THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas Central Library is creating a section that will contain books and journals documenting the evolution of the country.
Prefect of Libraries Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P. said UST, the oldest university in the Philippines and a witness to its growth, has the responsibility to preserve documents relating to the nation’s history.
“It is not just to keep all books, but to preserve the memory of a nation,” Fr. Aparicio said.
Aparicio said the project will be funded through donations and other sources with the Rector’s approval.
“The University cannot dedicate the budget of the Central Library, which comes from the students, for the heritage library because this is a special section not all students can have access to so we have to look for additional funding,” he said. Aparicio added that although the section is mainly for graduate researchers, undergraduates will also be granted access for special projects and theses.
At least 30,000 books and journals from the Rare Books section, Filipiniana, Periodicals, and the other sections of the Library will be transferred to the new section within the semester, at the fifth floor where the Chiang Ching Kuo Center for Intercultural Studies used to hold office.
The facilities will include a stock room, reference room, lecture room, exhibit area, and two laboratories for conservation and digitalization, and microfilming.
