\n\t\t\t\tDiann Torres reads her published children\u2019s book on Saturday. Here, she asks the kids how many of them love to read. (Daisy Demapan)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n
\nDozens of children and library enthusiasts gathered at the Joeten Kiyu Public Library last Saturday to show their support and help celebrate the library\u2019s 24th anniversary.<\/p>\nThe lineup of events included storytelling with local authors, grounds beatification, Christmas caroling, raffle prizes, and book sales that highlighted the library\u2019s role in promoting literacy and a sense of community.<\/p>\n
Acting JKPL director Erlinda Naputi said the library is a lasting educational investment of indigenous entrepreneurs Jose Camacho Tenorio and Manuel Seman Villagomez who built the facility in 1991.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are truly blessed\u2026for all the assistance throughout [the 24 years]. Prior to [1991], we didn\u2019t have a public library but because of their hard work and dedication we have a library\u2014the best library in the Pacific,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
This year, the library focused on recovering from Typhoon Soudelor. With the assistance of the Division of Forestry, 100 plants were donated to beautify the library grounds.<\/p>\n
Soledad Tenorio, a granddaughter of Jose Tenorio and the library council\u2019s treasurer, said the library\u2019s 24 years symbolizes many milestones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know if my grandfather was alive today, he would be very happy to see how far the library has come and how hardworking the staff is in keeping the library alive. It\u2019s been hard in the last few years but I give a lot of credit to the volunteers and all the staff who\u2019ve been working overtime to keep the library alive, especially after the typhoon. With Erlinda at the helm\u2026I really think that 2016 will be a good year for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Technical Services librarian Rosalyn Ajoste said that libraries are the greatest equalizer of society.<\/p>\n
\u201cLibraries are a place where people can come and get an informal education. Historically, libraries were known as the poor man\u2019s university since the library exists to promote literacy and reading for enjoyment. It\u2019s a place where people can come and check out resources free of charge,\u201d she said. \u201cAll you need is a library card.\u201d<\/p>\n
The library has 70,000 items for the public to choose from, 16,000 alone for the children\u2019s section and an IT center that helps bridge the digital divide for those looking to improve their 21st century skills.<\/p>\n
Also at the celebration were acting governor Ralph DLG Torres, his wife Diann, Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman, Agriculture director Manuel Tenorio, the Department of Corrections Christmas carolers, Best Sunshine International, Ltd. representatives, Petey Pablo and the Matua Riders.<\/p>\n
The library is open from Tuesday to Friday at 10am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 4pm.<\/p>\n
For more information about the library, call 235- 7318 or log on to marianaslibrary.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dozens of children and library enthusiasts gathered at the Joeten Kiyu Public Library last Saturday…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":217109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[26,412,67,8646],"class_list":["post-217108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-cnmi","tag-jkpl","tag-people","tag-petey-pablo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}