A look inside Davao’s new City Library and Information Center
A new and improved public Davao City Library is now open!
A look inside Davao’s new City Library and Information Center
Davao City Library has four floors, a roof deck, and lots of books! Fully airconditioned and with CCTVs on every floor of the building. The perfect place for kids, students, and anyone who loves to read or needs a quiet time to research and study. Do you fit the bill? This might be your next favorite hangout spot.
Located at 203 C., Bangoy Street, Brgy. 34-D, Poblacion District, Davao City within the vicinity of Davao Light and Power Company’s main office and PLDT Smart Ponciano.
Entrance and membership registration
There are three ways of accessibility to the building. Below is a handy guide to the benefits of each one:
According to the table, the QR registration is good enough for one-day visitors. Yet, the paper card allows access without having to register every day. Bags and backpacks cannot be brought with you and should be left at the baggage counter.
Their PVC ID, on the other hand, gives the maximum benefits which the library staff will give an orientation on. As per their policy, borrowing books require a guarantor (a regular government employee within the City Hall of Davao) to sign a request slip. For all it is worth, you can borrow two books at a time and they are renewable every 7 days.
Currently, you can register online or in person every Monday. Procurement of PVC ID or paper card is every Thursday and Friday.
Aesthetics and accessibility
The entrance doors automatically slide open just across the reception desk. Beside it is the elevator that goes all the way up to the roof deck. Clean comfort rooms for men, women, and PWD are on every floor. The latter is not kept under lock and key.
There are sitting areas for children, students, adults, and PWDs. Sitting areas range from a children’s area, a reading Amphitheatre, and a student-friendly area among others. If shelves are not taking up space there are desks and chairs in almost every corner.
Every level has at most one huge wall painting by different Davao-based artists and artworks by Bong Perez, a renowned Davao-based artist. Each artwork showcases a part of Filipino life and Davao indigenous people, culture, and heritage.
What books are available?
First and foremost, on the ground floor are periodicals which include newspapers, and magazines. Located here as well, the former Davao Mayor Sara Duterte has a corner that includes books written about her mayorship within Davao.
Up on the second floor are the readers’ amphitheatre and children’s section. Books here range from school textbooks, comics, children’s books, and religious texts among others. In the event of a film viewing or storytelling for children, there is a TV flatscreen available for use in the children’s section.
The third floor is probably the most student-friendly level in the whole building. There is a silent reading area with sectioned desks. Located here are the Dabawenyana corner, gender and development Filipiniana/references, and Philippine government publications.
The fourth floor is where the IT and conference rooms are located. Not far from them is the library’s Japanese books with an open space for students and readers. On this level, you can locate the admin, and city and district librarian.
IT resources and conference room
The free one-hour IT access is only for those with PVC ID. If you need more time or do not have a PVC ID, they accept PHP 8 for IT usage and added hours. They have 21 desktops available for use and you can even request a webcam if you need one for a Zoom meeting.
Beside the IT room is the library’s conference or audio-visual room. The latter is available for whole-day rental for PHP 2,000.
Roof deck
This is an open space for reading, studying, and taking pictures. Most importantly, you could hang out with your friends freely without disturbing others in the library. Here, they plant and grow vegetables like lettuce, okra, and eggplant. Try asking for some of their produce and maybe they would let you have some.
The Davao city library and information center are open from Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 7 PM. You can leave feedback at their reception desk or through their phone number, 0963 363 5518, and email. Follow their Facebook page for more information and updates.
