Rotary reading corner at prov'l library opens

It began as a donation of just two boxes of old paperbacks, magazines and Reader's Digest condensed books to help promote literacy in the Province of Iloilo.

ROTARY READING CORNER. Lendry Certeza, project chairman of the Rotary Literacy Project, (3rd from left) hands over the latest batch of old books and magazines to Iloilo provincial library personnel during the opening of the Rotary Club of Iloilo City reading corner last Friday. With them are Rotarians Markus Duenneisen and his wife, Eva (left) and provincial administrator Manuel "Boy" Mejorada, president of the Rotary Club of Iloilo City.

Last Friday, that small donation has grown into a substantial collection of reading material, enough for the Iloilo Provincial Library to allocate a small corner and name it as the “Rotary Club of Iloilo City Reading Corner.”

That reading corner was formally opened with a simple turn-over ceremony for even more books from the Rotary Club of Iloilo City through its Literacy and Education project chairman, Lendry Certeza, and president Manuel “Boy” Mejorada.

“This is our small contribution to the efforts to combat ignorance in the province and provide Ilonggos with adequate reading materials,” Certeza, an avid reader of books said.

With this Rotary reading corner, OIC-provincial librarian Noemi Viejon expressed optimism that more young people in the city and province would patronize the library and develop their reading habits.

“One of the setbacks we had in the past was the lack of good books to lend to our clientele,” Viejon said.

For his part, Mejorada, another voracious book reader, said the Rotary Club of Iloilo City will continue to campaign for more book donations from its members and friends to build a big collection of reading materials.

Mejorada, who is also Iloilo provincial administrator, said he would lobby for the allocation of more funds for book acquisition next year and make the provincial library one of the best, if not the best, in the whole country.

“I've always believed that a city and province is judged not just by the number of its universities and colleges, but also by the quality of its public library where ordinary citizens can satisfy their hunger for good books and magazines,” he said.

Also present in yesterday's opening of the Rotary reading corner were Rotarian Markus Duenneisen and his wife, Eva.

Literacy and education are among the major thrusts of Rotary International, and the opening of this reading corner reinforces its commitment to fulfilling that objective.