HISTORY

The Quezon Provincial Branch Library (formerly Tayabas Branch Library) was organized during the early part of 1929 by the Chief of the Provincial Branches, the late Mr. Jose Munda. It was inaugurated on February 28, 1929 with the Provincial Governor Leon G. Guinto and the late Director Eulogio B. Rodriguez as the principal speakers. The province appropriated ten thousand pesos (10,000.00) for the operational expenses of its establishment and was able to start with an initial collection of 1,793 books and 78 pamphlets.

The library was temporarily housed in the hall of the Lucena Municipal Building and remained there until the completion of the Provincial Capitol in 1935 when it was transferred to the present site in the second floor occupying the hall.

Before the World War II the library has a collection of 5,137 books and 706 pamphlets about 50% of which were lost, either looted or burned by the Japanese Army that occupied the library premises.

The library remained closed during the entire period of the occupation and was re-opened on May 2, 1945 upon the instruction of the Captain Scheinder of the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) with a collection of 2,196 books and 560 pamphlets that were salvage from different sources.

Through the generosity of the American people to rehabilitate the war torn libraries of the Philippines coupled by the cooperation of the provincial officials, the provincial library was able to get books from the Allocations Centers in Manila and maintained collection of 17,668 books and 1,180 pamphlets.

With the approval of the Municipal Library Law known as Republic Act No. 411 on June 18, 1949, the Provincial Library of Quezon was able to organize municipal and barrio libraries.

COLLECTION AND SERVICES

SERVICE FUNCTIONS

The Quezon Provincial Library Library is divided into three major service functions:

• Readers’ Services
• E Library Services
• Technical Services

It also supervises  26  Municipal Libraries & 1 Barangay Library.

READERS’ SERVICES

These service functions are being supervised by the Provincial Librarian and are directly involved in serving library clientele through its five main sections, namely:

A. Circulation Section

                This service aims to strengthen its collection by making the needs of the community.

                Activities with charging and discharging items borrowed from the library collection, generally for outside use.

B. Children’s Section

                The Quezon Provincial Library considers service to youth as a primary mission, to attract and encourage children to love of books and reading.

C. Periodical Section

            This section keeps a control record of the holdings of serial publications (international and local magazines, newspapers, journals, etc.) received by the library, and answers questions about holdings of specific titles.

D. Filipiniana Section

        This section serves as repository of the country’s intellectual and cultural heritage. This section contains the general collection of books, fiction and nonfiction, which the students can borrow for home use.

E. Reference Section

Books containing specific facts and information about anything in this world are kept in this section. They include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, almanacs, yearbooks, atlases, gazetteers, biographies and indexes.

User can access these information hotlines via telephone. In addition, the library offers public information and referral services, which direct users to nonprofit community groups that address particular needs.

F. Reserve Section

                Reserved book collections is the most useful portion of the library collections. It includes textbooks required for school curricula.

E-LIBRARY SERVICES

          The service functions are supervised by the Provincial Information Management Office (PIMO) and Quezon Provincial Library and directly involved in serving library clientele through easily access to the internet.

                The area of the library that renders or gives global access to various information needs of library patrons via 6 terminals.

TECHNICAL SERVICES

This service area is concerned with the acquisitions, organizations (classification, cataloging, etc.), preparation and preservation of materials.

OTHER SERVICES & FACILITIES

Readers Assistance

                Assist users in the selection of library materials on the subject of inquiry.

Koha Integrated Library Management System

Materials needed for research can be access easily through a user friendly online catalog

Internet Services

                Support the speedy exchange of information and the instructional/research needs of the community through WWW, etc. This service is available to readers free of charge via 6 terminals in the library.

Library Tours & Orientation

                Considered one of the basic library services is the library tours and orientation program intended for all public schools in Quezon Province. The objective of this services is to welcome the students, in elementary and secondary public schools, and introduce them the available information sources, facilities and services that the QPL has.

                The library orientation is conducted by the librarians of the respective sections of the library.

Photocopying Services

                Photocopying machine is located at the reference section of the library.

Bulletin Board Display

                Announces newly acquired materials and other pertinent library concerns.

The Quezon Provincial Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our province’s diverse communities.

The Quezon Provincial Library will satisfy the 21^st Century learning, recreational and literacy needs of its multicultural community through service that exceeds expectations in physical and virtual environments that promote a literate community and enhanced quality of life.

OBJECTIVES

1. To acquire and preserve all information about Quezon Province;
2. To assemble, preserve and administer books and related educational, informational, cultural and recreational material, within the framework of its budget, in order to promote an enlightened citizenry and enrich personal lives;
3. To serve the community as center of reliable information;
4. To develop in cooperation with the local government units, a system of public libraries and information in the country;
5. To provide the reading public an enhanced environment to pursue intellectual, moral and physical development;
6. To provide opportunity and encouragement for children, young people, men and women to educate themselves continually;
7. To support educational, civic and cultural activities of groups and organizations.

FUNCTIONS

1. To make available to the members of the community reading materials of wide array, including reading materials prescribed by the Department of Education and national newspapers of general circulation and others.
2. To be used as venue for audio-visual presentation in the community and other kinds of exhibitions and activities aimed at increasing the library awareness by government agencies, non-government organizations or private entities in the dissemination of information of general interest.
3. To assemble and administer books, periodicals and other library resources in the organized collection for educational, research and information thus, promoting an enlightened and well-formed citizenry in using equipment in the library.
4. To serve as repository of the cultural and historical heritage of Quezon Province and its municipalities.