National Book Week is an annual celebration in the Philippines that runs mainly during the last week of November to encourage reading and literacy. It takes place from November 20 to 24 this year. It also pays tribute to the service of public libraries in the Philippines in promoting the activity of reading. It was first organized in 1934 by the Philippine government to arouse national interest in picking up a book, and to recognize the critical function of libraries in imparting knowledge to the people.
The theme of this years National Book Week is: 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉, 𝕽𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉, 𝕽𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊!
History of National Book Week
In 1934, the Philippine Library Association handed a petition to then Governor-General Frank Murphy to propose a celebration that promotes literacy and the library’s services to the public. In response to the Association, Murphy relented and declared the Philippines’ first National Book Week in June of that year. The date of National Book Week was only changed to its current location at the end of November in 1936.
Even though interest in reading is waning in today’s world due to teenagers’ preference for television and video games, National Book Week organizers claim it is more vital than ever. One of the goals of the holiday is to keep schoolchildren’s reading habits alive so that future generations will be able to express themselves in writing.
Essay competitions, book exhibitions, and other types of fun competitions are held by a variety of libraries and educational institutions to encourage increased public engagement. To emphasize the value of reading to young minds, the government encouraged schools to arrange trips to libraries and publishers. National Book Week drew even more attention as the Catholic Church began to actively participate in its commemoration, with priests being encouraged to offer sermons emphasizing the importance of reading books. During National Book Week in the Philippines, this tradition is still practiced.
National Book Week has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by the Filipino public since its inception, generating widespread public interest and receiving support from senior government officials. It has sparked a renewed interest in reading in the Philippines, as well as increased library visits. While it can’t be blamed on the week, the Philippines has one of Asia’s highest literacy rates, at 96.3% as of 2020, which may explain why National Book Week is a huge success across the archipelago.
source: https://nationaltoday.com/national-book-week/
The Iloilo Science and Technology University Office of the University Librarian together with the whole ISAT U Community joins the National Book Week 2023. The University Library conducts events such as Borrow a Book, Online Quiz Contest, and Bookface Challenge.
Borrow a Book – students are allowed to borrow 5 books at a time under different subject for a duration of 3 days for the entire month of November.
Online Quiz Contest – different questions are posted in the University Library facebook page at exactly 12:00pm and 1:00pm for 3 days from November 22 – 24, 2023. First to post the correction answer in the comment section will be the winner.
Bookface Challenge – Contestants will pick a book and snap a photo using the book cover to make it look like part of their body.