Angeles City celebrates 59th Public Library Day
ANGELES CITY – “Nothing compares to the fulfilment of finishing a book. We may be in the digital era but the experience of exploring the world through your fingertips is still priceless.”
Thus said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan as he addressed the guests and students from various schools during the opening ceremonies of the 59th Public Library Day held Friday at the Angeles City Library and Information Center (ACLIC).
The theme for this year, “Limang K para maging OK sa aKlatan: Kultura, Kalusugan, Kabuhayan, Karunungan, Kalikasan,” highlights the expanded roles of public libraries as active partners in different aspects of students values formation and nation building.
During his speech, Vice- Mayor Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno said he sees the need to modernize the city library to further meet its goals especially now that the youth are more inclined to the digital way of research and reading.
“While it is true that the internet has provided incredible benefits and advantages to the people of today, we cannot deny the fact that books are more scholastic and comprehensive. For our part, we have to go with the times, we have to recreate our city library,” said Nepomuceno.
The day-long celebration includes a sundry of educational activities which aims to reimagine libraries as hub for recreation, creativity, intellectual discourse, heritage and cultural awareness.
Lined up activities include storytelling, heritage parul making, chess competition, film showing, and a talk facilitated by Mike Pangilinan entitled “Alaya ampong Singsing”.
Meanwhile, City Librarian Mila Narsing expressed her gratitude to the mayor and the city council for passing a resolution declaring March 9 of every year as an annual observance of the Public Library Day.
Another resolution was also handed over to Narsing which states the establishment of the City Library Board in accordance with Republic Act 7743. The board will act as the advisory and policysetting authority to provide stability and continuity of the city library with Mayor Pamintuan as the chairman.
Developments for the City Library
Various facility, services, and physical structure developments are in the pipeline for the improvement of the City Library.
During the celebration’s opening program,
Pamintuan and Nepomuceno disclosed that the local government is serving a major facelift for the decades-old public library.
According to Nepomuceno, the third floor of the city library will be converted into an amphitheatre which will be conducive for different cultural and socio-civic activities.
An elevator will also be installed in the building to make other facilities accessible to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The façade of the city library will also be renovated with a design that will complement the heritage vibe of the vicinity.
Additional features are also to be added in the library such as the city’s very own Kapampangan Cultural Center and Leisure Reading Center for children, out-of-school youth, and senior citizens.
The P30-million improvement project will be implemented as soon as the project is awarded to the winning bidder.
As a manifestation of public and private partnership, the Widus Foundation will sponsor the rehabilitation of the city library’s “Internet ng Bayan” as part of their corporate social responsibility.
The city librarian said that when all the developments are in place, the city library will extend its operating hours until weekends to give the students the access and ample time for research and other scholastic activities.
“Our city library is a compendium of knowledge and a repository of history. We hope that when the renovation is done, we can engage and attract more people, especially the students, to take advantage of our rich learning resources at the city library,” said Pamintuan.