A little bit like a library, a little bit of a reading center, a little bit of an artist space, a little bit of storytelling space.”
That’s how National Book Development Board (NBDB) Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade described the Book Nooks that have been established by the agency in 52 points across the country, from remote places and vulnerable communities, as far north in Ifugao to as far south as Tawi-Tawi.
Book Nooks are community reading centers where kids and kids at heart can borrow all-Filipino books from fiction to nonfiction written in English, Filipino and mother languages from the country. There are also reference books that discuss culture, history, identity and other topics that shed light on innately Filipino topics.
At the Los Baños site, where Aquino-Tugade and several NBDB officials were during the virtual launch, the “Salamanca” graphic novel and a book on the Ifugao indigenous knowledge system were just some of the books that could be perused and borrowed for free.
Access points
But as Aquino-Tugade mentioned, Book Nooks are more than just reading hubs. They could be venues for storytelling, book club meetings and writing workshops. These mini libraries are placed in different communities across the Philippines, mostly indigenous communities and publicly accessible places. There’s a Book Nook in Museo Pambata, weaving centers, pasalubong centers, culture and tourist hubs and even a market in Bontoc.
“The Book Nook by NBDB is a project that we envision to provide more access points to our content and our creation so that people around the Philippines are able to read their own books in their own language, their own culture and see and look at their own experiences,” Aquino-Tugade said.
There’s an import-export disparity in terms of books in the Philippines. According to Aquino-Tugade, for every 24 foreign books that are brought into the country, only one Filipino book gets exported.
Even bookstores and libraries, where foreign books fill the shelves, the Filipiniana section is relegated to a small section of children’s books, cookbooks and graphic novels, if any.
Community storytellers
“My question is whose voice do we give primacy to? Is it our voice or is it the voice of Goldilocks with white skin and the three bears? Or do we give primacy to our binukot, our hudhud, our halo-halo espesyals? Shouldn’t we give our own voice the chance?” Aquino-Tugade asked.
Project head Reynaldo Flores Jr. said that community members have responded positively toward the Book Nook. In some areas, they saw senior citizens and groups of women who want to be trained as community storytellers.
The NBDB is looking to add 40 more Book Nooks next year, and they will be accepting applications. The agency is expecting to receive many applications as they usually receive many inquiries on the Book Nook. Hopefully, the reading centers will also inspire people to write their stories in their own languages and their own experiences, said Aquino-Tugade.
“We envision a nation of happy readers. We want to see kids reading for leisure because they want to read the content and they feel inspired to write their own stories, not just because they are required,” Flores added.