Yamsuan: P500M needed to modernize public libraries

LEARNING SPACE For students, teachers and Cebuanos from all walks of life, the Cebu City Public Library is a conducive space where they can spend time to do research, study and read at any time of the day.

MANILA, Philippines — The government needs to invest P500 million in modernizing public libraries and reading centers and making sure these facilities are accessible to children, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said.

In a statement released on Monday, Yamsuan said a P500-million budget hike for the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) would facilitate the computerization of public libraries and barangay reading centers nationwide so that materials would be “future-ready” and catalogued for the next generations.

According to Yamsuan, public libraries are still relevant even if information is readily available through smartphones and other gadgets. However, public libraries could be more helpful to students if the books were digitized.

“The budget of the NLP, which provides support services to public libraries and reading centers, should be increased by P500 million per year until all cities and municipalities are provided and have full access to electronic library facilities,” he said.

“Despite the digitalization wave, public libraries remain relevant as a readily accessible source of information, especially in marginalized communities where students can hardly afford to buy books or mobile devices,” he added.

The proposal to increase the NLP’s budget, Yamsuan said, is contained in House Bill No. 1798, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7743, the law that requires the establishment of congressional, city, and municipal libraries and barangay reading centers throughout the country.

According to the House of Representatives website, the bill is still pending before the Committee on Basic Education and Culture.

Under the bill, modernizing public libraries would also mean providing the infrastructure to establish a reliable internet connection.

“Modernizing these facilities using the latest electronic library systems and providing them with reliable internet connectivity  is a must to help make our education system future-ready,” Yamsuan said.  “Reading centers and public libraries should be equipped with the latest electronic library system for storing, cataloguing and filing of materials.”

“On top of providing each public library and reading center with a complete standard set of reference books and other materials as mandated under Republic Act 7743, these facilities should also have access to e-books and online research resources,” he added.

To do this, Yamsuan said, Education Secretary Sonny Angara could coordinate with the NLP and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to kickstart digitization efforts.

“This will help realize the Department of Education’s goal under Secretary Sonny Angara to provide every Filipino child, no matter where they are, the opportunity for learning, growth, and success,”  Yamsuan said.

“The Philippines should follow the example of Singapore, which has allocated funds to expand and revitalize its public libraries to continue cultivating the love for reading and learning among its citizens,” he added.

Over the years, libraries have made efforts to digitize and preserve history and details that are considered vulnerable if they remain on paper.

In March 2024, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) added a special section to its digital library that discusses matters related to the preservation of protected areas in the country.

Gilbert Arbon, director of the DOST’s Negros Oriental Provincial Office, said the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks (Starbooks) is a digital library with research journals from the Science and Technology Information Institute.

READ: DOST digital library adds section on PH protected areas’ conservation

In 2019, the Supreme Court also opened its e-library to the public for free.

However, most of these libraries are not the public libraries that students across different regions access. Still, some libraries have started innovating, like the Cebu City Public Library (CCPL), which in August 2024 turned itself into a friendly space for visually impaired students and professionals doing research.

Leoniver Gaquing, acting head of CCPL’s Braille Section, said on the Sugboanon Channel that assistive devices and applications, like electronic braille display and screen reader that would provide text-to-speech functionality, were available at the library.

READ: Cebu City Public Library: Friendly space for visually impaired people

The electronic braille display device was created by a Japanese company based in Cebu, and had lent the device to the public library.