Bookworms in Negros Occidental rejoice! Three public libraries in the province are expanding their offerings to include P300,000 worth of e-books, granting library users access to thousands of electronic titles for free.

The Provincial Library in Bacolod City, along with the Silay City Public Library and the Himamaylan City Public Library, are all set to receive P100,000 worth of e-books each, accessible for a year.

“We are very grateful to ALPS for these e-books and for sharing new knowledge and skills with our public librarians and library-in-charge,” said Rio Lynne Panisa, Provincial Librarian II.

The Association of Librarians in the Public Sector (ALPS) selected the three libraries to receive the e-books from reference resources provider New Century Books.

Panisa explained that the e-books will significantly augment the knowledge resources available at the libraries, which sometimes face limitations in physical learning materials.

“They don’t have to physically go to the library to access the e-books. They can do it at home and read online. There are also learners who prefer to read books online,” Panisa added.

Library users can contact their respective libraries once the e-books are available to obtain usernames and passwords for online access.

This initiative comes on the heels of another boost for literacy in Negros Occidental. Last month, the Provincial Library of Negros Occidental received more than 6,000 books from The Asia Foundation, which were distributed to various public schools and libraries across the province.