Every November, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) and the National Committee on Libraries and Information Services (NCLIS) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) commemorate Library and Information Services (LIS) Month in accordance with Proclamation No. 837 series of 1991, which declares the entire month of November as LIS Month.
The UN 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive list of the issues that politicians and other decision-makers are concerned about. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, as well as to find a balance in the development trajectories of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions so that development is sustainable and no one is left behind.
For Year 2021, the theme for the 31th commemoration is “Libraries Building ROADS: Readers. Opportunities. Advocacies. Development. Sustainability.” ROADS emphasizes the following points:
R-eaders: Libraries foster lifelong readers and learners. That is the foundation of who we are now and where we came from professionally. It does, however, have a different meaning now than it did in the 1900s, 1950s, and early 2000s.
O-pportunities: Libraries is the place for opportunities by providing access to information and skills. It also contributes to the creation of opportunities for people to improve their own lives, as well as to the informed decision-making of governments, communities, and others in order to provide services and support that reduce poverty and increase the prosperity of people everywhere.
A-dvocacies: Libraries are at the heart of schools, universities, colleges and communities in every country around the world. It also promotes literacy programs, provides a safe learning environment, and assists researchers in reusing research and data to generate new knowledge.
D-evelopment: Libraries are important development partners because of their unique role in providing access to information in all formats as well as delivering services and programs that meet the information needs of a changing and increasingly complex society.
S-ustainability: Libraries are sustainable institutions; they share resources in the community and internationally and ensure everyone has access to information. All libraries play a significant role in providing access to data, research and knowledge that supports informed research and public access to information about climate change, and a key role in the preservation of indigenous knowledge – which includes local decision-making about fundamental aspects of life including hunting, fishing, land use, and water management.
This year’s theme focuses on capturing the essence of the libraries’ role in attaining the SDGs promulgated in the UN 2030 Agenda and integrated into our Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022.
Libraries in the Philippines offer a wide range of products and services that promote the achievement of each and every 17 SDGs. Aside from PDP 2017-2022, the Philippines had also integrated these SDGs to the AmBisyon Natin 2040.
There are generally three ways on how libraries are using this commitment and potential: 1) by showcasing sustainable building techniques and services; 2) by promoting understanding and action around sustainability in their communities; and 3) by supporting new research into sustainability.
