NBDB: Only 511 of 1,496 RP towns have libraries

Nearly half of all Filipinos do not know if there is a public library in their neighborhood, according to a recent survey commissioned by the National Book Development Board (NBDB).

"This is not surprising since only around one-third of our towns have municipal libraries," said NBDB chairman Dennis Gonzalez.

There are only 511 municipal libraries out of 1,496 municipalities nationwide, and 49 provincial libraries out of 80 provinces, according to records from the National Library.

The National Library admitted that half of these libraries are probably inactive — their librarians have not been submitting regular reports.

The survey, according to the NBDB, found that Filipinos generally consider that books are good gifts to give to others. It also found that Filipinos consider reading a worthwhile activity, and books costly but necessary.

To make books accessible to low-income Filipinos, the NBDB said one effective way is to establish an extensive public library system.

In order to increase book readership in provinces and municipalities with public libraries, Gonzalez suggested that library hours be extended beyond office hours and include a half-day on Saturday.

"More importantly, librarians should go beyond the confines of their libraries, actively reach out to the community and look for creative, cost-effective ways to promote their libraries. They can organize story-telling activities for children and make the libraries venues for some community events," he said.

The survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations to determine the reading attitudes and preferences of adult Filipinos, was conducted from March 10 to 25 this year with 1,200 respondents from various parts of the country and an error margin of three percent for the entire Philippines.

Of the 1,200 respondents, 63.6 percent came from rural areas, while 38.4 percent resided in urban areas. Economically, most of the respondents (67.4 percent) came from class D, 24.8 percent from class E, and the remaining 7.7 percent belong to classes ABC.

The survey found that while 90 percent of Filipinos have read books, only 68 percent have read non-school books. Of those who do read non-school books, 76 percent of them do not borrow from libraries.

Book readership, according to the survey, tends to be higher among those living nearer public libraries and bookstores, or have their own libraries.

Non-school books tend to be read more by those with higher levels of education, as well as those who attended private schools.

More of those who come from the upper socio-economic levels and live in urban areas read non-school books.

More young, unmarried adults also read non-school books.

The survey also found that book readership tends to be higher among those whose social networks also like to read.

"The study has been able to get the pulse of the Filipino reading public — from the language in which they prefer to read and the most popular subject matter among them to their primary considerations in buying a book, their purchasing capacity, and a lot more," said NBDB executive director Gemma Regina Cunanan.

Fifty-seven percent of Filipinos prefer to read non-school books in Tagalog, 30 percent prefer English, while the remaining 13 percent prefer to read their books in Cebuano. Young adults, those aged 18 to 24, have read more non-school books in the past year compared to the older respondents. They averaged five books in the past year.

They compare favorably to 17 percent of respondents who have read only one book in the past year, and to only 14 percent of Filipinos who have read at least 10 non-school books during the past year.

Twenty-two percent of Filipinos read non-school books at least weekly, but an equal percentage read these books only a few times a year.

Money definitely matters when it comes to reading non-school books — 58 percent of Filipinos who bought non-school books for personal reading during the past year spent only a maximum of P200, and that 15 percent of Filipinos bought at least one non-school book for personal reading in the past year.

Only four percent of respondents actually have created home libraries.

Of those who do read non-school books, 91 percent of Filipinos do so to get information or gain additional knowledge, while a measly nine percent do so to enjoy or amuse themselves.