Annual Gathering of Reading Enthusiasts in Iloilo City: Promoting the Love for Books at the 2025 Book Nook Conference
The Book Nook Conference 2025, organised by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), took place from August 20 to 22 in Iloilo City, Philippines. The conference theme was 'Sug-álaw: A Grand Encounter of Stories, Cultures, and Communities.'
The three-day event aimed to consolidate best practices and discuss challenges faced by Book Nook Project area coordinators, while also highlighting Iloilo City's vibrant reading community. Over 100 Book Nook sites are currently established across various provinces, cities, and barangays in the Philippines, and more than 20 additional sites are to be unveiled this year.
The first two days of the conference included sessions, workshops, and digitalising Book Nook services. Dr. Luis Gatmaitan encouraged high school students to express themselves through movement and writing during the conference, while Rey Bufi showed future educators and librarians the process of building storytelling communities in Iloilo City.
The Book Nook Project, a flagship program by the NBDB that aims to address the country's reading crisis, conducted storytelling sessions and literary activities with students at the Book Nook Nabitasan Integrated School in Barangay La Paz. The project adheres to the belief that 'aklat para sa lahat' (books for everyone) should be a basic human right.
Reading space advocates visited the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) in Iloilo during the cultural tour on the third day of the conference. The conference also featured a series of workshops on building sustainable community reading spaces and leveraging digital platforms for wider reach.
The Book Nook Project's Readership Development Division Officer-in-Charge Daniel Mariano emphasized the importance of involving reading communities in nurturing the country's reading culture. To learn more about the National Book Development Board and its upcoming activities, visit books.gov.ph and follow the NBDB through its social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.
The Book Nook Conference 2025 concluded with a full day of reading activities at the NMP-Iloilo City and the Nabitasan Integrated School, reinforcing the commitment of the NBDB to fostering love of reading at a young age by making Filipino-published books more accessible and easily available to students and young readers.
Read also:
- Setting Up and Expanding Operations at a Soil Blending Facility
- Surveying the Scene: Legality, Drones, and American Anti-Terror Strategy
- Regional University's healthcare system strengthened through collaborative partnership with Chancellor Dr Fiona Hill
- Highlighting Achievements of Our Institution's Faculty in the Academic Year 2023-24
