Program Evaluation of the Barangay Krus na Ligas Reading Center Political Science 150 Dayanara Narciso Jose Edgardo Rivera Research Question How does the Krus na Ligas reading center comply with the requirements of Republic Act 7743 or An Act Providing For the Establishment of Congressional, City and Municipal Libraries And Barangay Reading Centers Throughout the Philippines, Appropriating the Necessary Funds Therefor And For Other Purposes? Republic Act 7743 Objectives 1. Constituents– How does the Barangay Reading Centers enhance the performance level of the Barangay and/or the City Government in the view of its constituents? 2. Facilities – How does the Barangay and/or the City Government support the Barangay Reading Centers in implementing a process for managing its library and updating their current reading materials? 3. Management – How does the Barangay Reading Centers hire and manage their personnel? Significance of the Study -to spread awareness of the existence and importance of a barangay reading center in: a. Promoting the moral and intellectual being of its people b. Elevating their literacy level c. Recognizing the vital role of knowledge in nation-building Scope and Limitations a. A single unit of analysis - We are only covering one barangay center so we cannot aim for generalizable statements about the conditions of Barangay Reading Centers in general. b. Time and duration of the research - The research was conducted in a span of 2 weeks. We made use of two research techniques (interview and questionnaire) c. Small sample size - Given the short time span, the researchers set the sample size to 14 respondents. Methodology 1. Use of survey forms -a set of questionnaires intended for the constituents (tapping into their awareness, usage, and evaluation of the materials and facilities of the reading center) -another set intended as a guide for the interview with the librarians (included inventory checklist, evaluation of the program’s services and personnel hiring, administrative duties) 2. Interview with librarians Results and Findings Interview Findings - With Ms. Rosalie R. Quinatadcan Is there really a “Barangay Reading Center”? 1. Krus na Ligas does not have a Barangay Reading Center. What it does have is a branch of the Quezon City Public Library. Personnel Assesment 2. Lack of qualified personnel Most of the librarians assigned to these branches do not fulfill the basic qualifications of a librarian rank 1 which includes: a. Librarian Board Exam passer b. College graduate of Library Science In District IV alone, only 5 barangays have librarians who are board passers or has experience a. Cubao b. Roxas c. Krus na Ligas d. Galas e. Horseshoe Drive 3. IT courses are now the de facto college course finished by most librarians. Questionnaire Findings 1. The 14 respondents all know about the Reading Center in their Barangay. 2. 43% of the respondents visit the Reading Center at least 2-3 times a week. 3. The top 2 categories of most read books of the respondents are a. Fiction b. Non-Fiction 4. 71% of the respondents use the computer in the reading center. 5. 5% of the respondents use social networking even if it’s not allowed (inconsistent finding) 6. The top 3 categories with the highest satisfaction rating are: a. The facility (chairs, tables etc.) b. Personnel c. Quality of Books Facility Administration 1. The KNL branch of the public library targets children as their demography (as seen in the monthly reports of December and January) 2. The branch constantly updates their book collection. Their benchmark year is 5 years. They only accept books that are below that cut off. Researchers’ Assessment 1. The library does not have facilities for persons with disabilities. a. No ramp for wheelchairs b. No NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) for the blind 2. The atmosphere is conducive for learning. Discussion Realizations: A. tedious job of government workers B. small room made up of big dreams -the reading center is instrumental in making the young and the young-at-hearts realize their full potential C. Our government is at work and it has our best interests at heart Conclusion 1.The difference between a reading center and a library is not given much attention by the respondents. 2. The KNL public library branch fulfills the functions as stated in Section 6 of RA 7743. 3. The respondents are satisfied with the overall implementation of the library as reflected in the result of the questionnaire. 4. There is an urgent need for more qualified librarians in District IV of Quezon City as mentioned by Ms. Quinatadcan, the Head Librarian of KNL branch of the QC public library..