LUCENA CITY – The head of the Quezon provincial library struggles to establish and maintain public libraries to keep the culture of reading in the entire province.
Ria Marelle Timbal, chief librarian of the provincial library which houses some 13,000 books inside its bookshelves, disclosed on Thursday here that there are 33 public libraries in Quezon province affiliated with the National Library but only about 13 are “active”.
“Sa Quezon po ay may thirty-three na affiliated sa National Library kaya lang hindi lahat ay active dahil ang nangyayari po kasi ay kung nagpapalit ng administration o nagreresign o nag-retire ang in-charge, nawawala po ang library,” said Timbal, who assumed as officer in charge of Quezon Provincial Library (QPL) in 2020.
When asked to name specifically about where are these active public libraries, Timbal, busy with paper works in her office table during the chance interview with this writer, has mentioned 17 located in various municipalities and in the 2 cities of Lucena and Tayabas:
Mauban, Pagbilao, Tayabas city, in the 1st District; Candelaria, Sariaya, Tiaong and Lucena city – Lucena City Library and Quezon Provincial Library – in the 2nd District; Padre Burgos, San Narciso, Unisan in the 3rd District; and Atimonan, Calauag, Guinayangan, Gumaca, Lopez and Tagkawayan in the 4th District.
Timbal said only the National Library acts to affiliate public libraries nationwide and to be affiliated requires a building or adequate space for the establishment of a public library, the approval of the local chief executive and a resolution of the municipal council manifesting their desire to operate a public library.
Aside from what she mentioned, she also said that the municipal library should also have its own collection of books already and have internet connection. In turn, she said, the National Library grant books, computers, printers, maps and globes and provide various trainings to the active, affiliated public libraries.
“The provincial government cannot impose on LGUs to put up their own public libraries, we can only recommend. All we can do is encourage and tell about the privileges if they have their own municipal and barangay reading centers,” said Timbal adding that the provincial library can assist how to set up municipal and barangay libraries, submit necessary reports, hold additional training and manage small libraries.
Timbal, who graduated in Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Library Science from the Phil. Normal University in Manila, said that many of the public libraries in Quezon have no licensed professional librarian and are usually staffed only and headed by a municipal councilor, or in the case of barangay libraries, they are run by barangay secretary or barangay Sanggunian Kabataan leader.
The Quezon Provincial Library has been allocated a total budget of P9,278,997.39 for 2026 and only P125,000 for book procurements.
Timbal said that at present visitors and clients of QPL, which are mostly high school and college students, can avail of some 2,402 Filipiniana books, aside from books in the general information and the circulation sections, reference and research materials and periodicals.
She said that last year SM-Lucena has donated some 946 various books which are displayed at the Book Nook corner just outside Timbal’s Office.
This writer has donated 4 self-published books for the Filipiniana section of the QPL, the latest of which is titled A News Dude’s Dispatches and Digressions in Cocolandia, a collection of news and feature articles, opinion columns and literary short stories.