04/09/2026
PRESS RELEASE
04 September 2026
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐จ๐-๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ขโ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ
More than 270 reading space advocates, educators, artists, and storytellers from 163 Book Nook sites across the country, and as far as South Korea, logged on for four days of capacity-building and benchmarking sessions during the Book Nook Online Assembly, held on August 13 to 14 and August 20 to 21, 2026, via Zoom, as the National Book Development Board (NBDB) moved its annual gathering fully online for the first timeโ163 stories, one conversation about what keeps a reading space alive.
Organized by the NBDBโs Readership Development Division, the assembly carried the theme โBOOK-od Tangi,โ prompting each Book Nook site to spotlight, through , the stories and qualities that set their reading space apart.
โThis yearโs Book Nook convergence turned into a digital platform. Nevertheless, more than 100 sites showed that Book Nook only needs one screen to celebrate success and inspire one another,โ said Book Nook Project Manager Ana Manalaysay.
โFor this year, we have invited Book Nook AYAN in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur to discuss partnership strategies; Book Nook Legazpi, Albay for creative engagement; and Book Nook Taltal, Masinloc, Zambales for volunteer mobilization,โ Manalaysay added.
๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
Over the four-day online assembly, Book Nook coordinators from across the archipelago traded lessons on keeping a reading space alive: sustained community-led programs, turning storytelling into something children remember, and reaching readers who cannot make it to the shelf. Mobile libraries and reading stations built for hard-to-reach communities emerged as one of the assemblyโs clearest throughlines, underscoring that access, as much as enthusiasm, decides whether a book finds a reader.
Liza Flores of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan led a workshop on using illustrations and paper cut-outs to make storytelling sessions more engaging. Lawrence Cusipag, founder of the Bagong Silang Community Library, presented the libraryโs community-driven programs for drawing in young readers, arguing that a reading culture is never built by one person alone.
Towfee Publishing House founder Cristopher Asa spoke on publishing stories that carry Filipino culture, and urged Book Nook sites to encourage readers to write in their own language and their own voice.
The assembly closed with consultations among Book Nook site partners and cluster coordinators to refine existing projects and chart what comes next for their reading spaces.
The shift from an onsite gathering to an online format drew 270 participants representing 163 Book Nook sites, including area coordinators from Book Nook South Korea.
โThis online conference is a testament to the diversity of the community we built, and how this community can adapt to various challenges,โ NBDB Readership Development Division Acting Chief Daniel Mariano said.
โThe shift to digital assembly allowed us to connect with the majority of Book Nook site personnel, but we still believe that nothing can replace the energy and connection of a face-to-face Book Nook Conference,โ Manalaysay added.
Founded in 2021 under NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, the Book Nook Project is a nationwide network of reading spaces providing access to quality Filipino-authored and published books. The project addresses the need for greater access to Filipino books in communities across the country, guided by the belief that โaklat para sa lahat,โ or books for everyone, is a fundamental right.
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