Written by Dr. Michelle Ranges
In collaboration with Dr. Stacy Haynie Ayson
Photographs courtesy of BAEL Interns
Since 2022, the University of Baguio’s BA English Language (BAEL) program has been nurturing a meaningful partnership with the Baguio City Public Library (BCPL) through the Junior Practicum program. What began as a placement opportunity for students has grown into a continuing collaboration that allows learners to apply their academic skills while directly contributing to the library’s literacy and outreach initiatives. This partnership reflects UB’s vision of transforming classroom learning into meaningful public service and aligns with BCPL’s mission of promoting literacy, culture, and civic engagement
First day, first step—BAEL at BCPL, where learning meets service!
Stories under the sun—bringing books to life at Burnham Park!
This collaboration strongly advances several Sustainable Development Goals. It contributes to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals by demonstrating how academic institutions and public libraries can co-create solutions and share resources for community impact. It reinforces SDG 4: Quality Education by ensuring that students experience experiential learning that links theory to practice and expands equitable access to knowledge. It also supports SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by preparing students for future employment through skill development, workplace immersion, and exposure to real-world professional standards. In combining these objectives, the UB–BCPL partnership serves as a model for how localized initiatives contribute to global sustainable development.
The collaboration remains grounded in shared objectives that are as relevant today as when the partnership began. Students are consistently given the chance to strengthen professional readiness by writing, editing, and supporting library programs; they also take part in literacy and outreach activities that ensure the community benefits from creative initiatives. At the same time, the partnership fosters stronger links between academe and public institutions, creating a platform for continuous knowledge exchange and skill-building.
Promoting library services, one reader at a time!
Over the past three years, BAEL interns have contributed significantly to the library’s operations. They have written and published articles for the library’s website, produced promotional materials for its Internet Section and outdoor reading spaces, supported contests and cultural programs, and assisted in weekly storytelling sessions at Burnham Park. These efforts demonstrate not only the students’ growing competence but also the library’s capacity to reach more people with the help of young minds and fresh perspectives.
Spreading the love for reading—community, kids, and culture united!
The benefits of the partnership extend both ways. Students consistently receive excellent evaluations from supervisors, affirming their strong contributions to workplace outputs and their readiness for future employment. At the same time, the library gains expanded capacity to carry out its literacy and outreach mission, reinforced by the creativity and innovation of its interns.
The UB–BCPL partnership has been thriving since 2022, and it continues to grow stronger with every batch of interns. More than just a practicum placement, it has become a progressive collaboration that nurtures students, empowers communities, and sustains the role of the public library as a center of literacy and culture. Truly, in BAEL, stories compel, and with BCPL Minds Excel.
