The Philippine Consulate General in New York, in cooperation with the Filipino-American community in the tri-state area officially launched the Read Philippines project last November 14, 2002 at the Philippine Center in Manhattan.
The initiative is directed toward the establishment of a collection of Philippine books and other materials in public and school libraries that cater to a significant number of Filipino-American children. The project aspires to keep the second-generation Filipino-Americans rooted to the motherland by making information on the Philippines readily accessible to them. It also hopes to increase awareness and understanding of the Philippines among non-Filipinos.
As part of a campaign to gather books that would be divided among four pilot libraries, a Book Shower and a Book Lottery were held during the launching of Read Philippines. Guests from the Filipino-American community came to the special event with donations of Philippine books. Others gave check contributions, and the rest participated in a book lottery where they pledged to sponsor the book they drew from the lot of recommended titles prepared by the Consulate.
A grasshopper mascot, Dodong Tipaklong, was unveiled during the event. Ms. Nimia Lacebal, Read Philippines coordinator explained, "Grasshoppers are very curious creatures - their 100 eyes are always ready to seek out new information. Their active and spirited nature made us choose Dodong Tipaklong to be the mascot of Read Philippines."
The Consulate has invited the community to get involved by adopting a library in their area and be responsible for setting-up and maintaining the Philippine book collection there. They could directly donate books to these libraries, or request them to acquire books and other materials on the Philippines. Another way of support is the 'Bring A Book Back' option. Filipino-Americans may bring back a book or two from their regular visits to the Philippines for donation to their local libraries. Lastly, they could also seek grants from the government and other institutions to fund the collection set-up.
The campaign is currently receiving enthusiastic response from the members of the Filipino-American community, some of who are already planning to adopt the project in their local libraries. Through volunteerism and cooperation, Read Philippines hopes to spur interest among Filipino-American communities all over the United States to replicate the practice and build Philippine collections in every library in the country.
The pilot libraries and their respective coordinators have been identified as follows: In Queens, New York: Elmhurst Public Library [Aida Bartolome: (718) 565-8852 or Pacita Ros (718) 845-3185]. In Jersey City, New Jersey: Five Corners Public Library [Lita Peña: (201) 432-2144 or Nimia Lacebal/Ellice Flores: (973) 338-4668]. In Passaic County, New Jersey: Passaic High School Library [Zenaida Almario:(973) 931-9234]. In Storrs, Connecticut: University of Connecticut Library [Ruby Abreu (203) 357-7094].
Book donations may come from private collections, or may be bought brand new, based on a list of titles prepared by the Consulate. New books may be sourced from a bookstore of choice, or a number of Philippine book distributors in the tri-state area, such as Casa Victoria at (201) 798-0288, Tatak Pilipino at (201) 798-0288, and The Philippine Cultural and Educational Services at (425) 646-9142, philces@earthlink.net. The list of recommended books may be viewed on www.pcgny.net or the Read Philippines brochure, which may be requested from the Read Philippines coordinators or the Consulate. Contributions are highly encouraged, especially from Filipino-American residents in the pilot communities.
Read Philippines accepts contributions in cash or in kind through the coordinators or the Philippine Consulate General at 556 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10036. For more information, please e-mail philconsulateny@mindspring.com or call: (212)764-1330 ext. 310: Agnes / ext. 601: Carissa. Or visit www.pcgny.net.
The first ceremonial turnover of books collected by the Read Philippines project will be held at the Queens Public Library, Elmhurst branch, on December 14, 2002.
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