Unopened pages: How Manila City Library grapples with modernity

ON ANY given school day, the Manila City Library is packed with students from nearby universities looking to finish their assignments or simply stay for a public space conducive for studying. 

As the capital city gradually adapts to digitalization and high-rise buildings, the main library branch nestled in Ermita, adjacent to the bustling Taft Avenue, sits still beside the estero—unmoving and underfunded. 

Maria Fatima dela Cruz, a senior from the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), is a regular at the Manila City Library. Visiting once or twice a week, she was drawn by the encouraging demeanor of the library’s staff. 

For years, however, she faced recurring issues with the main establishment’s restrictions. 

“I think the limitations or frustrations I faced are the limited space and seats, we cannot charge our laptops as we are not allowed,” she told The Capital. 

This is only one of the handful of issues Manila’s main public library lives with at present. In many ways, it is what the librarian-in-charge Renne Rose Salazar has learned to manage with what they are given. 

Students and locals alike shuffle in and out, occupying the limited seats housed in the library that was established in 1946. Some secure spots, while others are told by the employees to return at a later time when seats may be available. 

Cramped spaces 

According to the head librarian, the Manila City Library attracts 80 to 100 users on a daily basis but only has a seating capacity for 70 people. 

“Mostly... sa complaints ay either maliit ang aming seating capacity... And at the same time, dahil nga kami ay local funded or from the City Mayor,” Salazar told The Capital. 

Salazar revealed that the library’s single-day high of users breached 200 people, which forced them to impose limitations when it comes to entering the facility. 

“Meron pa naghihintay na mga library user sa labas. Hindi namin mapapasok, kasi kahit na mag-offer sila na uupo sa sahig, hindi namin pwedeng tanggapin kasi para hindi rin maka-disturb doon sa other students.” 

The library staff, she said, do all things they can to accommodate all arriving students, giving them unused extra chairs and even letting the users use their own tables and office spaces. 

However, Salazar said that the cramped space today is only temporary, as there have been plans to free up the second floor of the building for the library’s expansion since early last year. 

Currently, the second floor of the library is where the administrative office of the library is located. When the office completes its planned relocation to the building next to it, the library will be operating on two floors and double the seating capacity. 

“Madadagdagan na siya [capacity]. Siguro magiging doble na kasi we have three rooms na pwedeng gamitin as discussion area, computer section... and other activities na pwedeng gawin,” Salazar said. 

Not fully charged 

Since the overall budget for the library was distributed to the 11 branches, Salazar disclosed that the Manila City Library is forced to lessen the power it consumes by not allowing library users to charge their gadgets. 

“So lahat ‘yun, mostly parang pumapalo kami ng mataas talaga yung electricity namin... Lalo na dito sa main, kasi ang library namin ay open from Mondays to Saturdays,” she said. 

“And at the same time, we have 24 hours security guard in charge... So continuous talaga ‘yung sa electricity,” she added.

Due to this concern, the library offers visitors to use its computers, instead of allowing them to use outlets, which can cause a domino effect. 

“Kasi hindi talaga namin sila ma-allow kasi sa dami ng library users kapag pinagbigyan mo ‘yung isa, automatic yan nilang susunod-sunod na ‘yun,” Salazar said. 

The head librarian, however, clarified that the library is not completely strict with its electrical services as they are based on a case-to-case basis and dependent on the users’ respective reasons. 

“For example, magsasaksak lang sila kasi five minutes kasi isa-submit na nila yung kailangan nilang reports na ginawa dito sa loob ng library, ‘yun, ina-allow namin,” Salazar said. 

“Pero yun talagang magsasaksak sila all throughout ‘yung computer. Kasi yun yung nile-lessen namin na mapagbigyan namin yung isa and then yung the rest hindi namin mapagbigyan,” she added. 

A step to digitalization 

Unlike the nearby National Library of the Philippines, which gets its funding from the national government and private firms, the capital’s main library is solely funded by the local government and relies on book and resources donations from external organizations and private individuals. 

With the help of the national library, the goal of digitalization by the Manila City Library is slowly realized. 

“Meron silang public library division, wherein ‘yung mga electronic resources nila na in-acquire ng National Library, binigyan nila kami ng access,” Salazar said. 

According to her, digitalization efforts started in 2019, when the library received computer donations from private companies. Later on, they acquired an internet provider to aid their efforts to modernize their collections. 

“Binibigyan namin [ng access] para in-encourage namin ‘yung mga library users namin na mag-search [din] using electronic resources para mas updated,” she said. 

However, regular users like Dela Cruz pointed out the shortage of public computers and the insufficient library collection. 

“The librarians are kind enough to give us the Wi-Fi password, while the use of computers is very limited as the number of computers they have is... less than 10,” the student said. 

“I don't think the library has enough learning materials for my needs because sometimes when I need to study a specific lesson for our major (Home Economics), there is limited selection I can choose.” 

As of May 2025, the library gives access to 6,658 volume books and 948 e-books. Among these digital book copies, 823 were donated by various donors. 

Within the shelves 

Despite the increase of the budget allocation this year, Salazar still cannot feel the bump in the library's funding. 

The library system, including the main library and its branches, has been appropriated with a proposed budget of P71.73 million this year, higher by P2.6M than the P68.92M budget of the previous year, records from the Manila City Hall disclosure board showed. 

“Siguro, if kaya pa na mabigyan ng fund, para mas ma-extend din naman ng Manila City Library ‘yung service, kasi siyempre dahil nga hindi kami funding source, hindi naman lagi rin makakapaglabas ng bulsa ang mga librarians,” the head librarian said. 

Amid the woes baffling the library, the 410-square-meter building still draws in users today. During the first quarter of 2025, the library has been visited by 6,192 users, 30 percent of the total visitors recorded last year at 17,933. 

“I would suggest to expand the library as it gets congested and it's hard to study when there are many students inside,” Dela Cruz said. Shayne Lee Andreas Macaraeg and Vince Alfred Pillagara