UPM Library Centennial Online Exhibit

Introduction

The Spanish-American War of 1898 marked the beginning of decades of American rule in the Philippines, leading to the creation of government bureaus. One of them is the Bureau of Science and a component of the Bureau's work was a library that was managed at that time by Mary Polk (Brazzeal, 2021), who first worked as a private secretary to the head of the Bureau, but became one of the individuals by whom “the foundation of the Philippine librarianship was forged” (Hernandez, 1999).

During the American rule in the Philippines, many Filipinos lacked training and education, particularly in the area of science. This is when a scholarship program was established to send Filipinos to attend schools in the United States. These students, known as pensionados, would be serving in the Philippine Civil Service upon completion of their studies (Brazzeal, 2021).

Another significant event for local Filipino training was the establishment of the Philippine Medical School in 1905. It subsequently became the College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines, established in 1908 (Brazzeal, 2021).

Recommendation to provide library education as deemed necessary by government officials at that time. They requested the University of the Phillippines Board of Regents to offer library science courses. It was recorded in the 98th Minutes of the Meeting of the UP Board of Regents on February 16, 1914, as having received the “recommendation of librarian of the Philippine Library to establish special courses of study for library training at the University of the Philippines" (UP Library Science Alumni Association, 2011).

They were later joined by Gabriel A. Bernardo, Cirilo B. Perez and Nicetas del Mundo.

In 1920, the "pensionados" returned from their studies at University of Wisconsin, they are Gabriel A. Bernardo, Cirilo B. Perez, Eulogio B. Rodriguez and Jose M. Munda. They later became professors of Library Science and others worked at the Philippine Library and Museum.

One notable milestone mentioned in the UP Library Science Alumni Association (2011) history was the recommendation of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines in its 223rd meeting that "... the Library of the University be designated as the Department of Library Science to be placed on a level of equality with other departments of instruction for the service of all colleges of the university system.” Ms. Mary Polk, then librarian of the Bureau of Science Library was the first Head. She was succeeded by Gabriel A. Bernardo upon her death on April 12, 1924.

The University Library was inaugurated on March 17, 1931.

While organizing this exhibit, we worked to showcase the University of the Philippines, including the important role played by the key personalities in the history of libraries in the Philippines, which in the face of obstacles and difficulties, keep moving forward, Igniting the Knowledge Torch, 100 years of unrelenting resolve.

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