Summary Library Profile

Our main mission

To instill the love of reading in our children, and other community members, and to make available to them, completely free,a wide selection of books, Internet-ready computers, and other library materials, facilities, services and programs, to both encourage and enable them to adopt reading — and library use — as lifelong habits for their personal development, entertainment, and overall well-being.

Establishment, funding, collection, facilities & services

The Dioso Library was inaugurated on April 2, 2004, and has operated continuously since then, opening its doors to the public six days a week.

It receives annual financial grants from the Provincial and Municipal Governments of Antique and Pandan, respectively, as well as cash and in-kind donations from private individuals, foundations and other institutions in the Philippines and abroad. The Dioso Family makes up the difference between its annual expenditure budget and the total financial grants and contributions received annually by the Library.

The Library is proud to be a full-service public library, offering — for the free use and benefit of the community — a wide and still growing collection of fiction, nonfiction, and “how-to” or self-help books; encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries, and other reference materials; Internet-ready computers; videotapes, DVDs, audio-books; as well as storytelling for children and other educational and cultural programs.

Special research facility

The Library is also proud to be the first library of its kind in the Western Visayas region appointed and equipped by the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) to serve as an official access station of the Philippine Electronic Library (”e-Lib”) Project. The e-Lib project provides post-graduate students and other serious researchers access to the electronic databases of the Philippines’ and the world’s libraries; digitized Filipiniana materials, including theses and dissertations; and the special collections of the NLP, the University of the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Agriculture, and the Commission on Higher Education.

Lack of public libraries: A nationwide problem

Because of the lack of public libraries in Antique — a problem generally affecting the entire Philippines — the Dioso Library’s regular users include not only the residents of Pandan but also those of the neighboring towns in the province.

Philippine law (Republic Act 7743) calls for the establishment and operation of a public library in each of the 220 congressional districts, 81 provinces, 131 cities, and 1,497 municipalities — or a total of 1,929 libraries in all — in the country. Currently, according to the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), there are only 861 public libraries of all kinds in the country. Reflecting this nationwide problem, only three of Antique’s 18 towns has a library, and the Dioso Library is the only municipal library in the northern half of the province, an area comprising 7 towns with a total population of about 139,000.) More on the Library

If you would like to help us help our children and others ensure a bright and happy future for themselves, please click here to access our donations page.

Pandan, the Library’s hometown

With an estimated 2007 population of 31,000, Pandan is the 8th largest of the 18 towns making up the province of Antique (pronounced Ahn-TEE-keh). One of the Philippines’ 81 provinces, Antique (pop. 534,000) lies in the westernmost part of Panay Island, the rest of which is occupied by the provinces of Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo. The Island lies about 285 miles southeast of, and is 45 minutes away by air from, Metro Manila. Its four provinces, plus those of Guimaras and Negros Occidental, comprise the Western Visayas region of the country. With a total of 17 regions, the Philippines — whose 2007 population of 89 million is ranked the 12th largest in the world — is expected to grow to 100 million by 2014.

Pandan Beach

The Pandan beach area, part of which is a block away
from the Dioso Library

Pandan is home not only to the Dioso Library but also to the popular Bugang River, which several times has been awarded the annual title of “Cleanest Inland Body of Water” in the Philippines. The town is less than an hour’s ferryboat and car ride from the world famous Boracay beach resort, which is part of the province of Aklan.

Bugang River

The award-winning Bugang River

The importance and benefits of reading

“The things I want to know are in books.
My best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I haven’t read.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Abraham Lincoln with his son TodGenerally regarded as the greatest of all U.S. Presidents, Abraham Lincoln was born poor and could afford only a total of 18 months’ schooling. However, he was a lover of books, reading every book he could get his hands on, once walking 20 miles (32 kms.) just to borrow one. His wide and extensive reading accomplishments included mastering the Bible, Shakespeare, and English and American history. In addition to being a successful lawyer and politician, he was an accomplished public speaker, often leaving his audience in rapt attention and in awe at the power and eloquence of his words and ideas. As President, he is hailed for, among other achievements, preserving the Union during the American Civil War and for beginning the process, through his Emancipation Proclamation, that led to the end of slavery in the United States. His “Gettysburg Address”, “House Divided Speech”, and “Second Inaugural Address”, which he personally wrote and delivered during his Presidency, rank among the greatest speeches ever made in history.

A storytelling session

A storytelling session

A storytelling session

Library Hours and Regular Programs

Tuesday-Saturday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sundays
1:00 - 5:00 pm

Closed Mondays & official holidays

Sundays from 2:00 pm
Storytelling for children

Fridays from 6:30 pm
Free movie showing

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