LGU officials urged to establish brgy centers for link to e-library

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno urged local government officials to establish barangay reading centers that would be linked to the country's first public e-library.

The LGUs should provide the barangays with innovative education tools through the e-library (www.elib.gov.ph), he said in his memorandum circular.
Puno said the e-library has access to the union catalogues of the National Library, University of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, and Commission on Higher Education.

E-library also includes Filipiniana materials, theses, dissertations, researches, on-line resources, and subscription to electronic databases, said the secretary.
Barangay folks, specially the students, can have the access to the most comprehensive libraries in the Philippines and the world with more than 8,000 records consisting of Philippine materials and 29,000 full-text journals.

“They just have to go to and make their researches very conveniently in the Barangay Reading Center,” Puno said, adding that the barangay reading centers will be equipped with computers and Internet connectivity.

The putting up of these centers, subject to the financial capability of the LGU, is pursuant to Section 17 (b) (1) of the Local Government Code of 1991 and DILG Memorandum Circular No. 99-208, he said.

Funded through the e-Government Fund, the e-library project has been aimed at providing the information needs of all sectors of society in a convenient and affordable manner, he said. –Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE