National Book Week 2006

Today is the launching of the the 2006 National Book Week. Libraries all over the Philippines have organized activities to celebrate the occassion. Librarians have filled up their leaves and asked permission to attend seminars, lectures and forum for continuous education. For more of these, the calendar of activities of the NBW may be viewed via the UPLSAA website.

What makes this celebration a notable one for me is its theme, "Bata, Bata...Halina't Magbasa". It seems that, after a long while, Filipino Librarians have finally recognized children, books, reading and the role that libraries and librarians play to develop and nurture it.

I may not be in the forefront of the NBW this year, unlike in years past, but I sure would be doing my own little way to promote it. Tomorrow, November 25, 2006 will be my seminar-workshop at Powerbooks. I will be sharing with my collegaues in the profession trends in school library management as well as, current theories why developing libraries for children is a must in this day and age. My seminar begins at 1.00 pm. This is an activity of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. And though it is not included in the NBW calendar, we, in the Board are happy to have activities in congruence to NBW.

Apart from this, I will also be busy tomorrow morning for the KUTING General Assembly. We will be welcoming new members to the organization. Honestly, I still shudder at the thought of being KUTING officer. Perhaps there is something in the stars that made me KUTING President this year. As a librarian who writes for children, I never dreamed of becoming its president. Then again, maybe, it has a purpose. For after all, KUTING does not only aim to help writers of children grow in their craft but promotes Philippine Children's Literature too.

I hope the second objective justifies my presence in KUTING.