2. National Library of the
Philippines (NLP): Library
of the Nation and for the
Nation-Challenges and
Prospects
By:
Prof. Antonio M. Santos
3. Historical Background
Act No. 222 established the American
Circulating Library Division
Act No. 2572 it was named Philippine
Library and Museum
Act No. 3477 separated the Museum from
the Library
EO No. 94 changed National Library to
Bureau of Public Libraries
RA No. 3873 reverted to TNL
RA No. 10087 renamed to NLP
4. Mandate
NLP has dual function:
2. As a national library
it serves as a repository of the printed
& recorded cultural heritage of the
country and other intellectual, literary
and information sources
provides access to these resources
for our peoples’ intellectual growth,
citizenship building, life long learning
and enlightenment
5. 1. As a public library
NLP establishes, develops and
maintains in cooperation with LGU
executives, a system of public libraries
and information centers nationwide
provides the books and other materials
to affiliated libraries nationwide
install hardware and software
train the librarians
6. In both dual functions, the
development of information and
communication technology has been
fully utilized to facilitate access through
its Information Technology Division
(ITD).
7. NLP as Repository of Cultural
Heritage
acquire Filipiniana materials through
purchases,donations, complimentaries
and exchanges
maintain Filipiniana section containing
general books, serials, rarebooks and
manuscripts, government publications
both printed and other multi-media
established a conservation section
with a conservation room
Presidential manuscripts
8. Rarebooks & Manuscripts Section
contains:
original manuscripts
early printed books (Phil. Incunabula)
exceptional collection, artworks
other publication of historical importance
Philippine Presidents Room contains:
priceless collections/manuscripts and
personal accounts of Pres. Quezon,
Osmeña, Garcia, Marcos and other
presidents
9. Eight Extant Copies of Philippine
Incunabula:
n Becerra, Fernando, O.E.S.A. (1618).
Relacion de el martyrio de s.f. Fernando de
S. Joseph…
n San Francisco, Diego de, O.F.M. (1925).
Relacion verdadera y breve de la
presecusion y martirios que padecieron por
la confession de Nuestra Santa Fe
Catholica
n Colin, Francisco (1628). Sermon que mando
imprimir el ilustrissimo S.D. Fray Miguel
Garcia Serrano, Arsobispo de Manila
n Esquivel, Jacinto, O.P. (1630). Vocabulario
de Japon
10. n Pinelo, Francisco, O.P. (1634). Vida y
Milagros de S. Domingo de Guzman,
Patriarca de la orden predicadores…
n Gomez, Andres, O.P. (1638). Sermon
predicado en la yglesia de la Encarnacion
del real campo de la ciudad de Manila
n Aduarte, Diego de, O.P. (1640). Vida y
sermons del p. Francisco Blancas de San
Jose…
n Aduarte, Diego de, O.P. (1640). Historia de
la provincial de Sancto Rosario de la orden
predicadores en Philipinas, Japon y China…
11. Other Incunabula:
n De Moluccis Insulis, Villadolid Spain, 1522
n De Morga, Antonio, Mexico (1607).
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
n Pigafetta, Antonio. The First Voyage
Around the World
n Pinpin, Tomas (1593). Facsimile of the
Doctrina Christiana
12. Special Collections Section holds the following
collections:
1. Lope K. Santos
2. Julian C. Balmaceda
3. Raymundo Banas
4. Cirilo Honorio
5. Anita Garcia
6. Amado Hernandez
7. Atang de la Rama
8. Camilo Osias
9. Encarnacion Alzona
10. Leonor Oroza Goquingco
11. Benigno Zamora
12. Paul Versoza
13. Norberto Romualdez
14. Caburian and Tengco
13. Republic Act No. 10066
“An Act Providing for the Protection
and Conservation of the National Cultural
Heritage, Strengthening the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) and its Affiliated Cultural
Agencies and for Other Purposes.”
Philippine Registry of Cultural
Properties (PRECUP)
14. NLP as the Implementer of the
Copyright Law
Sections under IP Code about NLP:
2. Section 191
to receive registration of literary and
artistic works and deposit with the NLP
and SCL two copies or reproductions of
the works shall be deposited within 3
weeks after the first dissemination or
performances of the work by authority
of the copyright owner
3. Section 182
provides that an assignment or
exclusive license may be filed in
15. NLP upon payment of the prescribed
fee for registration in books and
record kept for the purpose
• Section 198.1
NLP to receive the written instrument which
names the person/s to be charged with the
posthumous enforcement of these rights
4. Section 227-29
refers to ownership of deposit and instrument
to the government through NLP and SCL
the record of the NLP on the matter be
opened to public inspection
to determine and collect such fees for the
discharge of services under the Act
16. NLP as Implementer of Legal
and Cultural Deposit Law
Pres. Decree No. 812
(Decree on Legal and Cultural Deposit)
In its preamble, it stated that the
acquisition, organization and preservation
of a nation’s intellectual and cultural
heritage, which is a prime duty of the
State, can best be achieved by providing
that all published and printed materials be
deposited to NLP and certain government
libraries.
17. The law states that within one month
from the date any printed book is first
delivered out of the press, the publisher of
each book shall furnish, free of charge and
in the same finish as the best copies of the
same are produced, two (2) copies to
NLP, and a copy each to UP Main Library,
UP Library at Cebu City, MSU Library and
CCP Library.
Mandated the heads of various
departments, bureaus, offices and
branches of the government, including
province and municipalities, GOCCs, to
18. furnish NLP two (2) copies of any printed
book publish by them and a copy each to
the aforementioned libraries.
Mandated the departments, bureaus,
offices and branches of government
including LGUs, GOCCs ordering the
printing of any publication are directed to
furnish, w/o charge, to the NLP at least
fifty (50) copies of all printed reports or
document to serve as the mainstay of the
exchange commitments of NLP.
19. Penalties:
fine of not less than P50 or more
than P500
obliged to deliver the materials
published or printed
if copy is no longer available, a
reproduction thereof, or the value of
the work shall be added to the fine
20. NLP as National Center of
Numbering Systems
1. International Standard Book Number
(ISBN)
Benefits:
replaces the handling of long bibliographic
descriptive records
allows compilation and updating of book-
trade directories
executes ordering and distribution of books
21. cont…
machine-readable that’s why this is fast and
avoid mistakes
needed for the running of electronic
point-of-scale systems in bookshop
rights management is mainly done on the
basis of ISBN
ISBN does sales data monitoring
libraries profit from copy cataloguing
the national lending right in some
countries is based on ISBN
22. Statistics of issued ISBN
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
Issued ISBN
2,000
1,000
0
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
23. 1. International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
Benefits:
can identify a title regardless of its language or
country of origin
can provide an efficient and economical
method of communication between publishers
and suppliers
used in libraries for identifying titles, ordering
and checking-in of serials and claiming
missing issues
simplifies interlibrary loan systems
used as standard numeric identification code
25. 1. International Standard Music Number
(ISMN)
Benefits:
identification of all printed and digital music
publications
facilitate international cooperation and
information exchange
26. Other Special Services:
1. NLP as a Library for the Blind
NLP is the only library in the Philippines
with a section for the visually impaired people.
Services include recording of printed materials,
transcribing and embossing into Braille and
scanning printed materials, etc.
• NLP as a Host to Philippine e-Lib Project
NLP houses the data center and kiosk of the
Phil. e-Lib through a single portal the library
collections of five (5) government agencies
which include; NLP, UP, DOST, DA and CHED.
27. • NLP as Children’s Reading Hub
NLP launched the Children’s Library
section that provides reading materials for
children, a play area, one multimedia
computer station, audio listening stations,
a video previewing station, etc.
• NLP as a House for Government
Publications, Asia and Oceania
Materials, Theses and Dissertations
NLP is a repository of the government
issuances that include executive and
presidential issuances, legislative
enactments from early laws of the
28. Philippine Commission until the present
Congress and decisions of the Supreme Court.
The Asia and Oceania section of the NLP serves
as a repository of selected library materials
about countries that form part of Asia and
Oceania.
The creation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral
Dissertations section to the Filipiniana Division
of the NLP is charged with the responsibility of
protecting, enlarging and safeguarding the
collections.
29. NLP’s Plans and Prospects
Revisiting policies on admissions,
administrations, its relation to other cultural
agencies and other types of libraries
Additional book budget to offset the zero
book budget of the NLP for the current year
Retrofitting of the 50-year old NLP building
Establishment of Law Library Section and
Digital Library Section
Inventory with other types of libraries
especially academic libraries
Revisiting Copyright Law and Legal Deposit
Law
30. cont…
Modernization of its infrastructure and
services
Develop national strategy for preservation
and conservation of library resources
Conduct extension services which include
seminars, trainings and conferences
Establish Children’s section and building
children’s literature/collection
Linkages with other countries pursuant to our
international relations
31. Conclusion
The NLP, more than any time, needs
marketing. We need more exposure for the public
to know what NLP has to offer. This we call Public
Relations. In the NLP, we have recently created a
PR Group to undertake a massive public relations
activities which include among others, update of
website content, printing and distribution of
different brochures and revisiting of different
policies.
As we embark on all these activities, we invite
you all to be our partners in this continuing task of
bringing NLP to our citizen.
We hope to see you either individually or by
group, as visitors and clients of the library of all
libraries in the Philippines.
