Centennial Online Exhibit
A visual journey through 100 years of history, milestones, and unforgettable memories that shaped the University of the Philippines Manila Library.
Igniting the Knowledge Torch
This online exhibition features vintage images of library buildings, people, places, and events from the collections of the University Archives and Records Depository (UPMARD). It highlights the rich history of UP Manila and its libraries, giving the public a glimpse of the past, setting the torch of knowledge on fire even after a hundred years.
1898 - 1914: The Early Years
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, a component of which was a library managed by Mary Polk, who first worked as a private secretary to the head of the Bureau but became one of the individuals by whom “the foundation of Philippine librarianship was forged.”
During the American rule, many Filipinos lacked training and education, particularly in science. A scholarship program was established to send Filipinos to the United States. These students, known as pensionados, would serve in the Philippine Civil Service upon completion of their studies (Brazzeal, 2021).
Another significant event was the establishment of the Philippine Medical School in 1905, which subsequently became the College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines 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).
1914 - 1917: Education Begins
Library education in the country began in 1914 at the University of the Philippines Manila under the College of Liberal Arts. The first instructors were American staff of the nearby Philippine Library and Bureau of Science Library.
The first library science class - the Class of 1917 students were Eustaquio G. Aquino, Eulogio B. Rodriguez, Jose M. Munda and Francisco R. Ventura, while the special students were Catalina Sucgang, Luis Montilla, Gregorio del Rosario and Pascual Santos.
Image source: University of the Philippines (1917). "The Library Science Class," in The Philippinensian 1917, p. 216.
1920 - 1931: A New Era of Leadership
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.