Book Nooks in your area!: NBDB announces 25 new ‘Book Nook’ sites set to rise in 2023
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) today announced 25 new ‘Book Nook’ reading centers to rise in strategic locations nationwide to promote readership in partnership with schools, learning institutions, local government units, and organized communities across the Philippines.
Following a rigorous application process, 25 new community reading centers will be built in locations across the country as the Board announced this year’s roll of successful applicants, increasing the number of ‘Book Nook’ sites in the Philippines to 113.
“We are elated to announce that more communities in the Philippines will now have access to over a thousand of our curated selection of Philippine-published books,” said NBDB Chairman Dante Francis “Klink” M. Ang II, Chairperson. “But more particularly, we are looking forward to the activities that will be held in these new sites of learning and cultural convergence.”
New ‘Book Nook’ sites will soon be open for readers with the help of the following successful applicant organizations:
● Book Nook Alcala by the Alcala Central School; Alcala, Pangasinan
● Book Nook Library Hub Quirino by the DepEd SDO Quirino – Library Hub; Cabarroguis
Quirino
● Book Nook Kita-Kita by the Kita-Kita High School; San Jose City, Nueva Ecija
● Book Nook San Jose City by the DepED SDO San Jose City; San Jose City, Nueva Ecija
● Book Nook Subic by the Subic National High School; Subic, Zambales
● Book Nook BatStateU by the BSU TNEU ARASOF Nasugbu Campus; Nasugbu, Batangas
● Book Nook CADACC by the Community Anti-Drug Abuse Coalition of Cavite City; Cavite
City, Cavite
● Book Nook Pakil by the Municipal Government of Pakil, Laguna; Pakil, Laguna
● Book Nook Malusak by the Malusak Elementary School; Atimonan, Quezon
● Book Nook Bula by the Bula National High School; Bula, Camarines Sur
● Book Nook Sabang by the Sabang Community Learning Hub; Naga, Camarines Sur
● Book Nook Pasacao by the Dalupaon National High School; Pasacao, Camarines Sur
● Book Nook San Jose HS by the San Jose National High School; San Jose City, Camarines
Sur
● Book Nook Silid-Aklasan by Silid-Aklasan; Virac, Catanduanes
● Book Nook Liong by the Liong Elementary School; Cataingan, Masbate
● Book Nook Nabitasan by the Nabitasan Elementary School; La Paz, Iloilo City
● Book Nook Cabadiangan by the DepEd SDO Sipalay City and the Cabadiangan Elementary
School; City of Sipalay, Negros Occidental
● Book Nook Camindangan by the Gil Montilla National High School Camindangan
Extension; City of Sipalay, Negros Occidental
● Book Nook Dumaguete by the Rotary Club of Dumaguete East; Dumaguete, Negros
Oriental
● Book Nook Catarman by Care Program Samar; Catarman, Samar
● Book Nook Iligan by Basa Kubo; Iligan City, Lanao del Norte
● Book Nook Tantangan by the Tantangan LGU; Tantangan, South Cotabato
● Book Nook Parañaque by the Don Galo National High School; Parañaque City, Metro
Manila
● Book Nook AYAN by the Agusan Youth Alliance Network; Sibagat, Agusan del Sur
● Book Nook Sibagat by the Sibagat National High School of Home Industries; Sibagat,
Agusan del Sur
The Book Nook Project nurtures a network of reading and storytelling centers filled with Philippine-published books for kids and kids-at-heart. These are located in strategic areas around the Philippines with the objective of improving reading behaviors in communities.
The Book Nook application process this year involved a series of training sessions in paralibrarianship, early childhood readership development, and community-centered
partnerships.
To manifest their community’s readiness, applicants crafted site action plans which ensured the ‘Book Nook’ had a viable and valuable place in the advancement of the community. Applicants were then graded based on rubrics on resourcefulness and connectivity; creativity and relevance to the advocacy; community knowledge and engagement; and attitude and commitment.
“We believe books to be a magnet for readers and community members to converge, whether in the interest of literacy or the love of reading,” Ang said. “Thus, we take our partnerships very seriously, and we envision the nurturing of a lively reading culture where our books are well-used and well-loved.”
The Book Nook provides support to communities two-fold: both as an avenue for publishers to distribute books in areas around the Philippines and as an opportunity to provide young readers and their families quality-authored books in different Philippine languages.
“We are in the process of creating a model for a community reading center that can be applicable nationwide. As Book Nooks become more prevalent in the nation and relevant in their communities, we want this model to be adopted by government authorities, educators and community organizers aspiring to nurture a love of reading in their constituency,” said NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade.
The project has trained over 800 community members to become active supporters of their local reading centers as the Book Nooks’ storytellers, artists, and custodians. Over 5000 books have been borrowed by readers nationwide, as the project makes sure that reading takes place anywhere.
“As the popular saying goes, ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ The Philippines has since the pandemic suffered from a critical learning poverty and low functional literacy, but simply teaching a child to read does not make them a successful reader. These need to be addressed early on by encouraging children to enjoy reading at an early age. The project continuously calls on communities to reprise their role in rearing our children–our nation’s future leaders–by way of the books penned and published by our country’s very own,” Aquino-Tugade said.
