Filipiniana, or originallyFilipiñana, based on the definition by Isagani Medina from "Collection Building: Filipiniana", in hisIn Developing Special Library Collections, Filipiniana: Proceedings (November 1992), are Philippine-related books and non-book materials (such as figurines, games, fashion and culture). The materials may be produced inside or outside thePhilippines byFilipino or non-Filipino authors. The product could beliterature written in any of thelanguages and dialects in the Philippines or aforeign language.[1][2][3]
Based on former dean and professor Rosa M. Vallejo of the Institute of Library Science of theUniversity of the Philippines the termFilipiniana was a derivation from tworoot words: namelyFilipinas, theSpanish-language version of the country name of the Philippines and-ana or-aniana, which means “collected items of information” which may beanecdotal orbibliographical in nature.[1]
Filipiniana is also defined as publications dealing with the Philippines in whatever language they may be written and place where they may have been printed. Filipiniana could also be materials published by Filipinos encompassing any subject matter regardless of theimprint of the publication. Filipiniana also include printed materials prior to theAmerican period (1898–1946) inPhilippine History regardless of the author and the topic.[1]
TheDe La Salle University Library defined Filipiniana as all book publications regarding the Philippines and the peoples andculture of the Philippines regardless of author, imprint and language. The definition encompasses, in general, works written by Filipinos, books written in the Philippine languages, publications and yearbooks produced by thegovernment of the Philippines, publications include "substantial portions" and chapters about the Philippines (except publications containing only a small portion or a chapter about the Philippines), and works that deal with the "application of scientific thought and methodology to national and local “needs and circumstances" in the Philippines.[1]
As a collection, Filipiniana materials are required for studying the Philippines. The materials are helpful in providing information on the "extent of the intellectual faculties of [persons] born" in the Philippines and the industries, likings, and inclinations of these people, and the like.[1]
As a collection, there are two views related to Filipiniana, namely: thecomprehensive Filipiniana collection and thespecific Filipiniana collection. From these views and scope emerged other definitions or criteria for literary and non-literary items in order to be considered as Filipiniana materials.Wenceslao Retana defined Filipiniana in hisAparato Bibliográfico de la Historia General de Filipinas (1906) as any book printed in the Philippines, regardless of the topic, that is "indispensable to the complete study of typhography" of thePhilippine Islands. Luis Montilla defined Filipiniana in hisA Brief Survey of the Bibliographical Accomplishments of the Past: A Plan for a New Philippine National Bibliography (1940) as writings and printed or published materials employing the languages of the Philippines regardless of the chosen topic by the author and irrespective of the place of publication. The scope extends to any work that has "distinctchapters" and "passages" or sections about the Philippines that can be used for “local historical investigation and research”.[1]