Public reading space for Dabawenyos ...
Davao City Library bags award for e-Learning
The Davao City Library and Information Center (DCLIC) was conferred the Most Innovative Public Library in Adaptive Library Services and Programs award by The Asia Foundation and the National Library of the Philippines last month.
The awarding held at the Sheraton Hotel, Manila was in connection with the library's initiatives to provide electronic learning and expanded satellite reading areas when the pandemic hit Davao City, the City Information Office reported.
Although the static library was closed to the general public due to pandemic, the city has provided online access to the Britannica Library, gave online storytelling, and sent requested e-books to clients via email.
The DCILC also expanded its program of providing reading materials to far-flung barangays through the mobile library.
DCILC Officer-In-Charge Salome M. Enoc said since the online access cannot reach farflung barangays, the library still provided reading materials for children through home book delivery (house-to-house delivery) through the mobile library with a maximum of 10 books and retrieved them after two weeks to be circulated to other libraries.
The DCILC she said also intensified support to the reading centers and established 10 barangay reading centers where materials are sent.
"This is what made the city unique—the ability of the DCLIC to risk going to barangays to provide learning and reading services", she said.
"We prioritized our barangays because we saw the digital divide. We cannot offer to the rural areas what we can offer in the city so we have to go there. And this is what captured the other libraries, especially the national because it is a unique move," Enoc said, adding that the judging process for the award entailed them to show up the city's best practices, which were presented about three months ago to the awards organizer.
Enoc said that they are happy that with these initiatives, they were able to help children and also became an inspiration to other libraries to do the same. The DCILC, in fact, received many benchmarking requests from other Local Government Units (LGUs) immediately after the awarding.
She said they are thankful to the generous Dabawenyos who come to drop their books. This is a huge help, especially when we are establishing reading centers, we cannot say that we are lucky here in the city as there are still far-flung areas that need to be reached out even as she said that they are happy that during the pandemic, they learned to equip themselves with the new technology.
With the resumption of the face-to-face classes, the DCILC will go back to its regular programming, which is going to schools once approved by the Department of Education (DepEd). They also now envision partnering with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) for the rollout of the mobile library for daycare learners.
As for the newly-opened DCILC building, they are now in the process of requesting additional staff so the library could operate for an extended number of hours since it is also the public's clamor.
She said that the huge welcome shown by the people to the newly inaugurated library last July, as well as the award, validates the relevance of a public reading space even up to this time.
"We are happy that it is still very useful and we are also thankful for the support of the City Government, that it is given priority," Enoc said. CIO
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