More libraries needed, LGUs need to step up

THE crisis in reading comprehension in this country among our younger population, particularly of school age, cries out for a solution. The Department of Education has come up with a Catch-Up Friday program for reinforcing the need to focus on reading; we hope not just for comprehension but for inculcating a lifelong reading habit by showing the joy of reading and the expansion of intellect and perspective that human beings need to meet their potential. And reading is the best way.

Reading means libraries, whether at home as a collection of varied reading materials, including newspapers and periodicals. In addition, the more institutionalized reading centers like libraries — school libraries, public libraries, specialized libraries and a national library — are considered mandatory for a reading population that wants to keep up with the world of information and education.

Judging from our public schools and their struggle to cope with more students than they can handle, few of them have the time and resources to pay attention to keeping up with libraries. From anecdotal information, some schools have no dedicated library or librarian. Sometimes it is physical space lacking, other times no budgetary allocation for a librarian. Some public schools are helped by book donations but due to the conditions cited above, there is no organized collection of printed and other library materials, a paid staff, a schedule of services or the facilities to support them in many if not most public schools. Librarians have to be proactive when they manage libraries to establish and keep up reading in the communities they serve.

Actually, there is a dearth of licensed librarians here for the needs of the times. Yet there are almost 30 schools of higher learning in all parts of the country, including the small cities of Mindanao, that offer Library Science and Information Science degrees, including master’s degrees. One reason might be the poor compensation. Librarians can expect between P22,000 and P32,000 monthly compensation.

There is actually a Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003 requiring librarians to pass a licensure examination to get a certificate or diploma. This law expects candidates to pass a licensure exam featuring questions on librarianship, training, publishing, book trade, public relations and consultancy on information-related business.

Duties consist of assisting the library users to access information according to need, organizing the material available and removing irrelevant or obsolete materials, acquiring new material that is upto-date on current developments.

This law requires every government library to have a licensed librarian. Well-meaning legislation, but as usual, not only impractical but almost counterproductive to what it means to do. There are only 10,315 registered librarians in the country