In 1941, prior to World War II, the College of Veterinary Science (now known as UP College of Veterinary Medicine) was located on the premises of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in Pandacan, Manila. It was headed by Dean Gregorio San Agustin, the Director of the BAI at that time. The College had a library operated jointly with the BAIwith Mr. Talahib as Librarian who later had his surname changed to Bocobo, and eventually became Fiscal Bocobo of Manila.
In November 1944, Dr. Severino R. Hermosura discovered that the Japanese would burn down the College within 24 hours. He called up Dean A.K. Gomez (successor of Dr. San Agustin) in his home in San Juan and informed him about the impending catastrophe. Upon arriving at the College, Dean Gomez, the clerk named Mr. Mumar, and Instructor Hermosura saved some books by filling up one pushcart with the archives and the more important books of the College. The next day, as was scheduled, the Japanese burned the College building before retreating.
In one small, unburned building in Pandacan, Manila, the College was reopened with few faculty members in June 1945. Some of the classes were held at the BAI building. There was practically no library. The few books that were saved were the only remnants of a good library. The Property Clerk and Librarian then was Mr. Mumar.
In 1952, Dean Gomez, assisted adequately by his Chairman for Outside Assistance, Dr. S.R. Hermosura, succeeded in obtaining war damage funds from the U.S. Mutual Security Agency and the PhilCUSA (Philippine Commission for U.S. Aid, the forerunner of NEC and NEDA). Amounting to about PhP1 million, this includedPhP300,000.00 for the modern veterinary building fund for equipment and for personnel, and about PhP20,000.00 for a modern library.
In 1953, Ms. Adoracion Sim was hired as Clerk and
Librarian even before the books could arrive. Ms. Sim, who later became Mrs. A.
Borja, is a contemporary of Mr. Ruperto Marintique, zootechnics assistant
who later was promoted to the position of Property Officer of the UPCVM. The
Librarians assigned at the CVM Library located at the UP Diliman who succeeded
Mrs. Borja were Ms. Minda Licuanan and Ms. A. Balane.In December 1979, Ms.
Elvira C. Cervantes was hired as the head of the CVM library. She supervised
the library before and after its relocation to UP Los Baños.
All the book collections of the library for first-year proper students were the first batch of books transferred to UPLB in June 1985. These books were housed at the UPCVM Tabon Building located in Maahas, Los Baños, Laguna. In June of the following year, the College Library books for the second year proper students were transferred to UPLB.The library then was housed at the UPCVM Administration Building located inside the UP Los Baños Campus. It was in June 1988 when the entire library was moved to its new location at the CVM Administration Building. Ms. Perla S. Calma was the Librarian-in-Charge of the College Library at UPLB until such time Ms. Cervantes moved in.
In May 1991, the College Library was transferred to
the CVM-IAS Communal Building. The library collections of CVM, the UPLB
Institute of Animal Science (IAS), and the Dairy Training Research Institute
(DTRI) were then merged. One library support staff, Mr. Bayle G. Baguioan, was
hired and assigned at the College Library in 1993. An additional staff, Ms.
Lucila M. Andal was hired in 1995.
Ms. Cervantes headed the library until her
retirement in July 1995. She was succeeded by Ms. Marina Frias who served from
February 1997 to December 1997.In September 1998, one additional College
Librarian, Ms. Xenia Balgos Romero was hired. When Animal and Dairy Sciences
Cluster or ADSC (formerly IAS and DTRI) Librarian Ms. YolissaPacia who manned
their reading room in DTRI retired, several ADSC staff have rendered services
in the library from 1998 until 2013.
Ms. Perla S. Calmaserved as the Librarian-In-Charge
from January 1998 to November 2001 prior to the arrival of the new Head of the
Library, Ms. Adelina M. Esperante on December 3, 2001. In April 2002, Ms. Lorenza
D. Oliveros was hired to replace Ms. Xenia Balgos Romero who resigned from the
university in 2002.
To replace Ms. Oliveros, who resigned from the
University in August 2013, a new College Librarian, Mr. Renz C. Cao, was hired
in June 29, 2015. Since August 11, 2015, Mr. Cao was also tasked every Tuesdays
and Thursdays to assist CVM students and staff at the new CVM extension
e-library in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (DVCS)and the
Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) located in Maahas, Los Baños, Laguna.
Ms. Perla S. Calma retired from the University on
September 6, 2016. Thus, a new College Librarian, Ms. Magdalena D. Bede, was
hired on January 17, 2018.
To date, the College is one of
the most modern libraries found inside the UPLB Campus. With its extensive book
and online collections, as well as its capable staff, the CVM Library continues
to innovate and adapt to ensure that the best possible service be delivered to
its users amidst the changing times.