THE Davao City Library and Information Center served more than 300,000 Dabawenyos through its reading services program, mobile library, internet services, and other library services for 2023.
“For the year 2023, we were able to serve a total of 318, 201 clients,” DCLIC Head Salome Enoc in an interview with the City Information Office earlier this week.
Enoc said that of the total, 169,542 clients were from the main library; 13, 658 clients were from district reading centers located in Calinan, Tugbok, and Toril; and 20,667 clients were from the reading centers in Buda, Marahan, Daliao, and Baguio.
Also, out of the total, 81,855 clients were from the three mobile libraries (Disaster Mobile library, Mobile Library for Elementary Schools, and Mobile Library for Day Care); 18,521 clients from online/internet library; and the remaining 13,958 from library activities like National Book Week Celebration every November.
Enoc said that they are happy with the number of clients served by their office in the past year as it is higher compared to their target.
“We are happy without our [output] because our target is around 200,000, so we really surpassed it,” Enoc said.
For 2024 they aim to push for the utilization of the district reading centers aside from the main library that is usually maximized.
“We want to utilize our district reading centers.. We need to inform the public that we have reading centers and district libraries because the main library is almost always full),” she said, adding that their off peak-season for visitors at the main library is only during December and summer vacation.
She added that utilizing district reading centers also means cutting the transportation costs of students who hail from the same area or near the reading center. While the main library contains books as it caters to a huge number of the population, the district reading centers are fully equipped with books as well.
To draw more clients and visitors for the district reading centers, Enoc said that they aim to reconnect this year the internet services there.
“Hopefully, this year, we will be able to establish a stable connectivity in the district libraries,” Enoc said.
As to the request for extended hours for the main library located on Ponciano Street, Enoc said that a 24-hour operation is something they cannot achieve anytime soon, considering the personnel and security requirement, cost of operation, and the required maintenance of the library facilities.
“As much as possible, we want to maintain our facilities and make it lasting. What we see that we can extend is the service hours to Saturday. As for now, one by one, starting December, interviews are conducted for personnel, so hopefully, the vacant positions will be filled up soon to help in manning the extended hours of operation,” Enoc said.
Enoc said that currently, the main library operates from 7 am to 7 pm. They divided the personnel in duty, one batch from 7 am to 4 pm, and the other batch starting from 10 am to 7 pm. CIO
