The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance requiring all Baguio writers and publishers to furnish, provide or deposit copies of books originally printed, produced or published in the city to its public library.
Under the proposed ordinance, it is a declared policy of the State to promote economic, social and intellectual wellbeing of the general public to boost the awareness, knowledge, competence and productivity of the people in the city and recognize the vital role of knowledge and information in nation-building by providing up-to-date and new books and resources.
Within a period of 30 days from the date of any printed books, the writer or publisher of such book shall furnish, free of charge and in the same finish as the best copies of the books are produced, 2 copies of the same to the Baguio City Public Library.
In turn, the chief librarian shall issue an acknowledgement receipt to the proper person and shall keep a copy of such receipt for records purposes.
On the other hand, the heads of the various departments, bureaus, offices, and branches of government-owned and controlled corporations based in the city are required to furnish the city library 2 free copies of any printed book published by them within 30 days from the release of the same.
In order to ensure that copies are available for preservation and for use by researchers having access to collection of legitimate materials, a minimum of 2 copies should be deposited.
The ordinance empowers the City Librarian to make use of, allocate or distribute in the manner it deems fit, and in the interest of educational or cultural advancement, scholarship, or research, the materials on legal deposit in the library.
Moreover, the City Librarian shall keep a record of all materials received as prescribed under the proposed measure which record shall contain, as far as practicable, the particulars supplied by the publisher such as the title of the book and the contents of the title page with a translation to English language, language in which the book is written, the name of the author, translator or editor of the book, subject matter, place of printing and place of publication, the name of the firm or the printer or firm of the publisher, the date of issue from the press or the date of publication, the number of sheets, leaves or pages, the size, the number of the audition, the number of copies which the edition consists, the price at which the book is sold to the public and the name and residence of the proprietor of the copyright.
The ordinance stipulated that all the deposited books shall be shelved at the local library section of the public library. The writer or publisher upon deliverance of the materials published or printed, shall be immediately acknowledged, and that proper recognition shall be endowed to them through a commendation, plaque or token of appreciation as well as being featured in the city library’s website and social media accounts.
If needed, the Baguio City Library Board shall issue guidelines and prescribe rules and regulations for the implementation of the said ordinance. By Dexter A. See
