Urdaneta city: The SM Supermalls, in partnership with the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), targets to collect 40,000 books until October this year through a book donation drive launched on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Urdaneta City librarian Bernardine Gravela emphasized that books would be significantly helpful in curbing misinformation and disinformation in the digital age, especially among children. Gravela stated, "It is a very big help, especially for the children. At this time and age where information easily goes out through the social media. So we need more reference materials that we could really rely on to make our decisions. And as for students, it is very important that they develop their reading skills. Not only for students, but for everyone."
Gravela further described the project, dubbed SM Book Nook donation drive, as a beneficial community engagement initiative of the NLP and the company's corporate social responsibility arm, SM Cares, in promoting literacy. She noted that despite the vast information available on the internet, books, especially in traditional libraries, are carefully selected by librarians.
SM City Urdaneta Central assistant mall manager Christine Rosario highlighted that the drive encourages mallgoers, tenants, partners, and communities to donate quality books that will benefit children, families, and readers from all walks of life. Rosario mentioned, "A portion of the books will be turned over to the National Library of the Philippines and its affiliate libraries, while others will support the expansion of SM Book Nook reading hubs to more SM malls and partner institutions nationwide."
The initiative aims to collect 40,000 books, with each SM mall nationwide serving as an official drop-off point, where specially designed donation boxes will be strategically placed in in-mall locations. Pre-loved books to be donated should be in good condition; complete, clean, dry, and free from major damage. Accepted books include fiction and non-fiction titles, children's books and young adult literature, academic and reference books, as well as magazines and comics in good condition.
This initiative supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
