In commemoration of the birth of the father of Cuban Bibliography, next June 7, three women from Holguin will receive the Antonio Bachiller y Morales Distinction for their life’s work. One of them, Argelia Batista, has accumulated 24 years of service to a distinguished institution of Holguin’s culture: the Alex Urquiola Provincial Library.
Argelia Batista knows the Alex Urquiola Provincial Library of Holguin like the back of her hand. This woman, with an enviable memory, has lived for 24 years among those books, a period in which she has visited almost all the rooms since she started, in June 1999, at the reception of that cultural institution.
The awarding of the Antonio Bachiller y Morales Distinction, the highest recognition to Cuban librarians for their lifetime work, was recently in the news. This time it went to three women from Holguin, among them Argelia, who talked to Radio Angulo Digital about the noble service of the librarian.
What motivated you to dedicate yourself to this profession, which is, above all, a service to others?
“Educating, from any position, is a work of infinite love. The librarian’s job is like that of a teacher, because we constantly assist users who come to our rooms eager to know, out of need or pleasure, with the certainty that any knowledge can be found in the pages of a book.
“A year ago I started a community project at the Alex Urquiola Library called ‘Books in movement’, turned into a campaign to promote reading, with the aim of bringing literature to the neighborhood, especially to children and older adults. I have reached circles and grandparents’ homes, elementary schools and even my neighbors in Reparto El Llano have been encouraged to read. That is the best reward for my service”.
I understand that it was at the reception desk of the Provincial Library of Holguin where this beautiful relationship began.
“On June 19, 1999 I started working at the Alex Urquiola Library as a receptionist. At that time, I had only a ninth grade education. But I was able to go through all the subsequent courses: after two years of work, I attended the Facultad Obrero Campesina, then the Técnico Medio and, although many doubted it, I also became a university graduate. I was the best graduate of my career.
“This helped me to work in almost all areas of the library, although it has been in the Hemeroteca and Martiana rooms where I have been the best. I learned from the hand of a fervent Martiana and librarian, Coralina Urbino Rodríguez (Coral), given that when she went out to events, someone had to replace her in her duties. In 2016 I moved to the Hemeroteca, where I have spent the last stage of my professional life”.
What is stored in the newspaper libraries?
“We receive and jealously guard numerous national and foreign serial publications. In the particular case of newspapers, in the Alex Urquiola Library we treasure a total of 13 titles, many of long standing, but we also have magazines. The work in this department consists of a technical reading of each issue, after which we prepare factographic and analytical files to be able to determine, at the request of a user, where the information he or she is looking for is stored.
“Without newspaper libraries, historical memory would be orphaned. History is written and aged in the press, thanks to which, over the years, it is possible to revisit events and characters of the more or less recent past that would otherwise be forgotten”.
Do you think that in today’s society, people who use libraries for their research and works of different kinds are grateful to librarians?
“When I started at the Sala Martiana with Coral, the work achieved a lot of recognition from users, which encouraged me to create a repository with their criteria. I still have that notebook, it is very gratifying. And we still have the privilege of having regular users who are very grateful for our work”.
We know that you are a member of ASCUBI, that is, the Association of Librarians of Cuba, an organization that was also recognized for its outstanding performance at the country level. How has the work of the Holguin branch been?
“ASCUBI is an organization that brings together librarians, active or retired, and professors of Librarianship and Information Science specialties, but also non-librarian staff working in our institutions.
“The performance of the Holguin branch of ASCUBI during the last few years has been sustained and fruits are already being harvested. Since 2014, the executive has attracted more associates, reaching 372 throughout the province. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has conducted periodic evaluations of the organization, as stipulated by law, in which the quality of the work has also been tested. In the specific case of the Alex Urquiola Library’s grassroots body, it was highlighted at the last balance sheet meeting”.
Nowadays new technologies are proliferating, what do you think of electronic books?
“We cannot refuse development. E-books are an alternative when they are not available in physical format. I, like almost all librarians, prefer the traditional, printed book, but I do not pretend to impose tastes, the important thing is to read”.
Read also: Book and Reading Observatory Presented in Holguín
Por: Aniel Santiesteban García
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