instructional Technology Program. (Contributed Photo)
A total of 40 participants from across the 19 schools in the Commonwealth, including library professionals from Rota and Tinian, participated in the Future-Ready Librarian Seminar hosted by the CNMI Public School System’s Instructional Technology Program.
This was the first time that librarians from across the district were brought together for a focused work concerning school libraries.
The goal of the event was to cast a vision for 21st century libraries in the CNMI and to strengthen the librarians’ role as a major stakeholder in promoting teaching and learning.
The event was facilitated by Dr. Bobby Cruz, director of Instructional Technology, and Lorraine Catienza, Distance Education program manager.
“Libraries are the cornerstones of thriving communities where individuals can engage in perpetual discovery and foster a fearless and unrelenting desire to learn and grow and also stay connected with the world around them,” said Cruz. “Libraries are a rich repository of information that serves to entertain, enlighten, educate, and, ultimately, connect to with both common and extraordinary human experiences.
“While the core functions of libraries have remained unchanged, its capacity for information accessibility has become virtually limitless as a result of technology. So the goal of this seminar is to help push 21st century technological advancements in all libraries in the CNMI,” Cruz said.
Cateinza added: “Libraries have gone from fixed, quiet spaces that only house books to community gathering ground where rich collaboration and interactions are made possible through technology and media.
“CNMI Public School System believes that school libraries in the CNMI should help advance learning for all community members and bridge geographical divides and connect the Marianas to the world,” Catienza said.
The mission of the Instructional Technology Program of the CNMI Public School System is to employ transformative uses of technology that promote higher levels of student learning to ensure college and career readiness and global citizenship. The seminar is the first of a series of meetings to engage library professionals. (PR)
