When the coronavirus (COVID-19) was officially categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic, many countries including the Philippines has declared a travel ban to stop the spread of the virus. Public transportation is no longer allowed to limit the movement of the people. Mass gatherings are also prohibited.  All schools in all level are ordered to suspend classes and so with other school activities.

 

To ensure that school operations continue during ECQ, the Department of Labor and Employement (DOLE) issues an Advisory No. 9 series of 2020, (COVID-19 Flexi Work Advisory) encouraging to adopt a Work-From-Home scheme.

 

In compliance with the said advisory, the university president Dr. Baceledes R. Estal on March 27, 2020 issued a memorandum order no. 9, creating a skeletal workforce in all SDSSU Campuses. The university president identified the different office personnel who will still be reporting to school and those who will be in a Work-From-Home arrangement.  The idea is to try to prevent the virus from spreading in the workplace and to keep the SDSSU personnel safe.

 

Following the memorandum order issued by the university president, the SDSSU Library system adopts a Work-From-Home scheme consistent with COVID-19 Flexi Work Advisory issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and to allow the library personnel to continue working/operating while the ECQ is being implemented.

 

Virtual Conferencing

 

While face-to-face meeting among librarians is impossible due to strict travel restrictions and the current work-from-home arrangement, librarians hold their meeting through online platform.

 

Aside from direct phone calling and chatting, virtual conferencing was also used as an alternative mode of conducting a meeting among librarians of the SDSSU system. The librarians downloaded and installed a cloud-based service application, the ZOOM CLOUD MEETING application in-order to listen and participate in the meeting. It is a video conferencing tool that enabled the librarians to communicate even if they are kilometres away from each other. With the present scenario brought about by this global pandemic, everyone must be savvy of all those technology applications so that they can still function and become productive despite working remotely from their respective homes moving the work to the worker instead of the worker to the work. And thanks to this application as it help us a lot in carrying out our respective duties and responsibilities in our respective libraries.