TRUE to its mission of providing various library services to the public and instilling in them the love for reading books, the Pampanga provincial library continues to reach out to concerned populace in the province.
Pampanga Provincial Library and Information Center Head Bessie Makabali said the province has intensified its bookmobile, public internet and reader’s services to reach out to as many students, street children and out-of-school youths (OSY) throughout the province’s 20 towns and one city.
In her report to Governor Eddie T. Panlilio, Makabali said the library served a total of 136,548 people from July 2007 to December 2009.
Of the total number of beneficiaries, 6,699 students from 52 public elementary schools benefited from the library services conducted during the various sorties of Pamisaupan caravans.
“We join the governor in the regular conduct of Pamisaupan caravans with our staff conducting book reading, storytelling and film showings among children in far-flung barangays of the province,” Makabali said.
The Pamisaupan caravan is one of the flagship programs of the Panlilio administration, which directly delivers around 20 much-needed basic services to target communities in the province for free.
The library’s book mobile services catered to 180 schools, with 75,972 students benefited for the past two and one-half years.
Close to 3,000 walk-in clients benefited from the library’s public internet service from July 2007 to December 2009, while about 46,383 out-of-school youths, street and school children aged five to 12 years old availed themselves of its reader’s services and kiddie section for the same period.
Makabali reported that the library’s storytelling project has served 56 schools with close to 4,000 children benefited.
She added that in December 2008, the library initiated its Kuwentong Kapampangan, atbp (at iba pa) project, which in a span of one year has catered to about 1,000 OSYs, street and school children from 13 schools.
This project was ably supported by San Juan High School in Mexico town with 28 of its students conducting storytelling, puppet show, readers’ theater and teatrong Kapampangan to target children.
Makabali said that gauging from the children’s enthusiasm and positive response, her staff’s dedication and commitment to their work paid off, adding that the library continuously exerts efforts to encourage children to develop the habit of reading and inculcate in them the love for books. (Erlinda T. Yutuc/Pampanga PIO)